Zodiac Club
718 14th Street
Tel: 415-626-7827
Looking for an intimate, glamorous boite for a special meal? Follow the stars to 14th and Church Street to the Zodiac Club. Tucked away behind dark curtains, a glittering jewel of a restaurant and bar awaits your shining moment.
It was my third visit to the Zodiac Club since it opened in October, a stellar restaurant modeled after a hot spot in a beloved film favorite, Bell, Book and Candle. Bell, Book, and Candle starred Kim Novak, Elsa Lanchester, a young Jack Lemmon, and a cat named Piewacket, as a family of witches living in Greenwich Village in the 1950’s at Christmas time. Jimmy Stewart plays a mortal man enchanted by Kim and lured to the fabulous Zodiac Club, a bohemian night haunt where Jack Lemmon plays the bongos and Kim wears a gorgeous red velvet dress that plunges down the back.
In homage to this film, the modern day Zodiac Club restaurant is draped in purple and silver, and the celestial theme is prominent. Large glowing cut-outs of all the zodiac signs line the walls. The lamps are stars, the tables are etched with astrological symbols, and the ceilings are thickly and deeply glittered. Heavenly! And we haven’t yet discussed the delicious drinks and dishes that await you…
It’s great fun perusing the drink menu before dinner. There is a different cocktail special for every sign of the zodiac, and all kinds of retro drinks including Singapore Slings and even Harvey Wallbangers! The cocktail shaker is kept busy behind the bar mixing concoctions including the Metropolitan (substitute raspberry cassis for the cranberry juice in a Cosmopolitan), the Leo Drop (lemon drop flavor) and the elegant White Lady, all served in those divine martini glasses. But I think my favorite drink of the night was the non-alcoholic Persephone’s Potion, a deliciously heady combination of pomegranate juice and soda. It’s a refreshment fit for an Underworld Goddess.
Since we were a largish group, we were treated to "Grace Jone’s favorite table", a large, round one shining in the corner. The table had its own diaphanous, sheer curtain which could be pulled around the table for a veiled effect, but through which we could till see the animated goings-on in the room. We sampled a special appetizer of fried oysters, and enjoyed the Indian-style flatbread with flavored olive oil that comes with each meal. The menu held a potpourri of Mediterranean influences, with entrees ranging from $12 for pasta to $19 for a seafood stew. My date relished a dinner special of coriander-encrusted rock codfish and rice pilaf. I had the delicious vegetarian entree, a grilled portabello mushroom in a bed of polenta and tomatoes with truffle oil, with a flavorful Tellegio cheese melted over it. My tablemates enjoyed some of the dishes I’ve tried on previous occasions, the free-range grilled chicken served with garlic mashed potatoes, and the salmon grilled very rare and wrapped in grape leaves, with a warm chickpea salad. The portions served of all dishes were quite satisfying.
Dinner music was mostly electronica, fun and current, but we thought that a little retro cocktail or lounge music mixed in would have been nice too.
Dessert was ordered since my friend’s birthday was a special occasion. One order of dessert for every two persons is perfect. The pear tatin was topped with homemade mulled cider ice cream. We indulged most happily in the profiteroles: puff pastries filled with Tahitian vanilla ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce. It sent me straight to the moon. We enjoyed our coffees in oversized cups.
The owners Marija and Peter, and their staff have always made me feel welcome. The Leo’s will like the attention, the Virgo’s the attention to detail, the Taureans the earthy food, and the Scorpio’s will delight in the drama and their special cocktail, the Stinger. For a date, a birthday, a celebration, fly your broomsticks to the Zodiac Club.
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