NOW CLOSED...Formerly: Brush off your party dress and straighten your chapeau for an evening with Frank Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack. Paying homage to the 1940s supper club, this Seneca Hotel restaurant (formerly known as the Chestnut Grill & Wine Bar) serves up first-class Italian food along with live entertainment ripe for dancing.
Enter through the revolving door and you'll find yourself steps away from the mahogany wood bar, with a large photograph of Sinatra smiling down at you as you order a premium cocktail. The lounge and dining areas retain Chestnut's interior stylings: Deep blue walls line the rooms outfitted in plush leather couches, high-backed suede chairs and white linens.
It's the menu that received a face-lift, expanding from mostly surf 'n' turf to Italian comfort foods. Start your meal with bruschetta, shrimp cocktail served with a kicking homemade cocktail sauce or Nonni Theresa's soup, a blend of chicken soup with meatballs, tortellini and escarole. Grilled salmon, pasta dishes, chicken marsala and gianbotta, a vegetable and sausage dish, round out the options; appetizers cost an average $6 while entrees go for $20-$25.
Sticking true to its supper club roots, the restaurant makes use of its gleaming grand piano by hosting the Joe Valentino Trio Friday through Sunday evenings from 8:30 p.m.-2 a.m.
Average cost: $21-$30
Centerstage Reviewer: Eve Ardell