By DAVID CRUZ

Elvis Herrera works the room at Escape, the newest Latin lounge found in the Jerome-Gun Hill Business Improvement District, at 3489 Jerome Ave. In many ways, he owns the room. He pecks a kiss on a female guest, chuckles with another patron, or spends a few minutes sipping his drink while watching the Puerto Rican Day Parade televised.

By all accounts, Herrera is the guy who regulars gravitate toward, while kicking back for a few drinks on the chance to pause on their daily grind. And though his charismatic personality is Herrera’s natural inclination, it’s also the secret to his success. Many may or may not realize they’re talking to the co-owner.

An International Eatery
The restaurant’s name is fitting to the lounge. Entering the restaurant feels like one has stepped into a portal to Latin America. The front doors stretch out to reveal bamboo-covered walls, iron-wrought lighting, ceiling fans, bouncy salsa music and white clothed tables that serve as familiar elements to a Latin restaurant.

“It’s like a little getaway,” said Herrera, who’s received positive feedback over his restaurant’s opening.

The menu pays homage to Latin American dishes, 60 altogether, which range from Cuban to Mexican-style fare, all crafted by chef Juan Salerno. “We got the best food,” said Herrera, having sampled them all. “I guarantee you that our food is the best.”

Word of the restaurant’s quality fare has spread throughout the BID, even garnering a rave review from Marcia Cameron, the executive director of the Jerome Gun-Hill BID. “The avocado is to die for!” emphasized Cameron, following a recent visit.  The churrasco steak, a boneless cut of beef, is slowly morphing into Escape’s signature dish.

The restaurant is one of the few high-end eateries in the working class community, where Latin cuisine is relegated to ready made. The prices are above average when compared to the other Latin eateries peppered around the BID. But they’re justified. The food is prepared fresh, with a large portion of the menu dedicated to seafood entrees.

A High-End Eatery
Herrera, along with longtime friend and business partner Harold Richardson, opened the doors to Escape in April, after nine months of building. Richardson, the owner of Norwood Realty, has been a staple in the BID community well before it formed.

Richardson and Herrera come from a network of Bronx restaurateurs that include Jimmy Rodriguez, the rising restaurant mogul of the Don Coqui franchise. It was Herrera, having once served as a successful loan officer for HSBC, who approved the seed loan to jumpstart Rodriguez’s earlier venue, Jimmy’s Bronx Cafe. The pair soon became best friends, with Rodriguez espousing his secrets to good restaurant management to Herrera.

“I just learned the concept of not just having good food, but also adding entertainment,” said Herrera.

Guests have already sampled some of Escape’s daily attractions that include valentine Mondays, comedy Tuesdays, ladies night Wednesdays, karaoke Thursdays and TGI Fridays. Over the weekends, brunch is regularly served.

Restaurant Reborn
Escape is Herrera’s reincarnation of the short-lived eatery of the same name on Kingsbridge Road and Webb Avenue, which became a victim of its own success after the property owner attempted to raise his rent dramatically.

He found his second coming through Richardson, who sought to jazz up his property, once known as MD Café.

Herrera sought to do things right this time. His first foray into the business began with the X Bar, a nightclub in Fordham resting at the foot of the Major Deegan Expressway. The restaurant closed four years back to make way for a Dallas BBQ.

Opening and closing the restaurant served as a teachable moment for Herrera, realizing that an intimate setting with high-end food and personalized customer service proves to be an effective tool for success. “Customer service is key,” said Herrera, ingraining the idiom that “everyone is special.”

Changing Demographics
Though business is his forte, Herrera welcomes new restaurants to spread across the BID. The idea on the outset seems counterproductive, but Herrera views it as a chance to decrease the promotional output by allowing the idea of having newly established restaurants to speak for itself.

“I would love a Mexican restaurant next to me, an Italian restaurant. We’re bringing more people into the community,” said Herrera. “So it’s less work for me.”