tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post4105656607226694281..comments2024-03-26T04:26:04.911-07:00Comments on Lost City: Gallagher's Steak House to Close After 85 YearsBrooks of Sheffieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18297071358029060908noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post-69854092847517362352012-10-31T10:16:27.074-07:002012-10-31T10:16:27.074-07:00I always thought that you just couldn't miss w...I always thought that you just couldn't miss with a steakhouse, practically anywhere, except India. All you really need is good meat and a person who can grill properly. These places are bastions of tradition reflected in both the decor and the menu. So, jumbo shrimp appetizers and creamed spinach are de rigeur and you don't have to hire a brigade of hotshot chefs to prepare these dishes. No one comes to a steakhouse for the sides, or expecting cutting edge cuisine. No molecular gastronomy here! Classic is the word. Play up the history with lots of photos of olde NY.....when Joe Torre still swung a bat instead of doing cameos on "Castle" and the hottest prep b-ball player was a kid named Alcindor. That's going to grab all the history and nostalgia fans, but the new kids on the Street....not so much. The other day I mentioned to a 30 something Manhattan exec that I had run into Ed Koch in Brooklyn and had a nice visit with him. My friend's response: "who's Ed Koch? Was he a mayor or something?" True story. This guy has the means to eat at steakhouses 9 days a week but could care less about the history of any of these places. In fact he would much prefer the sleek newness of Del Frisco and would probably look down his nose at the red checkered tablecloths and captains chairs at Gallaghers. <br /><br />My take on the menu is that although the ads and web site keep stressing prime, dry-aged beef the menu only describes their "signature" sirloin as prime, dry-aged, not the other steaks. If the other cuts are not prime, dry-aged then I think the ads are a bit deceptive. Not outright trickery, because the menu is specific, but it all tends to invite the reader to assume that all their steaks are dry-aged and prime. It's not bad to have non-aged alternatives. I've found that a number of my friends do not like the intense beefy flavor of dry-aged beef. Also, I wonder where the porterhouse is on the menu. Should be there. I also get confused where their menu says that their signature sirloin is a strip steak. How can it be both? I understand that strip comes from the short loin and the sirloin is the next farther back section. Maybe I've got it wrong. <br /><br />If you go to their website you can see where their emphasis has shifted: franchising! They are "building their brand" with worldwide aims, and now have franchises in Vegas, Atlantic City, and the Newark Airport! They'll be happy to discuss selling you a franchise for your city. Also, they now have another franchise opportunity: Burger Bar....for high end casual dining featuring gourmet burgers. The brand is the thing these days....it's just a variation on the old ad adage "you don't sell bacon, you sell the sizzle." Now you sell the brand, and once you get the brand established you can sell t-shirts with your logo (or anything with your logo) and make an even bigger killing. You'd think they'd want to keep a flagship store open in NYC to help in franchise marketing, but maybe they have figured out that they can market the concept of Gallaghers without there being an actual Gallaghers. If they tell potential franchisees that they can get a piece of the action generated by "legendary NYC steakhouse Gallaghers"....it just might work and they're not lying, because by then Gallaghers will just be a legend, a memory, not a real place. Sell the dream, baby.<br /><br />So, how do they not own the building they're in? Then again, neither did Barbara at Bill's. <br /><br />-30-upstate johnny gnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post-5747870436259418992012-10-29T11:10:24.364-07:002012-10-29T11:10:24.364-07:00Man, I don't even live in NYC and I hate to se...Man, I don't even live in NYC and I hate to see that happen. A good steakhouse is a good steakhouse! It ain't right.TB at BlueCollarWorkmanhttp://www.bluecollarworkman.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21554899.post-42178899881825134022012-10-26T07:53:14.065-07:002012-10-26T07:53:14.065-07:00I'm surprised you didn't mention Gallagher...I'm surprised you didn't mention Gallagher and Sheen's other show- business connection. Al Sheen,born Albert Schoenberg had a sister named Minnie who married a guy named Marx. They had a bunch of kids best known as Groucho, Chico, Harpo, Zeppo, and Gummo.Toni Kaminshttp://www.tonikamins.comnoreply@blogger.com