DUKE ZEIBERT'S

I was a bartender at Duke Zeibert's Restaurant, Washington, DC. Mel Krupin (who I have the utmost respect for) hired me there in 1975. I was just 5 years out of high-school.
I remember my first shift there. Duke told me: "Make good drinks, but don't give the house away".
I think I was the youngest person on the staff. Most of the waiters were at least 50 years old, (and were either Jewish or Greek) and had been there for years. I remember Victor " Man O War" Friedman. About 75 years old. Waited tables for Duke for about 40 years. (Bless his heart!) And Benny. Another oldtime waiter who had been working for Duke for about 35 years.
Unfortunately, you don't see too many old school bartenders (or waiters) around anymore. Did I say "waiters"? I guess it's politically correct now to call them "servers". Beside myself being a bartending "dinosaur", there's Jim Ross at the Prime Rib, John Boswell at the Hay Adams, Ed Seitz at the Monacle, and Jim Hewes at the Round Robin Bar in the Willard Hotel.
Two of my bartender mentors, Mac (Howard MacNamara) who had been working for Duke since day one, and Leo Veran, a Philipino bartender who had been at Duke's for about 15 years. Mac and Leo were my heroes at the times. Their combined experience was more years than I had been alive.
I remember when the Washington Redskins would win on Sunday afternnoon, and George Allen would come into Duke's for a celebratory dinner. Then the next day. on Monday, Duke's would take a celebratory cake out to Reskins Park.
I remember Sonny Jurgensen coming in, and Eric Severeid also. I once made a drink for Peter Lawford, a member of the Rat Pack. He had brandy and milk, with brown granulated sugar on top. I asked him how the drink was, and he said: "Fabulous!"
Duke used to parade Elizabeth Ray around the dining room, and had flowers waiting on the table for her.
The original Duke's closed in 1980, and I went out to Hawaii to tend bar. Tiring of Hawaii, I came back to D.C., and went back with Duke when he re-opened in 1983 in the Washington Square building, at Connecticut and L Street, NW. He had all the Redskins trophys there, along with the golf trophy and baseball trophy.
Celebrities I saw there: John Travolta, Tony Curtis, Jerry Lewis, Larry King, Jackie Mason, Riddick Bowe, Cybil Shepard, Jamie Lee Curtis, etc. I asked Jackie Mason for an autograph. I told him my wife was Jewish. My shirt must have been wrinkled. He asked me if my wife did my shirts (his pronunciation: "shoits") for me.
I used to do photography for Duke. When Jerry Lewis came in. Duke asked me to do a photo. Duke stood behind Jerry Lewis at the table, and Jerry, who was eating lobster, put the lobster claws in his nose for the photo.
When Gorbachev came in with Larry King, Duke asked me to do photos. I was off that night, and Duke said to come in with my camera, bring my family, and he'd pick up the dinner tab. I told my daughter Liz, about 10 years old at the time, to go stand behind Gorbachev's table. She went there, got scared, and ran off. Larry King called her back, and I got a photo of Liz shaking hands with Gorbachev. Someday Liz will understand Russian history.
We used to have an employee meal every day about 5 pm. One day I missed the meal because I was in the stock room getting supplies. So I asked one of the cooks to make me some scrambled eggs. When Duke walked in the kitchen. he asked who the eggs were for. He came behind my bar, grabbed me by the collar, and started yelling at me in front of all my customers. He asked me if next time, I was going to order a steak. After working the tables in the diningroom, he came back behind my bar, put his arm around me, and asked me how the eggs were. "Terrific", I said. Duke said" "Don't worry aout it, you're alright with me!"
He'd yell and scream, and then later he was your best friend.
I was very proud to have plied my bartending trade at Duke's.
Something to tell my grandkids about.
Currently, I'm head bartender at Rock Creek Restaurant, Friendship Heights, Washington, DC.
Another place I'd like to brag to my future grandkids about!