Meet John Drewniany-Wine & Spirits Manager for STRIP HOUSE in Midtown Manhattan

Strip House, the boutique steakhouse New York City, is conveniently located for theatergoers in the heart of Midtown on West 44th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. Broadwayworld Food and Wine recently has had the pleasure of meeting their Wine and Spirits Manager, John Drewniany who has been with the restaurant for four years. We had the opportunity to interview him about his career and his position at Strip House.

What special personal qualities or talents have enhanced your career?

I take great pride in what I do, and tend to be very detail-oriented. In order to keep a 500 bottle wine list organized you need to be constantly planning, thinking two steps ahead, filling price and vintage holes before they become a detriment to a guest finding exactly what they're looking for. Keeping focus in that department is extremely important. I'm also forever willing to admit when I don't know something about a wine. There is so much to learn about wine, 90% of my job is simply being open-minded and excited to continue learning.

Who have been some of your professional mentors or individuals that have inspired your work?

First and foremost- My parents- they're not in wine, but they drove home the importance of doing things right the first time, having a positive work ethic, being true and honest all the way through everything you do. In terms of beverage I've had so many great teachers to guide me: Amanda Reade-Sturgeon from my junior sommelier position at Dovetail, Ryan Mills-Knapp and his incredible list at Colicchio and Sons, and Richard Breitkreutz who was my Corporate Beverage Director when I first took the position of running a list on my own here at Strip House. All of these people brought different aspects of running a successful beverage program and I cannot thank them enough.

Tell us a little about your travel experiences as a beverage manager. This can be local, regional or international.

I've been on quite a few work trips to learn and always find that experiencing the place first-hand is nothing less than required. You need to see the soils in Bordeaux to comprehend them, to feel the diurnal temperature fluctuations in Napa Valley. I wish I had more time to travel to see every winemaking region on my list. However, I will say it can be exhausting. It is not vacation, even though it can feel like it at the start. Driving between 3 or 4 different vineyards and producers, sometimes more, starting tastings at 10am, 12pm lunch, more tastings again at 2pm, 4pm and then going to a wine dinner after! It is far harder and more mentally taxing than you might think. I'm incredibly lucky to get to travel and work with something I love.

Why do you find your career so rewarding?

When you get a guest into a wine they've never heard of, or in a great vintage, or just in their price point, and they absolutely love it. That, and when I introduce my staff to a new wine I've brought in and they get excited and all of a sudden I see 3-4 bottles served to guests on that first night. I love both equally.

What is one of your favorite meals and what wine would you select for it?

Fried chicken and Champagne. Just about anything with Champagne, truthfully. It's about what I'm in the mood for, what jumps out at me from the menu and the list- whatever I like best at that particular moment is what works best.

Tell us a little about the restaurant or organization that you currently work with.

Strip House is its own special space here in Midtown. Our Maitre'D, gets hugs and kisses from regular guests as they walk in the door, and half of the time gets them from people who've come for the first time as they walk out. We have guests who stop in for cocktails after a long day of work and shake hands with myself and make jokes with my amazing bartenders. On any given night I watch our guests having a blast with our service staff as they treat each one as an honored friend. We are definitely polished, take great pride in our impeccable service, incredible steaks and stellar composed dishes, but we're fun. Dining out is meant to be fun. We try and bring that joy, to everyone who walks in our doors.

Strip House Midtown is located at 15 West 44th Street, NYC 10036. Call 212.336.5454.

For menus and more information, visit http://www.striphouse.com/.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Strip House