Sunday night I checked out East Side Social Club, a new Italian restaurant from the team behind Employees Only and Macao Trading Co., two fun restaurants I love for good food and great drinks.

It was 11pm on Sunday, so the place was close to empty, and I took a seat at the bar. The space is cool, with all tables covered with red and white checkered tablecloths, and candles on every table. It was "Little Italy Chic" in Midtown.

I knew I wanted to order the linguine with clam sauce, but the bartender highly recommended the spaghetti. Lucky for me, they serve half portions here, so I ordered both! I also got an appetizer of buffalo ricotta.

All the food was outstanding. A basket of rosemary flatbread was given to me to snack on while I waited for my food, and it was great! The buffalo ricotta ($10) with herb, chili, and served with sourdough bread was delicious and addictive.

The linguine ($19 full portion) came with Manila clams and Calabrian chilies. It was truly wonderful, and I loved the kick given to the dish from the chilies.

The spaghetti ($17 full portion) came with San Marzano tomatoes and herbs, was light, simple, extremely fresh, and delightful.

The East Side Social Club exudes coolness. With Macao in Tribeca, Employees Only in the West Village, and now East Side in Midtown, a true empire in NYC is forming. With great drinks (both wine and cocktails), and great food, and a whole lot of cool, East Social Club fills a void in Midtown. There is no place like it around.

East Side Social Club
230 E. 51st Street (bet. 3rd and 2nd ave)
New York, NY 10022
212-355-9442