New York City: Jekyll & Hyde Club (May 1997)

My spouse and I dined at the Jekyll and Hyde Club in May 1997.  The Jekyll and Hyde Club is a theme restaurant owned by Eerie World Entertainment. The name and theme derive from Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 Victorian gothic novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The Jekyll and Hyde restaurants theme is spooky horror with an emphasis on English Gothic themes, with detailed decorations, set pieces, and actors who roam the restaurant and entertain patrons. Characters include Mr. Aloysius Goole, the wacky chief mortician, Jervis, the hyperactive and high-pitched French butler, and the charmingly manic Gertrude K. Boom, club demolitions expert. These characters are the guest's link to all of the details of the club's history, and perform membership inductions table side. In addition to the live characters, there are a number of animatronic props, sounds, and special effects which contribute to the overall atmosphere of the club. The animatronic creatures (either pre-recorded or voiced live by the same actors that walk about the restaurant) animate periodically to entertain the guests and wish happy birthdays.

Another place that's really cool for kids: the Jekyll & Hyde Club. It would be a quick cab ride to the location near Central Park (I think there is a second restaurant downtown somewhere), but he would have some great stories to tell his friends.






New York City: Pietra Santa (May 1997)

My spouse and I ate lunch at Pietra Santa in May 1997. Slightly west of the main Broadway fray, this cozy Italian spot attracts a mix of locals and theater-goers. The menu highlights respectable renditions of classics with an emphasis on northern cuisine. Pastas for spaghetti carbonara, capellini primavera, and penne with vodka sauce are house-made; a few simple pizzas have pleasingly thin crusts. Standards like New York strip steak, chicken cacciatore, and veal scallopini taste as they should. With dim lighting and creamy, off-white walls, the atmosphere is pleasant and encourages dawdling over a post-dinner glass of wine, while floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides allow for people-watching along Ninth Avenue.