Where to Watch The Big Game, Village-Style

Sunday.  The big game.  The 11-5 Jets head from snow-laden New York to snow-laden Massachusetts, where a crew of 300 shovelers have spent the last few days tackling the white mess that touched down Wednesday at Gillette Stadium.  

And the 14-2 Patriots await.

Kickoff is at 4:30 p.m. for the AFC Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs.   You can watch the game at home on CBS, or venture into the village to scream and shout with other fans at several local hot spots.

At one pub, you can even experience your football al fresco.

A poster in the window at Mary Carroll’s Irish Pub at 121 Deer Park Avenue proclaims the bar’s 8-foot  high-definition outdoor TV screen.  

Will the outdoor screen be in use for the chilly Tom Brady-Mark Sanchez showdown?

“Sure,” said bartender Mike Igoe.  “We have hanging heaters out back and people do go outside to watch the game and have a smoke.”

For the inside huddle, there’s a 6-foot flat-screen high-definition TV, and Bud Light can be had for $2.50 pints and $7.50 pitchers.  

“We’ll definitely have a big crowd this Sunday,” said Igoe. 

Gridiron excitement is rushing through the village, with bars and restaurants offering up specials, preparing for the swarm, and rooting for the home team.

“Jets all day, Jets all night,” said Kyle Sarrapede, head bartender at Lily Flanagan’s Pub at 345 Deer Park Avenue.  “We have a huge, over 90-inch, drop-down projector screen, along with lots of other TVs.  There’s a tailgating menu to cater to all those tailgaters, too.”

The menu includes chili, chicken nachos, Philly cheesesteaks, sliders and wings, and Flanagan’s offers $5 pitchers, $4 tall boys, $3 small boys and $3 domestic bottles for the big day.

At Cooper Street Restaurant at 217 E. Main Street, manager Glenn Richmond is ready.  The restaurant boasts a 30-seat bar with six TVs, and has sevenTVs in the dining area.

Does Richmond expect a bigger crowd than usual?

“Absolutely!  My bar will be packed.  And there will be no piped music this Sunday,” he emphasized.  “It will be all game.”

Specials at Cooper Street begin at noon, and include 10-cent wings; buy-one-appetizer-get-the-second-half-off; $3 bottles of Bud, Miller Lite and Coors Lite; and $2.75 well drinks.  And once the 30-seat bar fills up, all specials will be honored at the restaurant’s tables.

The Post Office Cafe on Main Street is also ready to deliver.  

“We always have a big Jets crowd, and they’re fun and crazy and passionate,” said general manager Kerri Rose. “With Monday off for Martin Luther King Day, we’re expecting a really great turnout.  We’ll also do a lot of takeout and will move tons of trays of our famous Buffalo Wings.”

The Post Office recently added five more TV screens , as well as a wall-mounted big-screen.  

The Sunday football menu includes:  $5 orders of wings (Buffalo, Chipotle, Sicilian, or Jamaican Jerk); Miller Lite $2.50 pints and $8 pitchers; Samuel Adams/Seasonal $3 pints and $11 pitchers; and Bud Light bottles $3.  Lessings Local Ale is also available.  Or purchase a 64-oz. Growler--a handheld portable covered jug filled with tap beer for $20, with refills for $15.

“Jets, Jets, Jets!!!” exclaims a flier at Bartini--A Bar and Lounge, at 124 N. Carll Avenue.  Beginning Sunday at 4 p.m., get free touchdown shots, $3 domestic bottles, $4 imports, and free food and giveaways.  There are three main TVs, as well as pool, a jukebox and darts in the bar with the twinkle-lit ceiling.

At Pier 44 Restaurant on Fire Island Avenue, manager Tony Marazzito lists special menu items as a Filet Mignon Burger and Steak Potato Skins.  The restaurant has a large bar and many TVs to accommodate the avid football fans.

Catering to those who may be on the sidelines of football interest, Paul Bankin, bartender at the Argyle Grill and Tavern, smiled broadly and announced: “All the wives will be here because the food is best!”  The Deer Park Avenue restaurant serves its regular menu.

And at Subway Restaurant at 21 Cooper Street, employees grinned and said they expect a busy day.  

“Lots of people will come in to order sandwiches,” Erik Stanclik and Matt Ferrigno said, “and Subway is available to do deliveries on game day.”

Sunday, January 16.   Will the Jets bust the Patriots’ eight-game winning streak, and avenge the December 6 bashing?  Or will the Patriots predominate and continue on?

Babylon Village residents will crowd around TVs to find out.

But at least one problem has been tackled:  Whether your goal is to watch this game inside or out, in a bar or at a house party, Babylon Village residents have the home advantage.