Thursday, October 16, 7:00 pm
Members $90, guests $115

You can almost hear Sade (or is that Pink?) crooning in the background. From the sleek slip of a menu covered in black velvet to the celebrity-magnet bar, Dylan Prime has been hailed by New York Post’s Braden Keil as a “traditional steakhouse…reinvented for the hipster crowd.” (Variety agrees.) Psst! There goes Puffy (or is it P. Diddy?). Order a martini-for-four in the “swanky, low-lit lounge” (Time Out) and it arrives in a 48-ounce goblet with five varieties of olives. Or, how about dipping into a three-cheese (goat, sheep’s milk, and sharp cheddar) fondue? Hmmm, haven’t huddled with your honey over a fondue pot in years? Beware...this romantic group activity might just reawaken the smooth operator in you.

And, oh, those steaks. Dry-aged prime beef, served with potatoes and creamed spinach, to be sure. But there’s also Bobby Duncan’s signature filet mignon stuffed with Pine Island oysters in a sauce of brown sugar and Guinness. Food Arts applauds what the menu calls “chapeaux,” savory crusts that can adorn your favorite choice cut. The combinations include blue cheese and chive on the beef, or basil pesto on tuna steak.

But hey, even hipsters have grandmothers. Bobby’s taught him how to make fabulous barbecue and what to do with fruits and vegetables—she grew and jarred 25 varieties of fruit on the family farm. That explains his deft hand with the pan-fried Kumamoto oysters with cured lemon, and apple-glazed pork loin with cheese grits. A Southern boy whose first culinary achievement was biscuits and gravy, and a graduate of Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School (now the Institute of Culinary Education), Duncan’s steps up the ladder included stints at The French Laundry, Zoë, and Taillevent (à Paris). He was Tavern chef at Gramercy Tavern for five years (he ran the Tavern’s cheese program, too) before signing on at Dylan Prime.

Can’t handle the downtown scene? No worries. Come on over to our House.