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Rusty Staub and partner Jerry Jacobs
opened "Rusty's" restaurant at Third
Avenue and 73rd Street in 1977. Ribs
were Rusty's specialty and starting in
1978, Staub held an annual celebrity
rib eating contest. In 1980 14-year
old, 98 pound actress Brooke Shields
beat out the 200 pound boxer Marvis
Fraiser. Marvis ate 28 ribs and
finished third. Brooke ate 28 ribs in
three minutes to win it. In 1982, NY
Jets Marty Lyons and NY Giants Dick
Enderle both ate 34 ribs, in 3 minutes
for a tie. The 34 consumed by each was
a record. The previous record of 32 was
set by former NY Knicks basketball star
Willis reed.
In September of 1988 "Rusty Staub's on 5th" opened on 5th Avenue, and 47th
Street. This restaurant was more
upscale than his "Rib joint" on the
upper East Side. The wood-paneled,
ceramic-tiled bar on the ground floor
of an office tower, pulled in the
corporate crowd. Down the stairs, past
a collection of color photographs of
Rusty Staub Appreciation Day at Shea
Stadium, was the dinning room with it's
cream colored walls and framed wine
posters. The rooms had hunter-green
carpeting and tablecloths, the same
colors used on the dinner plates, and
this matchbook.
The cream color matchbook features a hunter-green "Rusty Staub's on 5th"
restaurant logo, with a line-drawing of
Rusty batting in the center, and the
phone number (212) 682-1000. The back
with the striker reads "575 Fifth Ave,
Corner 47th ST, New York, N.Y. 10017."
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