The holiday season is always a wonderful time to visit businesses, as they are decked out in lights, bows and greenery. I was most impressed by the decor at Angus Club Steakhouse where the grand rooms and lobby with decorated with garlands and evergreen. It added an extra layer of hospitality to a restaurant that already has a substantial element of warmth throughout its large rooms.
Elizabeth, the hostess, was my guide through the space. She took me down into the main dining room, which, despite being subterranean, was still airy and bright. “A lot of people don’t like basements – but we convince them it doesn’t feel like a basement,” Elizabeth commented. Sure enough, I soon forgot I was underground, admiring the different seating nooks and the glass-encased wine cellar - “We carry a little of everything," Elizabeth said of the wine.
Elizabeth went on to speak of the four owners - Dino Gacevic, Margent Maslinka, Zef Makaj, and Edward Avdyli - and how each one added their own special touch to the design. “It’s all their flavors together,” Elizabeth said with a smile. The walls shifted texture, adding a subtly different atmosphere to each corner of the large space. There is the cork room, the leather room, and the chef’s room, which can be used for private parties, though the leather room is the only one that completely seals off from the main dining room.
When I returned upstairs to the bar and smaller dining room, I congratulated Dino on the restaurant’s layout, to which he replied, “We didn’t know we could design things, but I’m glad we did.” He elaborated by telling me that he and the other owners had met while working at Benjamin Steakhouse, where Eddie was the sous-chef. They struck out on their own, opening Angus Club Steakhouse in 2014.
Tom and Olivia, members of the Manhattan Sideways team, sampled the Porter House steak, which arrived on a sizzling plate with accompanying dishes of creamed spinach and home fry potatoes. Dino expertly served it, joking as Tom took photos, “I could be a hand model.” He placed a glass of the house Malbec in front of them saying, “Everyone loves it, let’s see what you think.” Tom and Olivia were in agreement with the masses and commented on how well the wine accompanied the steak. Dino mentioned that the meat is aged a little longer than in most other steakhouses: thirty-five days as opposed to twenty-eight. “It works – people love it,” he said, adding, “The food is really what we’re here for.”