Arlington Club

Steakhouses in NYC have become somewhat of a dime a dozen .  But there are a few that stand out in my mind (stay tuned for a review on my favorite steak house).  Our good friends on the Upper East Side love to sink their teeth in to a prime piece of meat so with the new Arlington Club steak house opening, we thought it was the perfect double date.


Arlington Club is perfect for a man looking to pick up a 45-55 year old women with a frightening amount of plastic surgery, giving the phrase "meat market" a whole new meaning.  Oh, and the food is pretty damn good too.  Despite our 8pm reservation, we had to wait 30 minutes for our table.  If the small bar area wasn't jam packed with cat women pushing our group closer and closer to the door, I wouldn't have minded the wait.

The entire space is stunning, with high ceilings, gold trim, and back lighting that gives the dining room a warm glow.  Arlington Club literally buzzed with energy.

Once we were seated, we were greeted with a bowl of freshly baked popovers, coated in a melted medley of cheese and a side of sour pickles.

The service at Arlington Club was negligent throughout the night, with the exception of the sommelier.  We ordered the Hall '09 Cab but Arlington Club ran out of it so the sommelier came over to apologize and recommend the 2009 CJ Melka.  He promised it was comparable in price and flavor and that if we didn't love it, the restaurant would take it back.  The wine was a perfect match and I am grateful for the fantastic recommendation (I proceeded to go home and order a case :)).  The sommelier came back to check on us to ensure we enjoyed his selection.

The rest of the wait staff, however, could not be bothered with us.  Requests for fresh pepper for a caesar salad were ignored, one steak was under cooked and took over 20 minutes to return to the table, and despite ordering our own appetizers, entrees and a few desserts, the server did not once ask if we were enjoying our meal/dishes.  The only consolation is that the service wasn't down right insulting like some of the restaurants I've visited recently.

What to Eat:

Share the House Fries.  It comes with a house dipping sauce but I don't recall what it was (or if it was anything besides ketchup, I blame the CJ Melka).  These slightly spiced fries were not crispy (my kind of fry) so if you are into crispy fries, you may want to request that they are prepared accordingly.  Whatever spice Arlington Club coated these fries in made them addictive.  The sides (and just about everything we ordered) are large portions so you only need one for every two people.






For an entree, go with the Skirt Steak.  The filet was good but no better than any other filet in town.  The skirt steak, however, was so flavorful I forgot to use the red wine shallot sauce I ordered on the side.  The perfectly cooked meat arrived with a slightly caramelized slice of onion, which I should have requested more of (this would make a great side dish for the table to share).









Save room for dessert, although not an easy task at Arlington Club.  Go with the Warm Sticky Date Pudding.  The server recommended the chocolate raspberry layer cake, which like the filet, was good, but nothing to write a blog about.  The sticky date pudding, however, was outrageous.  The warm sticky date pudding with melted toffee was moist, sweet and gone in a few minutes.  I requested the milk-popcorn ice cream instead of the ginger toffee which was also a hit.

Trendy restaurants on the Upper East Side? Who Knew,

Your foodie friend


Insider tip:  If you are a Caesar salad person, this appetizer is a must.  I don't like Caesar salad but the rest of the diners at the table agreed that it was impressive both in taste and size (it was easily big enough for two people).