GALLAGHER’S STEAK HOUSE

Great Steaks, Celebrity Diners, and a Touch of History

228 West 52 Street, New York City, (212) 245-5336
Open seven days a week from noon to midnight.
Reservations suggested. All major credit cards accepted.

http://www.gallaghersnysteakhouse.com/

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Hours: Continuously from 12 Noon- 12 Midnight
Price Range: Appetizers: $8 – $18. Chilled Medley of Seafood: $115 Entrees: $23-$45. (Lobster, Market Price). Sides: $8-$12.

One Page Wine List: 16 Wines By The Glass: $9 – $15.00. Bottles: $45-$295.
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By Nancy Walman

The most casual of New York steak houses, with its checkered tablecloths and photos of sports greats on the walls, Gallagher’s has almost no pretensions. Look for the meataging room, visible through the window. You won’t be disappointed with the famous dry-aged steaks (especially the melt-in-your-mouth Sirloin); the Roast Beef is the best in town. Any of the potato dishes (try the hash browns, Gallagher’s or remarkable mashed-to-order) are to die by. You also must sample the fabulous onion rings.

From the moment you walk through the door, time stands still and customers are pampered. Who is a better Senior maître d’hôtel than Sam McBride, whose charm & sense of humor prove that no one beats the Irish, when it comes to the hospitality industry. And under the direction of longtime General Manager Terry Condon, there are always subtle changes in the menu & the food improves with each visit.

For starters, there is a first rate shrimp cocktail (or split the smallest lobster, which start at two pounds and make a wonderful beginning). Vegetables, whether steamed or creamed, are terrific and the wine selection is easily accessed, one page long and in the same folder as the menu. (The excellent choice of single malts must be requested, since it is on the back of the dessert list). It is attractively priced and worth the effort. There are 96 wines listed on the back of the menu: I found many of the selections from Spain not only the best values, but great companions to beef. You won’t complain about the creamy, and I mean creamy rice pudding, the terrific Cheesecake or the wonderful, easy-going service. Gallagher’s is a heavy hitter in the steak house league and rates A Major on the Walman Report.

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Background

Gallagher’s New York Steak House, Inc. (“Gallagher’s Steak House”), was established in 1927 by Helen Gallagher and Jack Solomon. It was Broadway’s first steak house and the inventor of the “New York Strip” steak.

Gallagher’s Steak House was designed to be distinct from the formal, plush elegance adapted from Europe that was the restaurant decor style of 1927. Instead, the restaurant employed basic style elements: plain plank floors, wood-paneled walls and red checked tablecloths. The look simultaneously incorporates the feel of a speakeasy.

In 1927, with Prohibition hanging heavily over the land, Gallagher’s was the first speakeasy -a Runyonesque gathering place for gamblers, sports figures, and showbiz folk and other stars of the Broadway firmament., whose photos adorn the walls.

Helen Gallagher knew how to lure celebrities; she was something of one herself. Until the mid-20′s, she had been a Ziegfeld Girl and the wife of a household name, Ed Gallagher, who with Al Shean made up the comedy team of Gallagher and Shean. They were the leading vaudeville and recording duo of their day until the death of Ed Gallagher. Helen then married Jack Solomon, a colourful restaurateur/gambler with a loyal and large following among what was then called the sporting element.

Helen died and Jack Solomon married Irene Hayes. Hayes was the owner of the top floral design shop in the city. Soon after Solomon dies and Irene Hayes is sole owner.

In 1964, Mrs Hayes decided to sell the restaurant; out of hundreds of potential buyers, she selected Jerome Brody. Mr. Brody was a distinguished restaurateur, and the originator of the famed Restaurants Associates who’s accomplishments included the Four Seasons, the Forum of the Twelve Caesars, the Fonda del Sol (designed by Alexander Girard) and many other renowned, successful restaurants in New York City. In 1963 Jerome Brody started the Brody Corp. he restored the Rainbow Room to its former glory, created: L’Etoile (designed by Alexander Girard), Raffles (a private club designed by Cecil Beaton), the ground floor in the new CBS building (designed by Kevin Roche)

Upon buying Gallagher’s in 1964, Jerome Brody had ingenuity and foresight to enclose the meat aging room that was at the front of the restaurant and installed glass windows so that the contents could be seen from the street. Brody stocked it with the best USDA Prime Beef and dry-aged it to 28 days at a constant 36 degrees insure tenderness. This practice is still followed to this day.

Gallagher’s is celebrating its 80th anniversary – 44 of them under the guidance of Jerome Brody, the decor remains exactly the same as it was and so does the extraordinary mix of our clientele- showbiz people from all over the world, sports figures in the boxing, horse, football, baseball, basketball and hockey world, and business professionals.

In 2006 Jerome Brody’s widow Marlene commissioned , Pierre “Peb” Bellocq to paint a mural depicting some of the many celebrity figures that have frequented Gallagher’s over the years. Images depicted include Bill Clinton, Sarah Jessica Parker, Robert De Niro, Joe DiMaggio, Mohammed Ali, John F Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe.

The knowledge and know-how that Jerome Brody brought to Gallagher’s will live forever as a great restaurant landmark in New York City.

Copyright 2008 by Punch In International. All Rights Reserved.

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