CLARA

Why Are So Many Restaurants ‘Love Letters to New York’?

"Located in the New‑York Historical Society and named for Tiffany lamp designer Clara Driscoll, the kitchen initially leaned toward a Gilded Age–referencing menu (a remixed lobster Newburg was one early example) but is undergoing a rethink: several signature items, including the lobster and much of the cocktail list, were 86’d. What remains feels scattershot and overly literal at times — a Waldorf salad so faithful it raises questions about purpose — alongside dishes like barley with smoked labneh, carrot tartare with shiso, and honeynut squash with polenta and cheese foam, leaving the overall direction uncertain." - E. Alex Jung