After my somewhat unremarkable affair with Centro, I headed back to Des Moines, Iowa with both of my parents in company, to Clyde’s Fine Diner in East Village. I was going on the advice of my good friend, Thomas Nsereko, former Grinnell student and lead cook at Saga, a two-Michelin Star restaurant in New York, N.Y.
On the evening of Sept. 20, I was expecting greatness, due to both the menu and the recommendation of my friend. I entered the restaurant with high hopes and an empty stomach. By the time I left, it was as if my optimism had satisfied my appetite, at the expense of the anticipated joy that my optimism sustained before the meal.
The interior of the restaurant gives customers the impression that the two words following Clyde’s are engaged in a visible and territorial war. A true American-style counter, which houses the expansive bar, occupies the middle of the space, with cushioned stools guaranteeing that this is, in fact, a diner. On the edges of the room, however, the diner vibe seems to fade, as traditional black dining chairs replace the swiveling stools. Elegant lamps and wall fixtures illuminate the space nicely. Or, at least, the lights should illuminate the space nicely. On this night, however, various dimmings and flickerings took that opportunity away. We sat at one of these side tables, over which a portrait of an unknown man, presumably Clyde, smoking a cigar loomed.
For our appetizers, we subconsciously chose to combine our choices from Centro, and ordered the caesar sprouts, which is a combination I would highly recommend for other restaurants. We also opted for “Ruth’s ranch crackers,” consisting of Cheez-its and oyster crackers, dusted with ranch seasoning. I found the crackers to be somewhat stale, although my parents disagreed. All in all, these dishes were a good welcome to the meal, and in the case of the sprouts, delicious. I ordered a vodka-based grapefruit and pomegranate cocktail titled “shake it off,” which was quite good.
Towards the end of the appetizer portion of the meal, something strange happened. With my parents done, I continued to eat the sprouts, which were not few in number at this point. A server came and took my father’s plate and utensils, and then motioned to do the same to my mother’s. It became clear that they were attempting to fully clear the table and assumed we were through with our entire meal, which was a strange assumption given that our first course was visibly not finished. We then wondered if the restaurant wanted to flip our table speedily, but we dismissed that possibility, given the number of empty tables near us.
Another interesting service moment — once we were actually done with the appetizers, my fork was taken, and replaced only after I requested a new one as we got our mains. This was not that offensive, but it was emblematic of the staff’s struggles during the evening.
The mains arrived, and disappointment soon set in.
For my main, I ordered steak frites, which caused a Pavlovian expectation in my mind of deliciousness. My mother and I ordered two glasses of a California Cabernet Sauvignon, which was very good. After a period I considered too long but my parents did not, I received my food. Despite the overall simplicity of the dish, the meat was lukewarm at best. I ordered it medium-rare, so I was anticipating some internal coolness, but this steak was just overall not warm. I assume it had been left out for too long and allowed to lose its temperature.
My father’s Chicago hot link dish was similarly lacking, but at least my mother’s sweet corn risotto did not disappoint in that category. The flavor itself was delicious, but I couldn’t help feeling like what would have otherwise been a delightful dish was let down by its preparation.
We opted not to get dessert. Given the struggles with temperature throughout the night, a gelato would probably have been a soup and a pastry would have ice crystals on the side.
I had expected great things from this restaurant, but I felt let down by the whole experience.
Maybe the staff were just having a bad night. Unfortunately, it happened to be the night I was there.
3.4/5 Stars
Shake it off: Vodka, lemon, grapefruit, pomegranate grenadine, pink peppercorn, elderflower cordial — $13
Two glasses of Ultraviolet Cabernet Sauvignon: Sonoma, California, 2021 — $12 each, $24 total
Whiskey sour: Maker’s Mark — $11
Lemonade — $5
Caesar sprouts: fried brussels, caesar dressing, sunflower seeds, toasted bread crumbs, parmesan — $14
Ruth’s ranch crackers: Cheez-its and oyster crackers, ranch seasoning — $4
Chicago hot link: Housemade smoked pork sausage w/ giardiniera, cornbread panzanella, herbed buttermilk dressing, sweet and tangy bbq sauce — $25
Sweet corn risotto: Mushroom fricassee, roasted sweet corn, crème fraîche, chives, sweet picked shimeji, sweet corn powder — $24
Steak frites: Hanger steak, creamed spinach, pickled mushrooms, blue butter, house fries–$31
Total, after fees and taxes — $166.10
