21 Club
** Stars
Address: 21 W. 52nd St., near Fifth Ave.
Phone: (212) 582-7200
Dinner: Mon.-Thur., 5:30 p.m.-10
p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 5:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m; lunch, Mon.-Fri., 12 p.m.-
2:30 p.m. Closed Sundays.
Cuisine: American
Vibe: Midtown country club
Occassion: Power-lunch spot; time-warp dinner
Don't Miss Dish: Mixed grill of game, pommes souffles, apple crisp.
Drink Specialty:Exemplary global wine selection.
Price: Appetizers, $12-23; entrees, $30-45; desserts, $10.50. $35 prix fixe lunch menu; $40 dinner prix fixe menu.
Reservations: Recommended; dress code strictly enforced.
A changing of the guard in the kitchen demands a revisit to this NYC classic.
There is nothing subtle about the dress code inspection at the '21' Club. It is an unapologetic once-over by hosts, who vigilantly deny entrance to guests in jeans or sneakers. Though this midtown institution may have surrendered ties at lunch, it strictly enforces an old-school jacket policy.
It's ironic that a former speakeasy with bar shelves that once emptied into the sewers, and a stealthy wine cellar, would cling to such traditions. Yet after 85 years, co-founders Jack Kriendler and Charlie Berns' club still manages to lure celebrities and the social elite.
While an Old World order still guards the four-story townhouse's entrance, a new regime of chefs presides over the kitchen. After 12 years at the '21' Club, chef John Greeley earned the "chef" title just last year and thus permission to exact change in the kitchen. Regulars who get their "usual" are missing out on splendidly tweaked classics as well as distinctly haute additions.
The '21' Club could easily rest on the laurels of its classics, many of which have been served since the 1930s. Where some classics are concerned, the kitchen coasts on autopilot - as was the case with a tired '21' Caesar salad with stale croutons and a shallow wash of dressing. The signature $30 burger proved average, and a breadcrumb-dense crab cake certainly didn't merit its $24 price tag.
But what you're paying for is also the privilege of dining in a New York City landmark steeped in history. Nowhere else can you feast on a sirloin as you sit beneath Willie Mays' baseball bat dangling from the Bar Room's ceiling or dine on a Dover sole as you gaze above at an Air Force One model donated by President Bill Clinton.
Many menu warhorses have withstood the test of time...
Excellent pommes souffles resemble swollen French fries with unrivaled crunch. A thick sirloin is juicy and charred. Of all the tableside theatrics in the city, none compares to the charms of a tuxedo-clad server preparing steak tartare in a room decked with toys and checkered tablecloths.
Though it's hard to compete with the power-lunch scene, Greeley's cooking demands attention. Forgo the crab cakes for jumbo lump crabmeat, glossed with olive oil, avocado and lime juice. It's sided by an avocado puree with a kick of jalapeño. An Arctic char - served with farro, bacon and hedgehog mushrooms - could give many of the newly installed, market-driven dishes a run for their money.
Greeley's finest performance is the mixed grill of game, $44 and worth every penny. While I envisioned a barbaric stockpile of meat, it turns up as a sophisticated plating of expertly cooked cuts: The best of the lot is a tender elk chop and a robustly flavored chocolate and chile-rubbed venison loin.
Pastry chef Kimberly Bugler (formerly of Dennis Foy) thrills with a decadent fig and cherry pudding with homemade toffee ice cream, and a rustic apple pie. Its walnut streusel topping gives way to a warm, chewy mix of dried and fresh apples.
If the cost of admission seems steep, the $40 dinner prix fixe menu is a deal. With a changing of the guard in the kitchen, the '21' Club demands a revisit.
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