THE 21CLUB

Last Saturday, Steve and I planned one of our weekly “Married Date Nights” … a romantic evenings at home with dinner and a movie.  It doesn’t get any better than that.  For the movie, we chose one of our all-time favorites, the classic Hitchcock suspense thriller, Rear Window. In one scene, Grace Kelly has a waiter from New York’s "21" deliver dinner (broiled lobster) to a convalescing James Stewart at his apartment.  It inspired me to post an entry on The 21 Club.

The 21 Club, known simply as 21, is an traditional American cuisine restaurant and former prohibition-era speakeasy, located at 21 West 52nd Street, York, NY 10019, in midtown Manhattan,  It is one of the most celebrated restaurants in New York.  The 21 is New York glamour at its best. 

The Bar Room includes a restaurant, a lounge and, as the name implies, a bar. The walls and ceiling of the Bar Room are covered with memorabilia donated by famous patrons.  Perhaps the most famous feature of 21 is the line of painted cast iron lawn jockey statues which adorns the balcony above the entrance. In the 1930s, some of the affluent customers of the bar began to show their appreciation by presenting 21 with jockeys painted to represent the racing colors of the stables they owned. There are a total of 33 jockeys on the exterior of the building, and 2 more inside the doors.

 

The Puncehon Room

The Club opened in Greenwich Village in 1922, run by cousins Jack Kreindler and Charlie Berns.   In 1929, to make way for the construction of Rockefeller Center, the club moved to its current.

Jacqueline Kennedy & Frank Sinatra at The 21 Club, 1975

21 also stored the private wine collections of such celebrities as Presidents John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, and Gerald Ford; Joan Crawford; Elizabeth Taylor; Hugh Carey; Ernest Hemingway; I; The Nordstrom Sisters; Frank Sinatra; Al Jolson; Gloria Vanderbilt; Sophia Loren; Mae West; Zsa Zsa Gabor; Aristotle Onassis; Gene Kelly; Gloria Swanson; Judy Garland; Sammy Davis, Jr.; and Marilyn Monroe.  Every President since Franklin Delano Roosevelt except for George W. Bush has dined at 21 (although Bush's wife and daughters have), and the restaurant has been frequented by so many celebrities that many of them have favorite tables.

On January 24, 2009, it finally ended its long-standing policy of requiring men to wear ties at dinner. However, all other regulations (including wearing a jacket) still stand.

If you're traveling to the Big Apple, you may want to splurge at "21." Meanwhile, use the following recipes to enjoy a taste of the good life that's sure to impress your guests.  You’ll have an elegant 21 dinner at your house, just like Grace Kelly and James Stewart.   Sometimes a romantic dinner means bringing the restaurant home.

 21 Club Caesar Salad Dressing

2 large eggs

5 large cloves garlic (I often use more!)

3 tsp. Dijon mustard

1/4th cup lemon juice

2 tsp. red wine vinegar

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 cup EVOO

1 2oz can anchovy filets chopped

Romaine Lettuce

Croutons (homemade preferred of course)

 

I recommend that you make this a day in advance.  However, so long as you give it about 30 minutes in the refrigerator after you mix it, you should be fine. 

DRESSING:
 

Assemble your mise en place.  Slice your garlic and chop/dice your anchovy filets. 

Combine the eggs, garlic, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce in a blender.  Give it a good whirl. 

Set your blender to a slow churn and turn on.  As it’s going, SLOWLY pour in your EVOO.  It’s critical that you don’t dump it all in at once AND that you are mixing at a slow speed. 

Drop in your chopped anchovies and pulse until the anchovies are integrated into the dressing.

SALAD:

When making a Caesar salad, you should start with good, firm romaine lettuce.  Prep the salad about an hour before service.  Wash it under cold water, tear it into pieces, and dry it using dish towels.  Layer it between your towels and place in the fridge.
All croutons, like all mayonnaise, should be homemade. 
Use some good hard cheese (Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano).  Grate it; however, shaved is also a great option.
That’s it.  Just put your lettuce and croutons in, ladle on some dressing and top with cheese. 

21 CLUB CHICKEN HASH

(The Chicken Hash is one of the ordered dishes by patrons of The 21 Club.)

1-1/2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 cups chicken stock
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2  cup unbleached white flour
1/4  cup dry sherry
1/2  cup heavy cream
1-1/2 lb grated gruyere
1/2  tsp fresh grated nutmeg

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Bring the chicken stock to a boil. Add the chicken breasts, and lower the heat to a simmer. Poach the chicken breasts 20 minutes or until fully cooked.

Remove the chicken from the poaching liquid and cool completely before cutting into one inch cubes. Reserve the liquid.

Combine the softened butter with the flour, kneading them together into a paste.

Return the reserved chicken stock to a boil, and using a wire whisk, add the flour/butter combination in one‐tablespoon increments.

Cook 5 minutes then add the sherry and cream.

Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Whisk in the cheese and nutmeg. Remove from heat once cheese is melted.

Fold in diced chicken.

OPTIONAL CRUNCHY TOPPING: Top with additional cheese, and brown lightly under broiler.

Serve with spinach and wild rice. Many patrons prefer the hash served over white toast (no crust) instead of wild rice.

STEAK DIANE

By the 1940s, Steak Diane was a standard of Cafe Society haunts. In January 1953, Jane Nickerson wrote in the New York Times that it was the most popular dish in the dining rooms of the Drake Hotel, the Sherry-Netherland Hotel, and the Colony restaurant. Nickerson also duly reported that “Nino of the Drake” took credit for introducing this dish to New York and “in fact, to the entire United States.” Still no one knows who Diane was.

‘21’ is the last restaurant in New York City to serve Steak Diane. Except when the restaurant is exceedingly busy, it is still prepared tableside by one of the captains, some of whom have been working the floors for more than forty-five years.

1 (16-oz) boneless New York strip steak

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons (¼ stick) unsalted butter (divided)

3 tablespoons finely minced shallot

6 tablespoons cognac (or other good brandy) (divided)

2 tablespoons dry white wine or dry vermouth

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (preferably imported)

2 tablespoons A-1 steak sauce

1/2  cup beef broth

2 tablespoons heavy cream

2 tablespoons finely snipped chives

 

Trim all the outside fat off the steak. The steak should now weigh about 12 ounces.

Cut the steak in half horizontally, creating two 6-ounce steaks. Pound the steaks lightly to flatten them to ¼-inch thick. Season them liberally on both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Heat a 12-inch skillet until a drop of water dances on the surface. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter. As soon as the foam subsides, add the seasoned meat. Cook on each side for 1 minute. Remove to a plate.

Immediately adjust the heat under the pan to low. Add the second tablespoon of butter and the shallots. Sauté the shallots for 1 minute.

Increase the heat to high. Add 3 tablespoons cognac and flambé, if desired. Add the wine and with a wooden spoon scrape up any browning in the pan (deglaze the pan). Stir in the mustard and A-1 sauce. Cook for about a minute, or until the liquid is reduced to a syrup.

Add the broth and continue to boil for about a minute, until reduced to a few tablespoons. Add the cream and stir well to incorporate. Boil a few seconds. Taste for seasoning and add freshly ground pepper to taste.

Add the remaining cognac and ignite.  When the flames die down, stir in the chives, taste for salt and pepper, and adjust if necessary.
Add the reserved steaks and their juices (that have accumulated on the plate) to the simmering sauce. Turn the steaks in the sauce a couple of times, as the sauce reduces a little more.

Place the steaks on individual plates. Divide the sauce on the steaks.  Serve with mashed potatoes or rice, or at least some bread to mop up the sauce.

21 CLUB'S LOBSTER

In Rear Window (1954), socialite Lisa Fremont (Grace Kelly) has dinner  from the 21 Club brought downtown to her boyfriend, L.B “Jeff” Jeffries’ (James Stewart), Greenwich Village apartment.

Laid up with a broken leg, Jeff watches in bemused amazement as Lisa unveils a nice Montrachet rosé, broiled lobster, and one of 21’s signature checked tablecloths.

With the lobster warming in the oven, Jeff and Lisa’s attention wanders to the apartment complex across the courtyard, where the neighbor’s romantic lives are played out over the dinner hour:  the newlyweds are too busy to eat; the dancer, “Miss Torso,” pours drinks and “juggles wolves;” a suspicious Mr. Thorwald brings a tray to his bedridden wife; and “Miss Lonelyheart” sets a table for two and shares dinner with an imaginary lover.

Today, the 21 Club is no longer the power scene it was during the old Hollywood era, but they do still cook up a mean lobster.  Just don’t forget to close the blinds!

Broiled Lobster Tails Au Gratin

Very gourmet and completely easy to make! The presentation is beautiful and it tastes even better than it looks!

4 lobster tails (6-7 oz each)

2 tbsp bread crumbs

2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

1 tbsp fresh minced parsley

1 dash paprika

1 tbsp butter, melted

2 tbsp dry white wine

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 clove garlic, crushed.

First, you need to prep the tails. With kitchen scissors or a very sharp knife, cut lengthwise through the top of the lobster shell (the round, hard side of the shell). Note: When cutting the shell, you will also be cutting through the meat which is okay - this butterflies the meat for you and make a very nice presentation. If you wish to remove the digestive tract (the dark line that runs along the length of the tail), this is a good time to do that as well. Then pry open the shell using your fingers. Starting at the wide end, carefully loosen meat from botttom of shell, keeping meat attached at the small tail end. Lift meat through the cut shell opening and place on top of shell. Combine breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, parsley and paprika in a small bowl. Stir in melted butter. Set aside. Combine wine, lemon juice and garlic, and stir well. Brush lobster with half of wine mixture. Broil 5" from heat for 9 minutes, or until lobster meat turns opaque. Watch closely to avoid overcooking. Baste after the first 5 minutes with the rest of the wine mixture.

Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over tails at the end of 9 minutes, then broil an additional 30 seconds or until golden brown.

Broiled Lobster with Warm Butter and Lemon

2 8-oz Lobster Tail
2 T. Melted Butter
1/4 tsp.  Salt & Black Pepper Mix (3 parts Kosher Salt / 1 part Pepper)
1 tsp. Chopped Parsley

Accompaniments

1/2 Cup  Drawn (Melted) Butter
1 each   Grilled Lemon (Cut in half)
2 sprigs Parley

Using kitchen sheers, split the shell from the large end to the tail.

Gently pull the meat from the shell, leaving the tail end attached. Set the lobster atop the shell so it rests on top. (Piggy Back).

Pre-heat your oven to 350.

Baste the Lobster Tails with the Melted Butter and sprinkle with the Salt & Pepper Mix.

Place in a pan or on a small sheet pan and place in the pre-heated oven for 8-10 minutes until the Lobster Meat turns opaque in color and has a firm but slight bounce to touch.

Remove and sprinkle with fresh parsley, allowing to rest while preparing the plate.

Steps to Plating

• Prepare the plate with Warm Butter and a Grilled Lemon.
• Place the Broiled Lobster Tail on the platter.
• Finish with a sprig of Fresh Parsley.