Consistently voted as one of the most romantic restaurants in New York City, this dimly lit space is filled with the sounds of the jazz pianist in the bar. The menu is what I’ll call “really good traditional American” – beef tartare, scallops & sweetbreads, beef wellington (their signature dish – a tender filet mignon wrapped in a light puff pastry). Dessert was fantastic: a fluffy chocolate soufflé & a chocolate mousse cake so sweet that the initially disappointing small size turned out to be a blessing.
After dinner, we wandered out into the chilly West Village air, down the street, & down a dark, crowded set of turquoise stairs. We had arrived at Smalls Jazz Club, a basement (literally) that has been serving up legendary jazz since 1994 (shout out to Tina at the Four Seasons for finding this hidden gem). As we stood in line to get into the 10pm show, a live recording of the Grant Stewart Quartet (a Canadian ensemble, led by a very talented saxophonist), an interesting cast of characters came up from the dark basement from the previous show: a couple easily old enough to be my grandparents; a couple of hipsters, complete with newsboy caps; a young couple, very much in love.
When we finally got inside, the place was packed. Squeezing our way through the lively, sweaty crowd, we found two seats & settled down with a glass of wine for the evening’s show. The crowd quieted down as the sweet strains of jazz emanated from the piano, bass, drums & sax. It was exactly how live jazz should be: played by people who love music, in a place you would not want to see with the lights on. We stayed for the first set & finally ducked out around midnight, feeling a little claustrophobic, tired, & fulfilled.
We fell into the back of a cab to be transported back up to “tourist New York,” blissfully happy to have spent a real New York evening.
reservations a must
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