"Awful is putting it mildly. I left when the revolution broke out. I wasn't fond of the tsar, of course, but communist rule was even less palatable. New York seemed like a far better option."

That's glossing over things quite a bit. He doesn't care to go into the real impact the revolution or his childhood in Russia had had on him, nor how he currently feels about New York or America in general. He finishes his drink, looking almost surprised that the glass is empty, and gestures for the waiter to bring him another.