Gallagher's Steakhouse is a steakhouse restaurant at 228 West

52nd Street 52nd Street is a -long one-way street traveling west to east across Midtown Manhattan, New York City. A short section of it was known as the city's center of jazz performance from the 1930s to the 1950s. Jazz center Following the repeal of ...

in the

Theater District A theater district (also spelled theatre district) is a common name for a neighborhood containing several of a city's theatres. Places *Theater District, Manhattan, New York City *Boston Theater District *Buffalo Theater District *Cleveland Theater ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, New York City. It was founded in November 1927 by

Helen Gallagher Helen Gallagher (born July 19, 1926) is an American actress, dancer, and singer. She is the recipient of three Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and a Drama Desk Award. Early years Born in Brooklyn, she was raised in Scarsdale, New York, and the ...

, a former

Ziegfeld girl Ziegfeld Girls were the chorus girls and showgirls from Florenz Ziegfeld's theatrical Broadway revue spectaculars known as the '' Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), in New York City, which were based on the Folies Bergère of Paris. Desc ...

, and wife of Edward Gallagher (1873–1929), and Jack Solomon, a colorful gambler with a large loyal following from the sporting element. These were the days of

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcohol ...

and Gallagher's was one of the first

speakeasy A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an illicit establishment that sells alcoholic beverages, or a retro style bar that replicates aspects of historical speakeasies. Speakeasy bars came into prominence in the United States ...

gathering places for gamblers, sports figures, and stars of

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

. There is now a location in the

New York-New York Hotel & Casino New York-New York Hotel and Casino is a casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States. It is owned by Vici Properties and operated by MGM Resorts International, and is designed to evoke New York City in its architect ...

in Las Vegas. The restaurant is next door to the Alvin (now Neil Simon) Theatre, which opened a few days afterward.

History

In 1933, when

FDR Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

took office he fulfilled his promise to end Prohibition. With liquor now legal, Gallagher and Solomon brought a new style of restaurant: Broadway's first steak house. This is where the first “New York Strip” steak was served. The establishment was basic and had the informal atmosphere of a speakeasy mixed with an American country inn. The walls were covered with photos of the stars of Broadway, Hollywood, business, politics, and athletes past and present. Even the stars of Belmont Park and Aqueduct Racetrack at

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

are honored. When Helen died, Jack Solomon married

Irene Hayes Irene Hayes (1896 – September 16, 1975) was a Ziegfeld girl and businesswoman who owned Irene Hayes Wadley & Smythe, a leading Manhattan florist, and Gallagher's Steak House after the death of her husband, Jack Solomon. She bought the ...

, who was also a former Ziegfeld girl and one of the top florists in

whose business is still known as Irene Hayes Wadley & Smythe. After a number of years at the helm, as the sole owner of Gallaghers, Hayes decided to sell and chose Jerome Brody, the restaurateur responsible for the

Rainbow Room The Rainbow Room is a private event space on the 65th floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza at Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Run by Tishman Speyer, it is among the highest venues in New York City. The Rainbow Room serves cla ...

and the Four Seasons.

Contemporary times

In 2008, the menu at Gallaghers was changed by the new management. Most important among the changes was the removal and exclusion of

Porterhouse steak The T-bone and porterhouse are steaks of beef cut from the short loin (called the sirloin in Commonwealth countries and Ireland). Both steaks include a "T"-shaped lumbar vertebra with sections of abdominal internal oblique muscle on each side ...

, which once 'graced' the frozen windows of the meat locker that greets customers as they enter the restaurant. This caused some of Gallagher's old customers to complain about the removal of the Porterhouse, which some believe originated in New York. The Steakhouse was featured in the 2002 movie

Monday Night Mayhem ''Monday Night Mayhem'' is a 2002 television film about the origin of ABC's television series ''Monday Night Football''. It debuted on the U.S. cable TV network TNT on January 14, 2002. It was based on the 1988 nonfiction book of the same title b ...

. The Trophy Room is a space for business meetings, private dining or events. Located on the second floor it features a bar, real wood-paneled walls and an extensive photo collection. The Trophy Room accommodates 110 seated, 200 reception style, 100 theater style, and the entire restaurant 400 seated. In January 2013, Gallaghers was purchased by Long Island restaurateur

Dean Poll Dean J. Poll (born April 18, 1957) is an American restaurateur based in New York and the founder of the Poll Group, owner of Manhattan's Central Park#Restaurants, Loeb Central Park Boathouse and Gallagher's Steakhouse. Background and early care ...

, who also owns Central Park's Loeb Boathouse. Gallagher's closed for renovations in July 2013. Gallaghers Steakhouse re-opened in early February 2014 with a new menu, which does include the porterhouse, and renovated interior.

Franchise locations

*Gallaghers Steakhouse, New York City *Gallagher's Steak House, Las Vegas *Gallagher's Steak House, Atlantic City's Resorts International Hotel & Casino

References

External links

Official Site: Gallagher's Steakhouse, NYC
{{Restaurants in Manhattan Restaurants established in 1927 Broadway theatre Drinking establishments in Manhattan Restaurants in Manhattan Steakhouses in New York City Speakeasies Midtown Manhattan 1927 establishments in New York City

History

Contemporary times

Franchise locations

See also

References

External links