Inside Arlington ClubLooking for a great steak? The Upper East Side hasn’t traditionally been a must-stop destination for carnivorous cravings. That may change with today’s opening of Arlington Club, courtesy of the TAO Group and chef Laurent Tourondel, of BLT and Brasserie Ruhlmann fame. Situated in a vast, bi-level space on Lexington Avenue in the 70s, the Beaux-Art-inspired restaurant is modeled after old school steakhouses (the name comes from a vintage soda bottle the design team stumbled upon whose name read ‘Arlington Club Soda’). Brick-vaulted ceilings, and sepia-toned light brown walls frame tufted navy leather banquets, an oak bar and floor-to-ceiling dividers of salvaged wine refrigerators that block off a private dining room for up to 25. An upstairs mezzanine provides additional scenic seating. And the menu has enough offerings for meat-lovers and fish-nibblers alike (this is the Upper East Side, after all). Every possible cut of beef, including a New York sirloin and rib-eye bone in, both dry-aged 28 days, can be customized with a vast array of sides and sauces (jalapeno chimichurri, anyone?). Those more in the mood for lighter Japanese fare can try a grilled lobster roll with Thai basil, avocado, jalapeno and honey-citrus or an Ahi tuna tataki with sansho rub, jalapeno and pickled ginger. But even with these modern touches, you’re sure to be transported to a more civilized time.
“The New York steakhouse is an old concept and it was important to capture that, not only in the menu, but in the look and feel of the restaurant,” says Touroundel. “When you walk in the room, you’re taken back to that time period.”
Photo: Melissa Hom
