D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A ter Irving Lazar (a.k.a. Swifty, the Hollywood literary agent who was a frequent customer when he was in town). Swifty, the pug, led a restaurateur’s life—or, rather, a restaurant widow’s life. He was walked three or four times per day by members of the staff and he was housed in the office, which was across the hall from Glenn’s apartment on the floor above Mortimer’s. Swifty only saw his master when his master went into the office where his accountant worked. Glenn was definitely not a dog person.
Another customer and friend of Glenn’s realized that Swifty had no life. This woman had a house in Southampton, New York, and she also had pugs. She suggested to Glenn one summer that he let Swifty spend it by the sea and have some dog friends. Glenn thought that sounded like a good idea, and so it was. When the summer was over, the lady told Glenn the terrible news that the dog had run away! I doubt Glenn was deeply disturbed because he never had a relationship with the dog in the first place. However, I lat-
er learned that Swifty, the dog, was fine and living with the lady with the house in Southampton. And well cared for. Swifty lived in memory beyond his master’s life, of course, in the location between 72nd and 73rd streets and Lexington Avenue. The place had a great run as the neighborhood club-like, cozy restaurant with a menu of comfort food. On its last night, I had the Ginger Carrot Soup and then the Swifty’s Meatloaf with Haricots Verts and French Fries. The original meatloaf menu came from
Mortimer’s and was said to be Bill Blass’s personal meatloaf recipe. At lunchtime, there was the Sunset Salad with Lorenzo Dressing, which originated at Quo Vadis (the restaurant owned by Robert’s father). I never ordered it but another major favorite on the menu was the Calves’ Liver with Sauteed Onions and Smoked Bacon. The restaurant was an overnight sensation. It was half the size of Mortimer’s and it had a tiny bar (which is always a negative in a restaurant), and there were two
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