21 Club 21 West 52nd Street, New York, New York 10019
The 21 Club was a good restaurant but didn't have any real stand-out feature to, that is according to the Restaurant Week menu. I went with a group so we all tried each others dish. Almost every dish on the tasting menu was ordered. I personally thought that nothing on the menu was bad but you could have two completely different experiences. You could order good or you could order bad. In my opinion the best appetizer by far was the Grilled Calamari. It was so tender and had so many layers of texture from the chorizo to the fennel to those braised lima beans. It was all tossed together in a jalapeno dressing. MUST get it. Anyway the other appetizers, which I thought were okay were the Salmon Tartare and the Seasonal Soup. The Salmon Tartare I thought was good and fresh but it was very 2 - dimensional in my opinion. The Seasonal Soup was Manhattan Clam Chowder. I can't say not to get the soup since it changes daily but I just thought this sou was just okay. For entrees i thought everything was good, it just wasn't amazing. The Cauliflower Risotto was probably my favorite. My only problem was that I just wasn't a fan of the cauliflower in the risotto but I still recommend getting the risotto. I also thought the Seared Chicken Breast was pretty good. It was seasoned well and the broccoli rabe that was with it was good. The Grilled Pork Belly had a very unique flavor. It wasn't out - standing but it was good. The home-made sauerkraut that came with it was delicious. My least-favorite dish which was still okay was the Flax Seed-Crusted Salmon. It was nothing special. Salmon was cooked fine and it was sitting on beet and root vegetable faro and that was delicious. When it came to dessert nothing was great but they were good. The Rocky Road and Salty Caramel Bombe was the best out of them all. My next favorite was the lemon tart. The tart shell was just okay but the inside was good and the blueberry compote was delicious. My least favorite was the Creme Brulee with the ginger shortbread. The best part was the ginger short bread. It was really good. On the other hand the Creme Brulee just wasn't to good. The food was good not spectacular. Service was fair and the decor was a little strange but cool. The reason it was strange was that toys and football helmets were hanging from the ceiling but the dress code was jackets required. If the dress code wasn't so fancy the decor would make more sense. After the dinner we knew that there was a secret wine cellar and we asked if we could go see it. Someone took us down and it is this cement wall that has this thin, long key that you poke into this tiny pin hole and then you push the really heavy door. There is tons of wine and saved bottles from celebrities and presidents. Then if you go farther in there is a room where you could host a party. It was very cool. If you go definitely ask to see it. Anyway, I am not rushing back to the 21 Club but it was still a good restaurant.
- Food was okay, nothing was bad though
- Decor was interesting
- Service was fair
- Wine Cellar in the basement was cool, recommend asking to see it
That's all for today. Check back soon because I am going to Bill Telepan's, Telepan tonight. Can't wait! Bon Apetit.
-Mike
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