February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
The original P.J. Clarke’s on Third Avenue at 55th Street is one of those Manhattan Irish bars that is famous for being famous. It’s said to have provided the model for Nat’s Bar in the movie “The Lost Weekend.” Bobby Kennedy liked to drink in the backroom with his closest confidants. His sister-in-law Jackie could be seen eating there with her children in the early 1970s. JFK, looking chic in a color painting, has pride of place behind the bar beside a portrait of Lincoln. Frank Sinatra is somehow connected to the joint, too. It’s famous also for being a two-story holdout surrounded by skyscrapers.
It closed down to fanfare in the early 21st century, only to be reopened fully renovated. It’s owned now by a consortium that includes actor Timothy Hutton and Yankees boss George Steinbrenner.
It seems a world away from that of Patrick Joseph Clarke, an Irish immigrant barman who bought the already 40-year-old establishment from his boss, Mr. Duneen, before World War I.
The gritty authenticity that celebrities reveled in at P.J. Clarke’s of 915 Third Ave. is long gone. It now serves as the model and inspiration for the “upscale saloon,” one that serves a great hamburger. There are plenty of imitators nationwide.
Clarke’s is a nice-looking bar. It gets the retro look just about right for those who might care and for its young upwardly mobile clientele. Its sister bar in Four World Financial Center is nothing special aside from its infamous investor and its pleasant view of the Hudson. Its staff members, though, are just as friendly as those on Third Avenue. When asked they say they’re owned by the same people that own the original P.J. Clarke’s. (They certainly share a website.)
The list of Madoff-connected businesses that interest the Feds include P.J. Clarke’s on the Hudson LLC, but also The Clarke’s Group LLC.
Whatever the precise ownership structure of the mini-chain, the prices are rather higher down near the Hudson. At $7.50 and upwards, they’re not the sort the average drinker would consider a good investment.