By George Mahe
The Tuxedo Room sounds, well, too formal, too stuffy, too ... “special occasion.” With polo shirts at work and jeans at church, who wants to dress up for dinner? Fortunately, here, just 20 steps from the Fox, theater dress works just fine—and the dining is worth the dash across Grand.
The C-shaped space is unusual, the concept unique: Think 1930s supper club scaled way down to a cozy but lively bar in front and 40 seats in the rear, with vocals from legends like Gene Lynn and Mae Wheeler bridging the span. It’s a quirky—but effective—design. The beat accelerates after 11 p.m., when DJ Gary Mac takes over until 3 a.m.
World-renowned chef Anton Keller prefers the classics—applause for the rack of lamb Provençal and shrimp with lobster cream sauce—and his “around the world in 80-plus minutes” tasting menu shows his range. Also deserving of the spotlight: the widest Champagne-by-the-glass menu in town, kept bubblicious in innocent minibottles. Cheers to The Tuxedo Room.
522 N. Grand, 314-898-0400, tuxedoroom.com. Hours: 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Mon–Thu, 11 a.m.–11 p.m. Fri, noon–11 p.m. Sat, noon–9 p.m. Sun.
