Our destination two nights ago was PJ Clarke's on the lower edge of the Upper East Side, but it was packed with people and the noise was overwhelming. We walked out and happened to notice another door, marked "Sidecar," on the side of the building. We peeked up the staircase at a closed door and were just turning around, assuming we were at a dead end, when some other customers came in and told us they'd been referred up there by the main restaurant. So up we went.
It was a cozy brick space and the menu is more expensive and refined than in the pub below (putting the "up" in upscale, I guess!). The steak and scallops ordered by the people at the next table looked just as delicious as our deluxe burgers, complete with sides of "smothering onions" and chili. The fries were thin and perfect. We ordered a plate of asparagus to assuage our guilt about gorging ourselves on rich food night after night, then we gorged ourselves on rich food plus asparagus. I felt overly full until I fell asleep that night, but it had been darned good. Pat was particularly smitten with the whole experience.
PJ Clarke's is a chain but did not feel like a chain, and apparently this is the original location. There's even one in Washington, though I haven't been there. Pat said it is the bar to which the "Mad Men" are always referring.
Yesterday I spent the day in Washington. It was sort of a pathetic relief to go to Chop't for a salad for lunch.
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