Clarkson

Does anyone know what happened to this place? It was the perfect after work spot and now it;s gone.

CLOSED — I always liked the food, beer selection and atmosphere. I’m sorry to say that I walked by moments ago to find a sign on the door that says, «closed.» I looked inside and it appears they’re gone for good. That has been a tough location for so many restaurants. I actually thought Clarkson would break the jinx. Maybe some day soon an establishment will actually survive on that corner.

We had a goodbye-​lunch for a co-​worker today at Clarkson. There were ten of us, as well as the guest of honor’s one-​year-​old baby. The restaurant accommodated us with two tables set up catty-​corner to each other in a separate room in the back. It was a comfortable setting.
I had the cured meat and cheese platter (chorizo, kunick and fiore sardo), which was accompanied by honey, pickles, olives and black and green grapes. Everything was delicious, and it was the right amount of food for a light lunch. My co-​workers had the mussels, burger, BLT, canneloni and shaved brussel sprouts and kale with trout. Everyone was quite pleased with their meal. We asked the restaurant for a birthday candle for the baby’s cake, and they fixed us up with a very cute presentation.
As some have said here, this is not the place for a quick meal. But we weren’t in a rush so the pace of service was fine. We’ll be returning for the $ 20 lunch express meal.

I will start by saying the food was very good, the lunch express deal is excellent, and if you have time, I recommend stopping by, just not for a limited lunch break.
While I have complimented the food itself, the service was very lengthy. It took awhile to get drinks, to order, even to get the check and have our order charged. Of three people that assisted my party (the hostess or manager, unsure, being the most helpful offering suggestions and knowledge on the menu items) there was no communication thus being asked the same thing at least every 10 minutes. What should have been a quick hour on lunch became near 90 minutes and I was only a block away from the workplace.
I will return for full dinner, but when I have the time.
I had the mussels and fries, but that is not for everyone.

I was thankful and relieved to find that this Restaurant has an A rating from the health department now. I had wanted to go in there for the past six months and finally did last night. For Friday night it was the perfect amount of people. Which was not that many and that’s a good thing because you can actually hold a conversation with the person next to you without being attacked by people screaming and doing Jäger bombs. since I only had cocktails I can only comment on them and they were good and the bartender was very friendly. I would like to go back and try some food soon

Very understated place with relaxed ambiance. Excellent food especially the grilled sardines. Yes… grilled sardines. I can tell this kitchen knows what they are doing. Highly recommend.

We went for lunch on a Thursday afternoon and the place was dead. It has a «B» rating so we were skeptical, but the fries and burgers were very good. I gave 3 stars because I got some brown lettuce in my side salad, which is a total turnoff. Check your lettuce before serving it. the green goddess dressing was very tasty though.

Went here for a friends birthday. Had an amazing time! The food was amazing and the service was friendly which is huge for me. I will definitely go again!

I’ve always had positive experiences at The Clarkson. Friendly and prompt service, good food, and great atmosphere. I’ve had some delicious lunch selections, tasty (and reasonably-​priced) happy hour drinks, fun appetizers, and a solid burger and fries. I’ll be back!

Had a nice dinner with the husband and the other husband. We were meeting friends later in the evening, and stopped in here for their happy hour. $ 1.00 oysters? I’m there. We had looked at another place first but everyone was so young that we felt out of place and then walked over to Clarkson’s. My husband was rather relieved by the crowd’s age range and said «ok, some of these people saw Bewitched in black & white during the first run, this is better.»
We ordered a dozen oysters and the mussels. The oysters were fresh, the mussels were delicious. The guys had their beers and I had my diet coke. Service was good, the hostess checked in periodically and the waitress was friendly and on top of things. We would have stayed and had a full dinner but we had to meet the crowd.
I think we’ll be back soon.

Amazing amazing amazing food!
Reading the menu is not enticing, but every item served was over the top amazing. I had the calamari share dish, squash soup, my friend had the whole fish. can’t remember which… it was filet & served whole. Soooo tasty!
It was the first night opened for dinner so they were a little frazzled when it got busy. They messed up our order pretty bad… but we did move seats twice as our party grew…
The manager was a bit nasty at first but came back more calm later & offered us complimentary apps & a Brussels Sprout that was ridiculously good.
Oh, & the Amelie drink is what’s up.
High priced, but high quality food served!

Great Bar Service — Good Location — Great for Groups
I have not had dinner at Clarkson, but have been multiple times for drinks and can certainly vouch. While the crowd is sometimes pretty scarce that is actually what makes it perfect for an after-​work group. The bartenders are excellent mixologists and do so in a timely fashion. The actual bar itself is a cool set-​up and I enjoyed the oysters. Definitely great for happy hour.

Walked in about 7:00PM on a Tuesday. Bar was not all that busy. Several bartenders and servers were milling around — not doing any work. After five minutes or so; I said f*** this place and went elsewhere.

Went here after a movie date. My date had oysters (which is what she always has as a starter, eeek). She said the were fresh and tasty.
I kept it simple with the Clarkson burger and hand cut rosemary, parmesan fries. The fries were delish! The Clarkson burger was cooked well and to my liking. The drinks were also good. Place was rather quiet for a Friday evening.

Reviewing after 2 visits:
The décor, menu, prices, and top-​shelf alcohol say, «This is an up-​scale place,» but the shout-​over-​me music says, «COLLEGE PARTY!»
On the menu, the owner chose to put flatbread instead of pizza; duck confit instead of fried chicken; grilled trumpet mushrooms instead of portobello; yet the music he plays is from a freshman frat party.
If you want your customers to return more frequently, stay longer and enjoy visiting with their friends at top-​shelf prices, cut the volume of the music in half and play something with style. How about a mix of Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Holiday, Rosemary Clooney and sweet Motown? Anything with class & style is preferable to the keg party sound track blasting this week.

I love the bar in this place, gorgeous wood and it snakes around all of the front room of the restaurant. The whole design of the restaurant is pretty cute, but a little out of place for the area as it seems like it should be in the meatpacking district. Didn’t try the food but I did enjoy my expensive ass drink, Adorable Bartender ($ 14) which was well made and tasty, if not slightly embarrassing to order. Service was attentive and friendly. Not much of a scene to speak of on a Thursday night, which was made even more apparent by there being a DJ playing music too loudly. Horrible music aside, I would definitely come back another time.

$ 20 lunch express — soup or salad, entrée item, and a draft beer or wine
Got the salad, trout, and a glass of wine — basically the most expensive items (got to make the money count). Salad was basic, leaves and dressing. Trout was grilled well, with delicious seasoned vegetables that made me feel somewhat healthy for lunch. The red wine was surprisingly strong.
With no one being there for lunch, service was quick and friendly. Really just an overall good experience that I didn’t expect. Would come back one of these days.

Came here a few times, once for a private event and once for some happy hour drinks. The private event was a sit down dinner so I was able to dive into some of the menu.
For the appetizer, I had one of their seasonal soups that came with black beans I believe. It was a bit bland for my taste and overall just lacked any wow factor. It also came out luke warm, which added to the lack of wow factor of the dish.
For the main course, I had the grilled organic half chicken which was pretty good. I wouldn’t say it was special, but it was definitely enjoyable. The restaurant itself is very nice and the bartenders can make a hell of an old fashioned.
Overall, I would say this place if more of a drinking spot than a place to eat in my opinion. Again, the food is good, but lacks any special quality.

4.5 stars.
I loved Clarkson. We came here for New Year’s Eve and had an amazing time. We paid for a four hour open bar, prix fixed menu, dessert, and champagne toast at midnight. I came with a group of five, and everyone was really happy. First off, this place is really beautiful. The outside does not do the inside justice. Huge bar in the main room, with some smaller rooms off to the side. The walls in the restaurant are really cool; crazy striped zebra patterns that I liked a lot.
The food was amazing! Beef tenderloin was delicious as was the snow crab appetizer salad. We also got some hors devours (goat cheese, oysters, etc), all were great! We were all a fan of the drink menu and how strong the drinks were, too.
Service was great. Our waiter was awesome and all of the staff was very nice and helpful. The only reason I’m giving 4.5 stars instead of 5 is because on more than one occasion it took a really long time for us to get our drinks. I understand it was New Year’s Eve and really busy, but we were waiting a while for drinks each time we ordered one.
Will definitely be returning for dinner and drinks soon. Awesome addition to this neighborhood! Hoping this place sticks around for a long time.

This is a favorite spot of one of my coworkers so we decided to make a pitstop on our way to Houston Hall on a random Thursday. The place came across as a little austere for my tastes but we sat at the bar and the bartender was great. He made me a specialty drink and it was so good I had him write down what was in it. He wanted to think up a name for it so we suggested the «Laurel» since he was looking for something Roman. I really liked this place. I’d definitely come back. Good spot for coworkers or a first date.
Whiskey Rye
Thai and cayenne pepper infused maple syrup
Lemon juice
Egg white
Slow gin
Thyme garnish