Club Macanudo
26 E. 63rd. St
New York New York 10065
212-752-8200
www.clubmacanudo.com
As with most cities, normally the only place to enjoy a cigar is outside. Of course, New York has such wonderful weather which provides plenty of rain, heat, humidity, snow and freezing temperatures so the idea of lighting up a good cigar and being able to enjoy it requires your beating the odds.
Fortunately, Club Macanudo exists for the cigar smoker seeking comfort, good company, an excellent selection of liquid refreshments and even, a meal! No, I am not kidding! At this non-private club, you can sit on a comfortable chair, in front of a regular table with linen, and have a steak, martini and a cigar all at the same time! You almost expect to see a Frick or Carnegie walking through the door. Such an experience set in an attractive room can be an amazing experience, especially when you see others doing the exact same thing, having a wonderful time and enjoying themselves. You might even ask, “So why can’t I do this at other restaurants, bars, etc.?”. You might even feel a great sense of freedom, as if you have stepped back in time to an age when the “land of the free” was a lot freer and an individual did not have to adhere to the whims and paranoias of every social malcontent with a hyper-ego.
The club itself has nicely paneled walls, comfortable chairs and sofas, a half moon bar and a dining room that has a solid menu that runs the gamut from club sandwiches to salmon to excellent steaks all at New York prices. Wines are available by the glass and although I found their martinis a bit small, the bartender did know the difference between a martini and a Gibson.
If you have dinner, your cigar order is taken first as you can tell from their name, they favor brands from General Cigar. My favorite cigar during my three visits was the Macanudo Vintage 2006 robusto ($32). I found the Partagas Black label cigars ($15-34) a bit too heavy for me as I was always aware of each separate draw. Cohiba, Punch and some Davidoff are also available but at least to the tourist or occasional visitor, there were no Cubans were available. For the local, cigar lockers are available, and it is interesting to watch their contents being placed on a table and inspected by anyone close by.
This is definitely a place of shelter, where you can go and rest your weary bones, have a nice bit of refreshment and sit back and enjoy a good cigar. The same question shall continue to haunt you however: “Why aren’t there more places like this?”.
