Passion for a Classic New York Landmark
By Hannah Reimann
A White Horse Memory
Some 70 years ago I met my wife-to-be at the UN. She was in charge of the guided tours, very beautiful and very sophisticated.
As I talked to her I kept saying to myself, ” This woman is out of your class”.
But, anyway, I asked, “Would you like to go to the movies tonight?” and she came back instantly, “I have a date.” and I thought, “That is that. This is not a woman I will ever get to know.”
I went to the Village, to Washington Square Park that evening and I instantly saw a tall blond (my first love) who had left me heartbroken to marry some guy in New Jersey, but her first words were,”I’m divorced.”
“Let’s go to the White Horse,” was my response and, as I walked my first love into the door of the tavern, I glanced down to see my wife-to-be who announced to her date, “Today I met the man I will marry…and there he is.” Three months later we were married.
-George Capsis
Like George’s path to his wife, Maggie, some of us have fond memories of The White Horse Tavern and unique experiences there. The place attracts interesting people and occurrences. Its doors opened for the first time in 1880 and haven’t closed since. It is the second oldest, continuously run tavern in New York City, a landmark in our neighborhood, loved by generations.
The most recent incarnation of The Tavern, now owned by Eytan Sugarman, employs dozens of people, and has retained the original design and integrity of its front room including the long bar where Dylan Thomas, Bob Dylan, and other artists and writers congregated since the 1950s.
Caroline Benveniste and I tasted some of the most popular dishes with glasses of Rosso Italiano, a rich and complex 2015 San Felo, Balla la Vecchia Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon from Tuscany.
Among an extensive menu of seafood, steak, a dozen appetizers for the table or bar and five desserts, are a lemon zest and horseradish-seasoned Yellowfin Tuna Tartare, fresh, French Onion Soup made with a rich, homemade marrow broth, organic Bell and Evans Burnt Lemon Chicken, a mouth-watering Double Smash Beef Burger with cheese, Sweet Potato Fries with Smokey Ranch Sauce, and traditional, dense and creamy New York Cheese Cake. The menu also includes vegan items such as the Beyond Cheeseburger. Everything is delicious and well-prepared with conscientious, knowledgeable servers checking in frequently on every diner’s satisfaction.
Eytan Sugarman is a native New Yorker who grew up on the Upper West Side with a knack and skill for collecting sports cards, comic books and other collectibles. As a young teen, he started selling his duplicate sports cards to other collectors and was soon earning $1000-2000 per week.
He eventually made enough income to rent his first apartment at age 16. At age 18, he began bartending at the well-known P&G Bar and Cafe at 73rd and Amsterdam (now defunct), accumulated more savings and, purchased his first bar soon after.
These experiences were followed by 22 years of successful ventures: the nightclub, Suede (from 2001 to 2005), two branches of Southern Hospitality with Justin Timberlake, Italian eatery Destino, Made in New York Pizza on the Upper West Side and the spectacular Hunt and Fish Club in Midtown. A new Made in New York Pizza will open in February two doors south of the White Horse Tavern.
Mr. Sugarman’s opportunity to rent the tavern was a fluke. He was on his way to see a space for a new downtown pizza parlor when his broker mentioned that The White Horse Tavern was for sale. That comment, heard in passing, combined with his native New York identity awakened the passion in him to own and renovate it. In addition to this, his father, Morris Jacob Sugarman, was a writer (Understanding Israel), and the prospect of honoring and improving a historic tavern where writers composed poetry and spent their downtime inspired him.
Until Sugarman signed his 15-year lease, the owners of the building were always the only operators of the tavern. As the first person to ever pay rent to a landlord for the tavern in its history, he invested heavily in rebuilding the infrastructure of the space, including replacing old damaged floors with custom marble floors, broken wooden benches with cushioned banquettes which match the interior. The complete renovation was a million-dollar investment which he willingly took on with respect for the original design, and with full responsibility for the needed improvements. The once drafty back rooms with uneven floors and dingy bathrooms are now fit for both higher-end crowds and local old-timers who still love the place. Sugarman worked with the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission so that none of the historic parts of the exterior were offended. The price and quality of the food went up. After all, the rent needs to be paid every month — Sugarman doesn’t own the building like all the previous tavern owners did. He has always conscientiously payed his staff and expenses for his businesses.
We are all aware of the controversy about outdoor dining sheds throughout the city during the time of COVID 19. However we debate, these structures were lifelines for restaurants to survive. Many didn’t make it and those that did allow us to have safer streets when walking home at night, a place to go for special events and easy take-out when there isn’t enough time to cook. Mr. Sugarman intentionally stops his outdoor bar traffic at 11 pm now out of respect for local neighbors, and sacrifices an important hour of selling time to attempt to compromise and establish a healthy dialogue with the community. The indoor bar is usually quiet at 1 am on any given night, even though he is permitted by law to be open until 4 am. Other bars in the neighborhood are open until 4 am. Sugarman and his staff don’t foster a late night drinking crowd.
In spite of this, he has been seen as a disruptor in the West Village by some, an attitude now worth re-evaluating. The tavern would have inevitably been rented by another first tenant when ownership of the building changed hands. Alternatives to Mr. Sugarman’s tavern may not have been as successful or attractive as what we have now.
Having owned over a dozen eateries, Sugarman is known in other parts of the city as a staunch community member and supporter of many charity initiatives. He donated over 10,000 pizzas to frontline workers during the pandemic, bringing them much joy and nourishment, worked with the Board and former Chief of Police Esposito directly to contribute to the fundraisers for Widows and Orphans of police for 11 years, and holds fundraisers for the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York at Hunt and Fish Club to this day. He also creates a Toys for Tots benefit every year at the White Horse.
Perhaps a routine spoken-word evening once a month on a slower night with reduced-price drinks and bar snacks in the back room would appease any disgruntled activists who miss the old Tavern.
It could begin with, “A good poem is a contribution to reality. The world is never the same once a good poem has been added to it. A good poem helps to change the shape of the universe, helps to extend everyone’s knowledge of himself and the world around him.”
—Dylan Thomas
What’s next, a paean to Steve Croman?