21 Club

Midtown West
21 W. 52nd St. btwn 5th & 6th Ave.
(212) 582-7200
http://www.21club.com/web/onyc/onyc_a2a_home.jsp

Ahhh...let the gates to heaven open. I have officially experienced the Almighty 21 Club and lived to tell the story. First concocted as an underground speakeasy in the twenties, the 21 Club is one of New York's most historical dining establishments many years later. Today, the clientele is far from the lawbreaking, danger seekers from back in the glory days. The more likely hangout for these stuffed shirts is their local country club.

I can't help but comment on the unusual decor of randomness. Statues of horseracing jockeys on the outside and trinkets hanging from the ceiling on the inside look more like a jumbled mess than anything else. Apparently, the regulars feel at home with this paraphanelia while the once-in-a-lifetimers don't seem to get the joke.


Does that look like a $31 salad to you? I had to know what a $31 Cobb salad tasted like. Answer: it tasted like most other $14 Cobb salads. Although nothing was offensive about the meal, one would think the 21 Club could get a hold of a non-bruised avocado. Perhaps the blemish is a minor detail, but would Miss America shine a spotlight on a pimple in the center of her face? Don't worry, the other black spots are olives, not bugs. Black olives were not a terrible addition, but again quite peculiar. I guess one of the old timers liked that back in the 20's, also.


The dessert was able to redeem them slightly. Pleasing me when given cheesecake mounted on a shortbread cookie and covered in raspberry sauce is not difficult. This treat was more irresistible. I must have sworn 5 times that I was taking my last bite.

Stay with me for a second on my final conclusion. Hopefully my thought process will make some sense. My true opinion is 21 Club is a "No Go." However, I know realistically if I were to read some "Go or No Go" blog which told me No Go (even if I truly respected the opinion of the writer), I would still want to go to 21 Club. I think at some point, everyone feels the need to conquer their curiousity. So go ahead, get it out of your system, and realize the Almighty 21 Club is not the bee's knees.

Go or No Go? Go