It's one of the city's best-kept secrets: memorable nights in Manhattan are not exclusive to the bright lights of Broadway. Take the Club Room at the Soho Grand as a case in point. Food portions are grand and sumptuous, the decor evokes a '70s obsession with Art Deco (when moviemakers gave us The Great Gatsby, The Sting, and Paper Moon), and the music is feet from your face. You'll get reminders of Ray Charles at his supperclub best, augmented by chestnuts from the Beatles and Van Morrison—and just a hint of what made the late Sergio Mendes a mainstay of the cabaret circuit long after the hits dried up.
The entrance is down an unassuming second-floor hallway of the Soho Grand Hotel, and that's where the vibe takes a sharp turn from New Millennium Manhattan to Prohibition-era speakeasies. A heavy soundproofing red curtain parts, and you're instantly in a verdant garden spot that could be any time, any place and everywhere you want to be after a long day in the city.
We started with a pair of terrific appetizers, ricotta with pita as well as a charcuterie board, and those alone would have been plenty. The steak frites are serviceable and among their most popular items. But—in a city known for dressing up and deconstructing burgers until you don't want to hear one more word about how "special" the next one will be—this is one hell of a great burger.
For libations, we checked out their mezcal cocktail (Cheri Baby) and the Tall Dark Stranger, comprised of rye, Carpano Antica, sweet vermouth, chocolate, chili bitters, and Mr. Black coffee amaro. Both were sublime. Toward the end, we also checked out the Club Room's assortment of high-end scotches. More smoky than peaty, they sent us back out onto the city streets whistling: A splendid night for all, and we spent the next half hour talking about how soon we could come back.
