david gerlach ~ writer and journalist




Schumer Lists Democrats' New Agenda November 20, 2006 War Funds Intact, At Least for Now, As Murtha Loses November 16, 2006 Giuliani Bid May Destroy Firm's Prestige November 15, 2006 Rangel Backs Hoyer for Leader In a Break With Nancy Pelosi November 14, 2006 GOP Loss of Congress Prompts A Battle Over the Party's Direction November 10, 2006 President, Pelosi Expressing Hope For Cooperation November 9, 2006 A Few Key Races Will Decide Congress's Future November 7, 2006 New York GOP Lawmakers May Stave Off Defeat November 6, 2006 Big Power Shift Ahead for New York If Democrats Win the Congress November 3, 2006 Once-Secure Republicans Spend Thousands To Stem Tide of Democrats November 2, 2006 Snowstorm May Improve Reynolds's Re-Election Chances November 1, 2006

At the Front of The House \| Jeffrey Luftig of The Biltmore Room By David Gerlach February 22, 2006 Jeffrey Luftig of the Biltmore Room keeps his sommelier credentials in perspective. "Someone who tells you they are an expert in wine, is completely full of crap," said Mr. Luftig. Humble and sincere with a whiff of wine-buttressed lunacy, Mr. Luftig is full of more than just flowery hot air. He brings genuine enthusiasm to the table, rather than pretense. In his words: an "under-control maniac." Read

At the Front of The House \| Billy Gilroy of Employees Only By David Gerlach February 1, 2006 While describing three decades of New York City restaurant experience, Billy Gilroy mentions that it all really began while learning to bake bread at an ashram in Livingston Manor in the 1970s. Mr. Gilroy - now one of five owner-employees of Employees Only - was only 18 years old when he headed to the Catskills for some higher learning. He was an East Village kid who had discovered meditation while in drug rehabilitation. "They pitched it like '10% of all Major League baseball players meditate,'" Mr. Gilroy said. "They never really talked about enlightenment. It was the McDonald's of meditation." After European sojourns and intensive meditation studies, Mr. Gilroy landed back in Manhattan and taught the practice of contemplation. It wasn't exactly paying the bills, so in 1975, he took a job at SoHo's La Gamelle. From there, it was on to Cafe Luxembourg, Nell's, Lucky Strike, and the Match outposts. By 2001, he needed a break from restaurants: He'd been in the game for 25 years and wanted more family time. But after considering a new career, he scratched it. "The idea of getting apprenticeship pay at my age wasn't going to work," he said. Instead, Mr. Gilroy helped his old friend Ken McNally open Schiller's Liquor Bar. There, he ran into some faces from the past. He also met some other new players in the scene and the group launched Employees Only. Read

At the Front of The House \| Jo-Ann Makovitzky of Tocqueville By David Gerlach December 7, 2005 Jo-Ann Makovitzky may be the first person to greet you at Tocqueville the restaurant she owns and runs with her husband, chef Marco Moreira &mdash but the sweetest gal in the room is Francesca, the couple's three-year old daughter who likes to wander through the room and greet the customers. "She knows how to behave in a restaurant," Ms. Makovitzky says. Francesca isn't the only source of pride for this mother. She also beams about her other offspring: Tocqueville. "When I refer to Tocqueville, it is its own thing. It's this huge child that we all work for on a daily basis trying to get it reach its potential," she said. Read

At the Front of The House \| Brian McRory of Public By David Gerlach October 26, 2005 When certain customers arrive at Public, the Antipodean-Asian restaurant on Elizabeth Street, they come in search of a particular bartender: Brian McRory."They say hi and then immediately ask if he is working that night," assistant manager Kim Johnson said. She added that he does "put on quite a show." Mr. McRory, a handsome Scotsman with a sly, innocent grin, can indeed pour a fine drink and keep up the conversation. Beverage Media magazine named him one of AmericaÕs finest bartenders for 2005. But something tempting is also at work.Fans camp out at the bar for bites and drinks. Singles ask him for his phone number. A couple has proposed he join them for a late night romp. Read

At the Front of The House \| Danny Abrams of Red Cat By David Gerlach September 28, 2005 Danny Abrams, together with chef Jimmy Bradley, has built a tidy restaurant empire that includes Pace, the Harrison, the Mermaid Inn, and Red Cat. Although Mr. Abrams spends time at each of them, it is the front station at Red Cat - the oldest restaurant of the four - that makes him feel right at home. "I see all the people I made friends with when I was maitre d' here, the first couple of years after we opened," he said. Read

At the Front of The House \| Bukofzer and Termolle of Atelier By David Gerlach September 7, 2005 Dinner at Atelier, the modern French restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton on Central Park South, cannot begin without a proper visit to the bar. "It's the appetizer to the main course," bartender Norman Bukofzer says. A mix of tourists, politicos, stars of various realms, and, often, a 105-year-old zipper magnate, know to stop first at this reliable oasis. Mr. Bukofzer is a veteran of the trade, and as such, he's got the charm of a man who does not forget a face, a story, or one's drink. Even a first-timer to the bar thinking about a smooth Kentucky fix, sees a Manhattan arrive after a mere mention of bourbon. "We don't have a customer and a server relationship," Mr. Bukofzer says. There are some "deep relationships that build up over time." Indeed, it seems he shakes hands with and gives hugs to half the patrons. Read


© 2009 david gerlach \| contact: davidgerlach at yahoo dot com




Schumer Lists Democrats' New Agenda November 20, 2006 War Funds Intact, At Least for Now, As Murtha Loses November 16, 2006 Giuliani Bid May Destroy Firm's Prestige November 15, 2006 Rangel Backs Hoyer for Leader In a Break With Nancy Pelosi November 14, 2006 GOP Loss of Congress Prompts A Battle Over the Party's Direction November 10, 2006 President, Pelosi Expressing Hope For Cooperation November 9, 2006 A Few Key Races Will Decide Congress's Future November 7, 2006 New York GOP Lawmakers May Stave Off Defeat November 6, 2006 Big Power Shift Ahead for New York If Democrats Win the Congress November 3, 2006 Once-Secure Republicans Spend Thousands To Stem Tide of Democrats November 2, 2006 Snowstorm May Improve Reynolds's Re-Election Chances November 1, 2006

At the Front of The House \| Jeffrey Luftig of The Biltmore Room By David Gerlach February 22, 2006 Jeffrey Luftig of the Biltmore Room keeps his sommelier credentials in perspective. "Someone who tells you they are an expert in wine, is completely full of crap," said Mr. Luftig. Humble and sincere with a whiff of wine-buttressed lunacy, Mr. Luftig is full of more than just flowery hot air. He brings genuine enthusiasm to the table, rather than pretense. In his words: an "under-control maniac." Read

At the Front of The House \| Billy Gilroy of Employees Only By David Gerlach February 1, 2006 While describing three decades of New York City restaurant experience, Billy Gilroy mentions that it all really began while learning to bake bread at an ashram in Livingston Manor in the 1970s. Mr. Gilroy - now one of five owner-employees of Employees Only - was only 18 years old when he headed to the Catskills for some higher learning. He was an East Village kid who had discovered meditation while in drug rehabilitation. "They pitched it like '10% of all Major League baseball players meditate,'" Mr. Gilroy said. "They never really talked about enlightenment. It was the McDonald's of meditation." After European sojourns and intensive meditation studies, Mr. Gilroy landed back in Manhattan and taught the practice of contemplation. It wasn't exactly paying the bills, so in 1975, he took a job at SoHo's La Gamelle. From there, it was on to Cafe Luxembourg, Nell's, Lucky Strike, and the Match outposts. By 2001, he needed a break from restaurants: He'd been in the game for 25 years and wanted more family time. But after considering a new career, he scratched it. "The idea of getting apprenticeship pay at my age wasn't going to work," he said. Instead, Mr. Gilroy helped his old friend Ken McNally open Schiller's Liquor Bar. There, he ran into some faces from the past. He also met some other new players in the scene and the group launched Employees Only. Read

At the Front of The House \| Jo-Ann Makovitzky of Tocqueville By David Gerlach December 7, 2005 Jo-Ann Makovitzky may be the first person to greet you at Tocqueville the restaurant she owns and runs with her husband, chef Marco Moreira &mdash but the sweetest gal in the room is Francesca, the couple's three-year old daughter who likes to wander through the room and greet the customers. "She knows how to behave in a restaurant," Ms. Makovitzky says. Francesca isn't the only source of pride for this mother. She also beams about her other offspring: Tocqueville. "When I refer to Tocqueville, it is its own thing. It's this huge child that we all work for on a daily basis trying to get it reach its potential," she said. Read

At the Front of The House \| Brian McRory of Public By David Gerlach October 26, 2005 When certain customers arrive at Public, the Antipodean-Asian restaurant on Elizabeth Street, they come in search of a particular bartender: Brian McRory."They say hi and then immediately ask if he is working that night," assistant manager Kim Johnson said. She added that he does "put on quite a show." Mr. McRory, a handsome Scotsman with a sly, innocent grin, can indeed pour a fine drink and keep up the conversation. Beverage Media magazine named him one of AmericaÕs finest bartenders for 2005. But something tempting is also at work.Fans camp out at the bar for bites and drinks. Singles ask him for his phone number. A couple has proposed he join them for a late night romp. Read

At the Front of The House \| Danny Abrams of Red Cat By David Gerlach September 28, 2005 Danny Abrams, together with chef Jimmy Bradley, has built a tidy restaurant empire that includes Pace, the Harrison, the Mermaid Inn, and Red Cat. Although Mr. Abrams spends time at each of them, it is the front station at Red Cat - the oldest restaurant of the four - that makes him feel right at home. "I see all the people I made friends with when I was maitre d' here, the first couple of years after we opened," he said. Read

At the Front of The House \| Bukofzer and Termolle of Atelier By David Gerlach September 7, 2005 Dinner at Atelier, the modern French restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton on Central Park South, cannot begin without a proper visit to the bar. "It's the appetizer to the main course," bartender Norman Bukofzer says. A mix of tourists, politicos, stars of various realms, and, often, a 105-year-old zipper magnate, know to stop first at this reliable oasis. Mr. Bukofzer is a veteran of the trade, and as such, he's got the charm of a man who does not forget a face, a story, or one's drink. Even a first-timer to the bar thinking about a smooth Kentucky fix, sees a Manhattan arrive after a mere mention of bourbon. "We don't have a customer and a server relationship," Mr. Bukofzer says. There are some "deep relationships that build up over time." Indeed, it seems he shakes hands with and gives hugs to half the patrons. Read


© 2009 david gerlach \| contact: davidgerlach at yahoo dot com