The Happy Rooster

It's Where We Drink

by Will Dean

Behind the Happy Rooster's stained-glass door, there's a row of Brazilian rosewood booths, a long, low-lit bar ... and more than 100 cock statues.

Collected over 35 years, the farm-friendly trove features both large, vest-wearing roosters and tiny porcelain cluckers. All were gifts from patrons.

"People give them to me pretty much every week," says owner Rose Parrotta, who bought the Rooster six years ago. "I get so many, I've even had to sell a few."

The tradition began with original owners "Doc" and Madeline Ulitsky, who named the place after the national bird of Madeline's native France. The couple filled the bar with statues and top-shelf liquor, though it's not difficult to determine which aided more in developing a devoted clientele.

Most of the cocks that appear now, however, are not from the golden era. "The regulars had one final party the night before I took over," says Parrotta. "They took most of the [original] figurines as mementos."

A pair of Venetian glass roosters survived the house cleaning. There's some doubt that they're actually from Venice, although one is well-traveled: Once, a regular named John Scarlet stole the rooster and took it around the world, sending pictures to an infuriated Doc along the way.

Rose has changed the Rooster since she took over—she got rid of the dress code and the rule that women must be accompanied by men to sit at the bar—but she's maintained the decor and old-world charm.