Retro Is Not Always Better

Inside The Lamb's Club

From the Brooklyn expansion of 1960's inspired burger joint, Cheeburger Cheeburger, to the peanut butter rules all menu at Peanut Butter & Co., New Yorkers are fond of nostalgia and quirky food fare. One of the city's newest restaurant's is a reminder why some things are better alone. The Lamb's Club in Midtown West has it's up's and down's from less than wowing food choices to wavering service. 

The Ambiance

As far as hotel restaurants go, I am not a fan. However, the Lamb's Club has such an interesting back story that it could stand alone from the hotel. The Lamb's Club Restaurant takes its name from the Lambs, the first professional theatrical club in the country. With theater greats such as Charlie Chaplin and Fred Astaire gracing the building, the ambiance of today is an ode to elegant and classic Hollywood retro style. 

The old time Hollywood decor at the Lamb's Club

Along with the red seating and red light accents splashed with chrome the black walls are the finishing touch to highlight the Hollywood star framed photos that line the walls. For some, this is a gimmick that is too often seen. Personally, I appreciate the effort but could do without the ogre-sized fireplace that awkwardly sits in the main dining room. 

The scene itself is what will have many flocking to the restaurant and bar. Actors, models, writers and socialites have already come out in droves which will help make Lamb's a celeb stakeout. Will the Lamb's Club be the new Sardi's? Probably not. 

The Food

For a meat and potatoes man like myself, I am usually left with a growling stomach at higher end restaurants. Luckily, the Lamb's Club offers varied portions for all. To give you an idea, I brought along my usual tiny dining companion and her even tinier friend so we could sample meals large and small. 

For appetizers, we had the grilled octopus with lemongrass, turnips and potatoes, the foie gras terrine with black mission figs an grilled country bread, and the Lamb's Club Salad with crispy egg dressing and fresh tarragon. I would highly recommend the octopus. It has a light outer crisp that gently hides the inner softness you want from octopus and not overly deep-fried calamari. My friend's foie gras was fine but nothing too great. A thinner cut served warm and lightly seared would have made this much better. As for the salad, if you are going to include the name of your restaurant in it then it better be damn good. Unfortunately, it was uninspired and I could have saved the money and made this at home. 

For our entrees, I had the roasted lamb saddle served with polenta and pignoli and a side of roasted fingerling potatoes. This was the saving grace for The Lamb's Club. In my experience lamb is often overdone but here it was rich, savory, tender and lightly sweet.

My friend's enjoyed their dishes of wild striped bass with fennel, lemon, olives, tomato and seared scallops with porcini mushrooms. While there was nothing particularly wrong with these dishes, they were prepared and presented exactly how you would expect. Nothing surprising. Nothing joyfully different that pleasantly makes me want to come back again. We skipped out on dessert but what was there to compel us to order more?

The Drink

Hefty $18 cocktails, "The Lambs Cup"

What redeemed much of this visit to the Lamb's Club was their drink menu. If you are coming to mingle with beautiful people and drink quirky infusions then swing by here after the 9 to 5 in Midtown. The offering is not the best in Manhattan but it seems so varied that there is something for all tastes. 

Out of all the drinks we had, I will give special mentions to the Lamb's Cup infused and garnished with fresh pomegranate and cucumber and 2006 Haye's Vineyard Pinot Noir. My only complaint would be that there seemed to be no cohesion as far as the entire wine list was concerned but that is forgivable in a hotel restaurant that cater's to all. As a side note, the cocktail list which is worth the visit was designed by Milk and Honey's Sasha Petraske.

Service

I am not a stranger to average entrees for high prices. Even the $18 cocktails were bearable considering the atmosphere. The straw that broke the camel's back for me was the service. The service was hit and miss. The hostess who was lovely at first got a bit annoyed after asking more about the history and opening of the restaurant. 

I chalk this up to being busy even though the place was half empty. What I am a little taken aback by was the waiter's inattentiveness to our requests i.e. medium rare, fingerling potatoes not mashed potatoes. For the prices and the apparent prestige they are trying to pull off I hoped for a better trained staff. But Rome wasn't built in a day. These are kinks that can easily be fixed if done fast.

Froggr Rating: 2.5/5

Visited the Lamb's Club for yourself and want to chime in? Send your comments, suggestions, etc. below.

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