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I thought it appropriate that I report on our visit to 21 last night.
In short, we had a great time.
After yesterday's post, I heard from the restaurant's PR manager, offering us a round of drinks on the house (what a nice touch, no?), and when we arrived, the staff fussed over us a little bit (though our waiter seemed a smidge disappointed when he learned that the anniversary we were celebrating was just our six-month one).
Flo and I each enjoyed two glasses of complimentary champagne -- one to open the evening, another to close it. The first one tasted better to me, but I don't know whether we were served a different champagne after dinner, or if my palate was just impacted by what we'd eaten and drunk. Both were perfectly fine, though. Flo enjoyed a glass of Pinot Noir with her meal, while I indulged in a couple of really good tequila gimlets.
We split a half dozen oysters on the half shell (and they were great -- maybe the best we've ever had, we both thought), and Flo enjoyed mussels marinara (her first mussels ever, and they got a big thumbs up), while I went for seared filet mignon (medium rare).
Both entrees were damned tasty.
For dessert, Flo selected the chocolate fudge cake with five-spice ganache and fruit compote, accompanied by quite acceptable coffee (and Flo is choosy), while I had the After Eight torte -- bittersweet chocolate, peppermint, and mint chocolate chip ice cream. Both desserts were delightful.
With our dessert, we shared a 15-year-old single malt scotch called Dalwhinnie, neat, that we both quite enjoyed.
We had requested the Bogart table, but ended up right next to it instead (it's a four-top, and we were only two) at Alec Baldwin's favorite table (thankfully, Baldwin did not show up demanding we surrender his spot), but when the foursome from Atlanta left the Bogart table vacant, I slid over for fifteen or twenty seconds, just to be able to say I'd sat there (yes, I'm just that big of a boob).
The decor is kind clubroom/attic/wacky. Red leather banquettes and dark wood are accessorized by odds and ends the management has accumulated over the years. The ceiling is blocked from view by hundreds of toys hanging there, and shelves and ledges around the restaurant are filled with tchotchkes of various stripes.
The staff is composed of career servers, or at least that's the impression. The sommelier was on the jolly side, joking with customers, but the other servers were less outgoing, though not at all stuffy.
All in all, it was a memorable evening and a satisfying celebration, and we will happily return to 21 on some future special occasion.
Posted by brett at 11:31 AM | TrackBack