P. J. Clarke's

P. J. Clarke's is a saloon, established 1884. It occupies a building located at 915 Third Avenue on the northwest corner of East 55th Street in Manhattan. It has a second location at 44 West 63rd Street on the southeast corner of Columbus Avenue.[1]

P.J. Clarke's
Restaurant information
Established1884 (1884)[1]
Food typeHamburgers, Pub Food[1]
Street address915 Third Avenue (NE corner of East 55th Street)
CityNew York,
StateNew York
Postal/ZIP Code10022
CountryUnited States
Websitewww.pjclarkes.com
Logo

History

The bar was once owned by a Patrick J. Clarke, an Irish immigrant who was hired in the early 1900s by a Mr. Duneen who ran the saloon. After about ten years working for him Clarke bought the bar and changed the name.

The building is a holdout and is surrounded by 919 Third Avenue, a 47-story skyscraper. Clarke's former owners, the Lavezzo brothers, signed a deal in which the building housing the saloon was sold for $1.5 million and a 99-year lease was signed with Tishman Realty and Construction.[2] However, due to financial reverses the Lavezzos were forced to sell their interest to a consortium, which includes George Steinbrenner, Timothy Hutton, and others. Prior to his arrest in 2008, Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff, whose offices were located near to the bar, was also an investor.

The building was originally a four-story structure. It lost the top two floors when the skyscraper went up in the late 1960s. On the second floor there is now a separate upstairs bar/restaurant called Sidecar, which offers a more formal dining experience.

There are two locations in Brazil. Its first location outside the U.S. opened on November 7, 2008, in São Paulo, Brazil, as a partnership with local entrepreneur Maria Rita Pikielny Marracini.[3]

Notable visitors

The bar has catered to a number of notables over the years:

  • Nat King Cole proclaimed in the late 1950s that his P.J. Clarke's bacon cheeseburger was "the Cadillac of burgers!"[4]
  • Buddy Holly proposed to his fiancée, Maria Elena Santiago, at P.J. Clarke's on June 20, 1958. It was their first date. In honor of that, on April 29, 2011, Maria Elena Holly unveiled the never before seen "True Love Ways" photo of their wedding kiss, now displayed at P.J. Clarke's' above Table 53.[5]
  • Wes Joice was a bartender at P.J. Clarke's before opening the literary hangout The Lion's Head
  • Elaine Stritch claimed she earned her spot on the short-lived CBS legal series The Trials of O'Brien by bargaining with series star Peter Falk at the actor's regular table,[6] and in commentary for the D. A. Pennebaker film documenting her struggles recording the Original Cast Album for Company, said she spent the evening drinking at P.J. Clarke's after an unsuccessful studio session.[7]
  • Johnny Mercer was said to have penned "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)"—one of the great torch laments of all times—on a napkin while sitting at the bar at P. J. Clarke's when Tommy Joyce was the bartender. The next day Mercer called Joyce to apologize for the line "So, set 'em up, Joe," explaining "I couldn't get your name to rhyme."

Reviews

In 2013, Zagat gave it a food rating of 18.[1]

In literature

In film

In television
  • In the AMC Television series Mad Men, the employees of the Sterling Cooper advertising agency frequent P.J. Clarke's.
Columbus Square

See also

References
  1. P.J. Clarke's - New York | West 60s Restaurant Menus and Reviews
  2. Dunlap, David W. (February 15, 2002). "New Team, Old Look for Saloon; P. J. Clarke's Changes Owners, Who Plan to Retain Atmosphere". The New York Times. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  3. Schimidt, Fernanda (November 11, 2008). "Tradicional hamburgueria americana, P.J. Clarke's inaugura primeira filial fora de NY em SP". UOL (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on November 9, 2008. Retrieved November 6, 2008.
  4. "P.J. Clarke's". Burger Weekly. Burger Weekly. June 12, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
  5. "True Love Ways Unveiled". Listen to Me. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  6. Ihnat, Gwen (October 21, 2019). "Still Here traces Elaine Stritch's theatrical life from summer stock to 30 Rock". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  7. "Company "Original Cast Album" Documentary with Commentary by Elaine Stritch & Hal Prince". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 5, 2021.
  8. Capote, Truman (1980). Music for Chameleons. p. 232.
  9. Highsmith, Patricia (2021). Strangers on a Train. p. 157.
  10. "GOOD EATING; Oscar Ate Here". The New York Times. March 23, 2003. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
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