Restaurants

From the outside, the Palm is relatively nondescript, with a green and white façade and only a small sign donning the signature palm tree to announce its presence. Inside, the walls are dark wood paneling and lined with matching wood booths that include dark green leather seats. To the left of the entry, a large television hangs overa polished wood bar where patrons can chat amicably among one another, and this is exactly what they did as we arrived, and continued todo as we left a few hours later.

We were greetedquite warmly by The Palm’sstaff and led to a quaint table for two at the far end of the restaurant. The restaurant offers booths as well as round tables, all tastefully topped with uncomplicated white linens. Though there was no music playing, the room hummed with conversation and the lights were dim over tables populated by content diners. Our server, Alessandro, greeted us within seconds with his charming Italian accent. After a quick hello, we were brought a basket containing large slices of sourdough bread and a few pieces of dense, sweet panettone. Two glasses of deep, complex Malbec were poured into our beautiful stemware as we glanced over our menus.

The Palm’s menu is divided into several small parts: appetizer, salads, vegetable and potatoes, house specialties, Italian specialties like Chicken Parmesan, selections of fish and, of course, high-quality beef and chops. In addition, there is ever-changing seasonal menu highlighting the freshest local ingredients of each season.

Executive Chef Brent Jaegar shops at local farmers markets and uses local purveyors for his specials, and based on Alessandro’s recommendation, we began our meal with one of these: Steamed West Coast Mussels. They arrive already split into two shallow bowls, and swimming in a pale yellow beurre blanc.

The mussels are tender and The beurre blanc is light enough not to overwhelm the true flavor of the mussels. The dish was simply garnished with fresh thyme and micro greens. As a result of this simplicity, the flavors remained clean and were just enough to highlight the shellfish.Some time before our mussels arrived, Alessandro brought out the raw version of our NewYork Strip Steak in order for us to inspect the firm texture, fine marbling, and dark coloring that is the result of The Palm’s rigorous aging process. Steaks are aged by The Palm’s own national meat wholesale company, which specializes in high-quality, Midwestern, corn-fed beef. When the cooked version of our steak arrived, thesimplicity of the presentation astonished us- just the twelve ounce steak, alone and centered on a large round plate, dotted only by finely chopped parsley. It was a subtle statement about the quality of the beef.

When we cut into the strip steak, we were delighted to see that it was evenly cooked, with a rich, crispy brown crust on the outside, and possessed the essential transition from pink to red on the inside. Aside from melting in our mouth, our steak was full of character, tender but still retaining enough texture to let us linger over the time-developed flavor.

For our other entrée, we selected The Palm’s Three Pound Lobster, a behemoth of a crustacean, steamed, cut in half and then lightlycharred under the broiler before being served on a large silver platter accompanied by lemon wedges and melted sweet butter. The lobster, too, was simple but well-done, lacking a flashy presentation that might distract from the beautifully sweet meat.

By the end of our meal, we felt sure we had figured out why so many people, including celebrities, love The Palm. It isn’t because it is a trendy, overpriced steakhouse or not even because the service is outstanding and devoted. It’s because The Palm has character and it has class. It stays true to the original ideals of excellent food in an elegant yet approachable atmosphere, and doesn’t pretend to be something else. It is unpretentious, fun and lively. The dishes are simple, classy, and extremely well-executed. If you’re looking for a classic place to celebrate a special occasion, or even just to relax with friends over a great glass of wine and a steak, you’ve found it at The Palm.