"21" Club Short On Stars, Not Charm

[photo: krieger] chicken hash at "21" clubWells describes his review of "21" Club this week as, "a kind of love letter to a restaurant where the food is largely forgettable and the prices are almost always unwarranted."  Some of the food "was classic, unsuspenseful and solidly prepared," but Wells explains, "I ate only four things at “21” that I’d go back for with any anticipation."

The restaurant's saving grace seems to come via wine director Phil Pratt and the bathroom attendant, "whom everybody calls the Rev."  "On a good night," Wells explains, "everybody who works at “21” behaves like a bartender, and the meal sails along on a river of alcohol and high spirits."  It's Pratt's job to keep the booze flowing and he does so with a "practiced theatricality and patter more often heard above the splash of gin than the gentle swirl of old Bordeaux."

As for the Rev, "he holds court among vintage pastel murals that depict men and women relieving themselves in complicated ways, scenes that were naughty once and will be bizarre forever."

Wells makes it clear that "21" Club has its misgivings, but the amount of charm at 21 West 52nd Street warrents a "satisfactory" rating.  His review ends with a list of regrets, namely missing the chance to sing at Bill's Gay Nineties before it closed and tuning in to Danny Stiles back when he was a record spinning radio host.  When it comes to dining at "21" club, Wells concludes, "I don't want to add "21" to the list."