The Supper Club

On Friday and Saturday nights an orchestra starts playing at 8 p.m. in the cavernous Supper Club on West 47th Street in the heart of the theater district. But the entertainment really kicks off at 5:30 when videos of prominent swing era entertainers like Nat King Cole in performance are projected onto a 20-foot screen at the back of the stage. Guest vocalists, as well as a twelve-or-more-piece orchestra provide the sounds that made dancing such a popular nightclub activity "way back when" in New York. The forties ambiance is faithfully recreated, bringing back nostalgic memories of the days of the big bands.

The menu is straightforward with standard American dishes, such as crab cakes, Caesar salad, lobster bisque, sirloin steak, lamb, veal and grilled chicken breast and the usual assortment of rich desserts. So, why isn't the food better? Mostly it has to do with preparation, since the quality of the ingredients was on the whole O.K.

The Supper Club, 240 West 47th Street, New York, NY 10036. Tel.212-921-1940. Expensive. www.thesupperclub.com

Fall 1997