Keen's

My first reaction to Keen's Chophouse was astonishment. The bottles of single malt scotch whisky were stacked six deep, along the entire length of the bar. We sat down, asked the bartender for a listing of malts, and were presented with a menu, three full pages, two columns on each page, close to 300 different malts, more than we had ever imagined finding in a single location. Where to begin?

But no sooner had we began studying Keen's astonishing list, than we ran across the one malt that never fails to please our family – Rosebank. Keen's had not just one, but two different bottlings of Rosebank on the menu. And as it turned out, the bottling we ordered was just about empty; the bartender could not coax a full pour out of the bottle. So we waited, while he located the bar manager, who in turn, searched deep under the streets of Manhattan to locate the next full bottle of Rosebank 13, bottled by Signatory. In the meantime, we began sipping a glass of Aberlour A’Bunadh, which had also been the opening pour at the Last Hurrah, and which tasted even better after a long day wandering around New York. The time it took for Keen’s staff to locate and serve the Rosebank gave G-man and me the chance to acclimate ourselves to the vast array of choices which we had before us. Not to mention that the Aberlour sufficiently relaxed the two of us, and enabled us to move from awe to appreciation, better to enjoy the rest of the evening.

As the first round began to disappear from our glasses (and I should point out that the staff served rather healthy drinks, around two ounces by my estimate, which made the prices for these malts exceedingly fair, considering both the quality of whisky, and the location – midtown Manhattan) our respective wives arrived on the scene. Linda ordered a Bloody Mary, well prepared by the professional staff, and Susan sampled the malts with Chuck and me, sensing perhaps that it was to be a long and varied evening of whisky drinking.

For Round Two, G-Man ordered a Talisker 18, which he had never before sampled, and which was rather moderately priced (around $16. Keen’s also served the Talisker 25, which I’m sure I’ve never seen before behind any bar, but which was a bit pricey for us.) I usually wait until after dinner before drinking Talisker or the Islay malts, but broke that rule for a malt I had never before drunk, Bunnahabhain 18. And anyway, Jackson says Bunnahabhain is the most delicate of the Islay scotches. Both of these round two malts were wonderful. Talisker big and bold, but smooth as silk, and Bunnhabhain smoother and more flavorful than the 12 I’ve previously tasted. By now, Chuck and I were in single malt heaven. And we weren’t alone, seeing that we had Miss Keen for company, wearing not much of anything at all. In fact, the whole time was so delightful that even our wives didn’t complain about that young gal’s presence.

Round two was drawing to a close, and it was soon to be time for dinner, but we had to study the listing a few minutes more, to get an idea of what to order after the meal. Having accomplished that task, we found our way to a booth in the back of the restaurant. Keen’s is located on 36th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues, in the heart of Manhattan. The restaurant is laid out as three parallel rooms, all running south from the 36th street entrance. The bar sits on the extreme western end, closest to 6th Avenue, a small room, with perhaps a dozen stools at the bar, and a single counter with stools on the other wall. We saw some patrons order sandwiches, generous portions of pretty good looking pub food. Leaving the bar, we walked through a small dining room with a little bar at the rear, no bar service, perhaps left over from earlier days when the restaurant was configured differently. This room was mainly taken up with two rows of small tables, service for two. Not quite intimate, however, as one would sit very close to one’s neighbor.

Then, on the east side was the dining room, much deeper than either of the other rooms, with booths along the side and back. Dark paneling, lots of old framed announcements on the walls, and all the ceilings lined with hundreds, maybe thousands of old clay pipes. I guess once upon a time, you left your pipe at Keen’s and retrieved it for a smoke after the meal. Whatever. Today it’s just a part of the décor, although they have a glass case displaying the clay pipes of many of Keen's most prominent former customers.

I could spend all night writing about this meal, but let me just mention that we ordered the biggest porterhouse steak I had ever seen anywhere. It had to be four inches thick. An enormous slab of strip steak cut into generous slices, and a big juicy filet, well over a pound in its own right. Not only that, but we had first treated ourselves to a seafood medley, with lump crab-meat, half a lobster tail, shrimp, mussels, clams, oysters, the works. Everything cooked to perfection. Keen's is about as traditional a steakhouse as you can imagine – nothing fashionable, nouveau, or pretentious anywhere. I can’t speak for any of the other cuisine, but this steak and seafood combination was the perfect complement to an evening of exceptional malt whiskies.

So then for our third round, we ordered Springbank 15, and Ardbeg Uigeadail. Neither of these whiskies is easy to come by. Springbank is a Campbeltown malt, and I have often seen the ten, but never the 15. It was very flavorful, big and complex, although a bit rough around the edges. The Uigeadail, however, was really the treat of the entire night. Ardbeg, of course, is the peatiest of all the Islay scotches, even stronger tasting than the Lagavulin which we all cherish. But the Uigeadail, which is a cask strength vatting of Ardbeg, perhaps because of its additional time in the casks, is far more flavorful. It’s not just peat, it’s malted whisky and peat, exploding in your mouth. G-Man used that term at dinner – explosive – and when we read Jackson later, we were pleased to see that he used the very same term – explosive. This malt has so much flavor, it practically knocks you out. In fact, I would recommend than anyone tasting it for the first time be sure to be seated in a safe place.

While we enjoyed round three, the gals shared a gigantic hot fudge sundae, which I suppose, in its own right, was the correct conclusion to the evening at Keen's. Either that or the Uigeadail. G has an article listing Manhattan’s best scotch bars, but I can’t imagine any of them topping Keen's. And for sheer selection, it’s hard to believe that anyplace has the variety of malts that are featured in this steakhouse.

So there you have it – in one trip to the big apple, we went to the world’s largest cigar store, and sampled from what might be the country’s biggest scotch inventory. So right now, it’s neck and neck between Boston and New York, and we’re not just talking about the AL East; we’re talking malt whisky as well.