Restaurant Week - Meal #8

21 Club - our last stop on the Restaurant Week gastronomical express.

I was really excited to secure this reservation - the famed 21 Club. We even managed to get a table in the very small upstairs dining room. I thought it would be a perfect end to a week of fine dining - at least I hoped it would be.

21 Club lived up to it's reputation. We had an amazing meal with impeccable service.

The upstairs dining room only has about 10 tables. One waiter handles the entire room with the help of 2 assistants. The service was seamless. The menu is similar to the more famous downstairs dining room, but it is always a price fixed. The idea is that people can linger longer upstairs to enjoy the food and conversation.

The Restaurant Week menu had several delicious options. We started with the caesar salad and the fried oysters. The caesar dressing had a hint of anchovy and lemon with a thick and creamy consistency. The fried oysters came with a bacon remoulade dipping sauce (you had me at bacon) that complemented the oysters perfectly. For dinner I had the strip steak and Michael had the seafood selection - monk fish, shrimp, and a perfectly cooked scallop in a peppery sauce. Both meals were excellent. My favorite part of the meal was dessert. Michael had the creme brulee (of course he did - it's part of the creamy custard family) and I had a strawberry tart. The creme brulee had a crispy burnt sugar top and the custard was flavored with a hint of vanilla. My tart was fantastic, the tart shell was almost like a sugar cookie and it was sitting on top of a tangerine syrup. The combination of the pastry and the tangerine syrup was fabulous. I completely cleaned my plate, the waiter even joked about bringing me another - such a cruel, cruel joke to tease me like that!

I haven't picked a favorite Restaurant Week meal yet - but 21 Club is definitely one of the front runners.