21: The Life and Times of New York's Favorite Club

191 pp. If you've got a Big Evening ahead and you want great drinks, terrific food, a clubby atmosphere with impeccable service, celebrities at the next table, and hang the expense—there's only one place in the world for you (if you can get a reservation), and that's the “21" Club. Since its early days as a speakeasy, "21" has been a home away from home to Everybody Who's Anybody, from the writing crowd of Steinbeck, Hemingway, the Benchleys, and O'Hara to the gamut of glamorous society, running from Polly Adler to Aristotle Onassis. And now, thanks to this delightful cocktail of anecdote, history, and legend, you too can become part of that exclusive clientele, overhearing the inside story of bootlegging as if you were at Jack and Charlie's bar in person, hobnobbing with the most beautiful and most powerful people in the country. You can even peek into the kitchen for a look at the chef's secrets, at least two dozen of which are revealed in this book for the first time and at no additional cost. Nothing's as good as dinner at "21," but this juicy mix of stories and pictures -some of them taken especialiy for this book by Alfred Eisenstaedt—is a satisfying mouth-watering substitute.