Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Joan Ate Here
The '21' Club has been a New York City fixture since New Year's Eve, 1929, featured in countless movies and television shows (even if by name only). Just mentioning '21' signified glamour and celebrity, and jockeying for a prime table became a New York obsession. It's been seen in All About Eve, The Opposite Sex and Written on the Wind, among others, so you know it's just fabulous. (If it's good enough for Bette Davis, Dolores Gray and Lauren Bacall, it's good enough for us.)
What set '21' apart from other such swank eateries as The Colony or Le Pavillion or La Cote Basque, was that for all its glamour, it never strayed far from its speakeasy roots: hearty American fare, red-checkered tablecloths and gruff career waiters were the order of the day, rather than fussy French cuisine, starched white linen and preening maitre'd's.
Today, the celebrities have moved on, but '21' still manages to conjure up a little old New York glamour -- even amidst the Japanese tour buses and out-of-town couples. You can close your eyes and almost picture Bennett Cerf, Joan Crawford, James Aubrey, and Robert Benchley all holding court at their respective tables.
Take a look at a sampling of the '21' menu; it's completely stuck in a time warp, but in the best possible way. I'll be there on Friday evening, making my yearly pilgrimage, tucking into a dry martini and Steak Diane.
Appetizers
Boston Bibb Lettuce, blue cheese, vine-ripened tomatoes, aged balsamic
’21’ Caesar Salad with garlic croutons and aged Parmesan
Hand-Picked Jumbo Lump Crabmeat, jicama, avocado, lime, extra virgin olive oil
Cold Senegalese Soup, grilled chicken and Granny Smith apples
Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail, mesclun greens, pickled fresh horseradish
Main Courses
Maine Lobster Salad, bibb lettuce, celery root rémoulade, baby potatoes, fava beans, tomatoes
Mussels Marinara, Roma tomato sauce, garlic, basil
Grilled or Sautéed Dover Sole, asparagus, roasted fingerling potatoes
Creamy Chicken Hash, baby spinach, toast or wild rice
The ’21’ Burger, green beans, roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions, choice of potato
Steak Diane, flambéed, mashed potatoes, haricots verts
Steak Tartare, mesclun greens, rye toast, prepared to your request
Side Orders: Buttered English Peas • Baby Artichokes • Chilled Asparagus with Hollandaise Creamed Spinach • Potato Purée • Creamed Sweet Corn • Sautéed Mushrooms
Oh, and '21' also earns my unwavering devotion thanks to their continued embrace of the most beautiful two words in the English language: Jacket Required.
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Jackie O once started a trend by tucking in the red-and-white tablecloth to her collar while eating the lobster. Pretty soon every woman was doing the same.
ReplyDeleteIf my Mother did that I'd be blushing.
ReplyDeleteJackie O makes it not only OK, but chic!
Gee, I half expected a picture of Tallulah Bankhead under that post title.
ReplyDeleteDonna & Dray -- I'm sure she tied it like an Hermes scarf.
ReplyDeleteJason -- LOL!!!