Iconic UES Food Cart Spared the Axe
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Let the lamb and rice platters flow! Street vendor Tony Dragonas, whose militantly-beloved cart at 62nd and Madison has been sating Upper East Siders for 25 years, is not getting put out of business by the city. The neighborhood icon has settled a lawsuit with the Department of Health, putting to bed the 19 $1,000-a-pop health code violations that threatened to sink him. Area residents who normally don't display an iota of concern for the woes of the working-class mounted a vigorous defense of Tony, signing a "Save Tony Petition" in droves; a dozen diehards even showed up at his trial in the financial district yesterday to testify on his behalf. A heartwarming victory for the little guy, greasy chicken, and even greasier (but supposedly delicious) hamburgers.