Barman Bukofzer Alert

Norman Bukofzer is a legend - and deservedly so.

His ability with a cocktail shaker is unprecedented, his ease with patrons unmatched, his humor reminscent of Henny Youngman in his prime, and his memory is that of an elephant.

An elephant?

No kidding. You show up once at the Ritz-Carlton Central Park South's small Star Lounge Bar, and even a year later Norman will not only greet you like a returning friend, but he'll remember your name - and he'll remember your drink.

Now that's hospitality!

And, last night I wanted to share the treasure that is Norman with my California pal Karen. Once she took a sip of a Bukofzer Dirty Martini, I was assured that my Cali friend would be paying more calls on NYC - and more calls on Norman.

We entered the bar and miraculously were able to claim two seats at the height of happy hour.

Wonderful!

Not so.

I suddenly noticed that Norman was not behind the bar. What was going on? I was informed by an attendant that Norman had fallen ill. Concerned, I pushed for more details - and learned that he had recently gone into the hospital for heart surgery.

I jotted down a note to send a "Get Well" card through the Ritz-Carlton ASAP, in hopes that messages from regulars might be some small comfort - and Karen and I decided to stay put and give the new bartender a go.

Unfortunately, we never had the chance.

The new bartender let used, dirty cocktail glasses from former patrons remain in front of us for 10 minutes straight. He finally removed them and promised he'd return to quench our thirst.

Things didn't look good for Norman's replacement.

We waited. Then we waited some more. And then we waited some more.

All the while, he never brought us water, never brought us a drink menu, and even had the gall to assist newcomers at the bar before taking our order.

That was it!

We were out of there. If for no other reason than for Norman. This was no way to try to carry on his legacy while he recuperated.

So this is a plea to the Ritz-Carlton Central Park South:

If you respected Norman enough to sing his praises when he was behind your bar, have enough integrity to make sure that his bar is maintained to the highest standards while he's away - no matter for how long. Even if he decides to retire, the Star Lounge Bar will always be Norman's bar. And, let me speak for his vast number of adoring patrons - we want it kept that way.