East Side Social Club is the rare East 50s spot that would make me go out of my way—not just for the Italian-American comfort food, which is ably, if not 100% consistently, pulled off by chef Devon Gilroy (owner Billy Gilroy’s son and an alum of A Voce). But for the vibe too. Rollicking, Rat-Packy, and seemingly—emphasis on seemingly—unprecious. Definitely something the neighborhood needs more of. But, and here’s the rub, it’s a pain in the butt to get into. A friend who conveniently happened to be a regular at Raoul’s and Employees Only (the East Side Social Club group’s alma maters) made reservations for a table of five last night. That turned out to be crucial, since one of the guys in our group would’ve gotten bounced at the door without it. Not sure what’s up with the nightclub-bouncer-at-a-restaurant situation, and it’s not exactly a models/hipsters scene in there.  Nonetheless.
A pasta special of straccetti with lamb ragu, mint, and sheep’s milk ricotta was a fetching mix of meaty/minty/tangy, and a dish I’d definitely come back for. Cocktailwise, the fierce Snake Eyes (Flor de Cana extra-dry rum, ginger liqueur, lime juice, Campari) went down like a box of Sweet Tarts, and so seemed just right for a night of kicking back and watching: to see who was there (no celebs spotted last night) and to plot my gate-crashing strategy next time I’m up around East 51st.