Wednesday night I went to Kobe Club in Midtown for drinks. In typical NYC FOODIE style I ended up getting a little tasting of the food too, which was great because I had never been to Kobe Club before.

It's an interesting space with an automatic door that lets you into the narrow bar area up front with the dining room in back. From the ceiling hangs an abundant amount of samurai swords, and the booths are black leather. It feels like you are in the underground lair/lounge of a Japanese warrior (a warrior that enjoys steak).

I had the Diver Scallop and Braised American "Kobe" Short Rib ($26), the American "Kobe" Beef Cheek Ravioli ($24), and the Kobe Beef Sliders ($27).

The short rib dish, which came with roasted chanterelle mushrooms, was perfectly cooked, tender, juicy, well-seasoned, decadent, and delicious. I didn't even need the diver scallop on top, which was an added bonus.

The beef cheek ravioli came in a truffle broth and had a black truffle on top of each ravioli. It was a very rich and decadent dish. I had never tasted a dish where the flavor of truffles was so strong. It was new and enjoyable.

The kobe beef sliders were juicy and perfect. They came with onion, tomato, gruyere cheese, shitake mushroom, and a miso mayo. Delicious!

There was also a basket of cheesy bread that was really tasty and addictive.

Kobe Club is a great place to go to indulge in decadence. With delicious and addictive food, I say screw the economy, go for it! If you are on a budget though, they are running a winter $35 prix fixe menu, where you get an appetizer, entree, and dessert (a $125 value).

Kobe Club
68 W. 58th St. (between 5th and 6th)
New York, NY 10019
212-644-5623

http://www.chinagrillmgt.com/kobeClub/