Keens Steakhouse opened in 1885, and was a notable venue in the long-gone Herald Square Theater District. The two-level steakhouse, also home to the largest collection of churchwarden pipes (with 50,000 of the long-stemmed tobacco pipes mounted on the ceiling and walls), serves a very tasty cut of New York history. Surrounded by old clocks and vintage photos and working fireplaces, you can order all the favorite steakhouse essentials delivered to your white-clothed table: ice-packed platters of oysters and clams, classic Caesar salads and iceberg wedges, smoked bacon, and fantastic USDA prime-grade steaks that are all dry-aged on-site. Opt for Keen’s “legendary” mutton chop and you’ll feel like you belong on the Pipe Club’s impressive membership roster along with the likes of Albert Einstein, Babe Ruth, and Theodore Roosevelt.
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Clay pipes and mutton chops
It’s not always easy to make a historic restaurant relevant. Some fall into the trap of relying on history and allowing the experience to falter. Others change so much from the original that history becomes almost irrelevant. But some, like Keen’s Steakhouse in Midtown not only celebrate a long history but thrive as a vibrant part of the current dining scene. Keen’s has been around since 1887, back when the theaters were closer to 34th Street than 42nd. They served meat, ale, whiskey, and allowed smoking aficionados to keep their pipe collections as part of a smoking club. And while smoking may be verboten at NYC restaurants today, the pipes still line the ceiling. The mutton chops are still impressive, the steaks are wonderful, and the dozens of pages of whiskeys will keep any night exciting. But most of all, Keen’s pulls of the remarkable feat of being true to themselves and remaining a top flight New York City dinner for more than 125 years.
