Peachy Picks The Rose Club at The Plaza Hotel
The best salad we have ever seen, the Seafood Cobb Salad at The Rose Club at The Plaza Hotel sings summer like no other in notes of Maine Lobster, Laughing Bird Shrimp, Egg, Berkshire Bacon and Avocado. Whoever serves Peachy Deegan salad next has one tough act to follow. From start to finish, The Rose Club at The Plaza Hotel offers iconic choices that will impress residents of Manhattan and tourists alike because of the high caliber ingredients, creativity of the menu, and the overall skill, warmth and intelligence of every person involved. If you think The Plaza is just for tea, we have two words for you: think again.
If you really know Peachy Deegan, you know she absolutely LOVES The Plaza Hotel. It is one of her lifetime ambitions to be Eloise. In fact, we will never publicly disclose how many times she went to the liquidation sale in 2005 when the renovation happened, but it was along the lines of frequency of shoe shopping. However, before last night, though she loved the classy old look of days gone by that did not necessarily survive the renovation, she did not frequent The Plaza for dining. Until now! NOW SHE LOVE LOVE LOVES THE PLAZA FOR THE CUISINE AT THE ROSE CLUB. You know who uses that verb love in threes: Eloise. Where do you think Peachy got it from? If you think Peachy Deegan loved the last renovation, wait until you read what she has to say about the menu renovation below.
Like any other little girls, Peachy Deegan and her panel wanted to have dinner with Eloise when they were at The Plaza. But even better, they had champagne with Executive Chef Willis Loughhead, who is a total peach:
But we knew he would be, because he was hanging out with Mover and Shaker Kerry Heffernan at Taste of Summer! AND, NEWSFLASH: The Rose Club at The Plaza Hotel has JUST changed their menu! And Peachy Deegan was the very first to review it! We would have brought Kerry with us, but we think he was out racing cars.
The Rose Club was first featured in Tasty Tidbits:
It has soared into Peachy's Picks fame with ease as Eloise swings off a chandelier to celebrate! If you want to stop seeing the world through rose-colored glasses and start seeing pure culinary perfection with the naked eye and then eat it, go to The Rose Club at The Plaza. This is one of Peachy Deegan's all-time favorite reviews and here is why:
Peachy is obviously an even bigger fan of cocktails than she is of food, and she thought the Queen of Berries was simply fantastic: and if you know Lucy, Lucy knows that Peachy is the Queen of Berries more than anyone (do you hear Lucy laughing in the background?). Sweet and rich (just like Peachy! kidding!), Queen of Berries is part of the New Gotham Delights section of the menu and you have to have one.
In addition to several smashing choices under New Gotham Delights, they also have a section called Unforgettable Classics which is exactly what it says: the classics.
We love this genius contrast between today and yesteryear.
When you frequent The Rose Club, we highly recommend you work with Alejandro.
Much more than the name of a Lady Gaga song (though we love Lady Gaga and that song!), this Alejandro strikes the perfect balance between professionalism and personality. And look at that smile! Eloise tells us she ALWAYS calls his name despite those lyrics. And he tells us she sips on pink lemonade. General Manager Tina Dace was pleasant and delightful as well.
Of course we never advocate cocktails without the proper edible companions and we certainly found them at The Rose Club! From top down: firstoff, the Babyback Pork Spare Ribs with whole grain mustard crusted-braised in dark beer glazed with a papaya and mustard bbq sauce, next the Spring Bruschetta with spring vegetables, tomato, red onion and basil served with limited production private lable olive oil from Willis's friend in Tuscany who alots him two cases per year, and finally, the chicken lollipops. Yes, you are on the good ship lollipop with this trio and Willis told us you haven't really made it until you've eaten a chicken wing at The Plaza.
Willis, does this mean we've made it?
And for anyone that likes chips and dip, this is the gold standard.
Homemade potato chips joined by three dips, the best of which is crab-spinach and a complete orgasam, this combination we believe should be served takeout as well for jaunts to the beach and wintertime football games. Seriously, Peachy Deegan has never had a better chip or a better dip in her life.
And is there anything better than Irish Coffee from a guy named Liam from Cork? You know Peachy used to live in Cork City.
And our esteemed panelist adds:
Much more than the name of a Lady Gaga song (though we love Lady Gaga and that song!), this Alejandro strikes the perfect balance between professionalism and personality. And look at that smile! Eloise tells us she ALWAYS calls his name despite those lyrics. And he tells us she sips on pink lemonade. General Manager Tina Dace was pleasant and delightful as well.
Willis, does this mean we've made it?
Words cannot properly describe the ultimate in oyster rockefeller perfection that awaits you at The Rose Club. You should know that Willis is a professional oyster shucker and that for 24 years he has been cooking and since February 2010 at The Rose Club...This is an ode to the Old Oyster Bar and is a MUST HAVE for everyone at The Rose Room. In fact, if Peachy could only order one thing off the menu, this would be it. They were that good and she would eat them morning, noon and night given the opportunity. Peachy also sipped on a lovely Rose wine from Provence.
Homemade potato chips joined by three dips, the best of which is crab-spinach and a complete orgasam, this combination we believe should be served takeout as well for jaunts to the beach and wintertime football games. Seriously, Peachy Deegan has never had a better chip or a better dip in her life.
And is there anything better than Irish Coffee from a guy named Liam from Cork? You know Peachy used to live in Cork City.
The ultimate in class and sophistication, the Rose Club is an ideal spot to meet for after-work cocktails, classy celebrations, or, as I found out last night, excellent food! Sitting in the Rose Club, one gets the sense of being transported to another time: a time when people still dressed for dinner, when being social involved meeting face to face instead of texting or “chatting,” when live bands played nightly in countless clubs and restaurants and cds, mp3s and satellite radio hadn’t even been conceived of! I’d been to the Rose Club for cocktails on several occasions before and had already fallen in love with the ambience, but this was my first time sampling the menu, which is an exciting mix of “bar food” staples given a contemporary spin by Executive Chef Willis Loughhead. We were delighted to sample a number of them, including the Crispy Lobster and Goat Cheese Roll, Chicken Lollipops, Baby Back Pork Spare Ribs, Spring Bruschetta, Pine Island Oysters Rockefeller, and Chips & Dips. Each was delectable in its own right and showcased Chef Loughhead’s ingenuity and creativity in updating the classics.
The Crispy Lobster and Goat Cheese Roll was the first thing I tasted and it was unbelievably good! Served with a spicy chipotle aioli and an avocado salad, the dish was absolutely bursting with flavor, and all of the ingredients played off of each other very well. The sweet, buttery lobster and the tangy goat cheese were a great combination, and the spiciness of the chipotle aioli was tamed by the guacamole salad. Next I tried the Spring Bruschetta, which was a fairly traditional bruschetta, with fresh tomatoes, red onions and basil, but what pushed over the top was a fantastic, small-batch olive oil sourced from a farm in Tuscany. Chicken Lollipops were next for me, and these gourmet chicken wings were glazed with a sweet soy & chili sauce, and served with a trio of dipping sauces: sweet chili, dill & sour cream, and cilantro, mint, jalapeño and lemon juice. They were all very tasty, and complemented the chicken well. Moving along to the Baby Back Pork Spare Ribs, I was blown away by how good they were! Braised in dark beer and then glazed with a papaya-mustard barbecue sauce, these were, hands down, the best ribs I’ve ever tasted. Again, Chef Loughhead’s new take on an old favorite was a big-time winner. Although we were getting a bit full by this point, there was absolutely no way to resist the Pine Island Oysters Rockefeller. A fairly traditional Oysters Rockefeller, these were standouts due to the freshness of the ingredients (Long Island oysters and spinach), and the addition of artichokes & Pernod Pastis – mmmm!! One of the most pleasant surprises of the night came from the last dish we tried: the Chips & Dips. Chef Loughhead declared that he’s on a mission to bring back chips & dip, and if enough people taste his take on it, I have no doubt he’ll succeed! The chips were incredibly fresh and perfectly crisp. Some of them were cut a little thicker, and were still tender inside, so the potato flavor really came out. They were so yummy that I could have easily enjoyed them on their own, but the trio of accompanying dips was just too good to be resisted: crab & spinach, curried eggplant, and avocado. The crab & spinach dip was made with fresh Mine Peekytoe Crabs, and it was 100% scrumptious. The curried eggplant dip was addictively delicious, and the avocado dip was also highly enjoyable. During our feast, I enjoyed a glass of Kato 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, which was full of citrus and passionfruit tastes, and a terrific accompaniment to the many dishes we sampled. We finished off the evening by sampling a number of bite-sized desserts, beautifully arranged on a single platter.
We were told that this was the “Sweet Sensations Dessert Cart,” which is actually on the menu for the Champagne Bar, not the Rose Club, but we were more than happy to give it a whirl! Although we couldn’t quite make it to everything on the platter, I did manage to try the mini-cannoli, the hazelnut napoleon, and the peach-passionfruit petit four, all of which were outstanding! Dessert was accompanied by the best Irish Coffee I’ve ever had, thanks to Irish bartender Liam! Throughout the evening, stellar service was provided by our waiter, Alejandro. He was knowledgeable about the menu, pleasant, and had a great sense of humor, which made our night even more enjoyable! Overall, it was a spectacular dining experience, and one which I could not recommend more highly!
The Plaza Hotel is much more than an iconic Beacon of Manhattan History:
It is the Exquisite Excellence of The Rose Club!
Bravo Executive Chef Willis Loughhead!
Whom You Know Gives The Rose Club at The Plaza Hotel Our Highest Recommendation.
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We were told that this was the “Sweet Sensations Dessert Cart,” which is actually on the menu for the Champagne Bar, not the Rose Club, but we were more than happy to give it a whirl! Although we couldn’t quite make it to everything on the platter, I did manage to try the mini-cannoli, the hazelnut napoleon, and the peach-passionfruit petit four, all of which were outstanding! Dessert was accompanied by the best Irish Coffee I’ve ever had, thanks to Irish bartender Liam! Throughout the evening, stellar service was provided by our waiter, Alejandro. He was knowledgeable about the menu, pleasant, and had a great sense of humor, which made our night even more enjoyable! Overall, it was a spectacular dining experience, and one which I could not recommend more highly!
It is the Exquisite Excellence of The Rose Club!
Bravo Executive Chef Willis Loughhead!
Whom You Know Gives The Rose Club at The Plaza Hotel Our Highest Recommendation.
