P.J. Clarke’s: Sick of bars that aspire for a we’ve-been-here-since-forever atmosphere? Stop reading. A buttoned-down Midtown institution with quirky old-school relics, it’s possible your great-great-grandfather downed a few at P.J. Clarke’s. This bustling, noisy drinkery reeks of fresh oysters and old money—or at least as old as its conservative and primarily Caucasian Brooks Brothers-clad clientele, which doesn’t seem to mind shelling out for 18-year-old Macallan and 12-year-old Glenlivet. Friendly, no-nonsense bartenders serve up 30 types of bottled wines (only a dozen by the glass) and a fairly diverse beer selection. P.J.’s adjacent raw bar provides familiar munchies, and hungrier patrons can venture back to the Sidecar for standards like chicken pot pie and fish ’n’ chips. |
