Two recent lunch visits to the Ritz were generally good experiences, though not perfect. Both rooms are among the handsomest in the city; the prices are also among the highest. The menus try to please both conservative and well- traveled tastes; the desserts are as beautiful as ever. The dining room staff, which tended to hover during the hotel's early days, has learned how to pamper from a more discreet distance.
If I had the bankroll to lunch regularly at the Ritz - which I don't - my haunt would be the Grill. It's smaller than the Dining Room, with the feel of a private club or an executive dining room, and its menu has a wider variety.
In the Grill, it's possible to get soup and a salad, just a sandwich, or heart-healthy dishes at lunch. The Dining Room, a grander, more formal space, has a lunch menu weighted with substantial entrees.
Our Grill lunch began with two old standards, a bowl of New England-style clam chowder ($4) and a Caesar salad ($4.95). The thick, creamy chowder yielded potatoes, celery or clams in every delicious spoonful; the meal-size Caesar, topped with garlic croutons and tossed with an especially flavorful dressing, may be the best in the city.
We resisted the urge to try what must be the city's priciest chicken pot pie ($14.75) or the cheddar-sirloin burger on a sesame seed bun ($8.75).
My guest raved about her sliced veal loin and wild mushrooms in a rich brown gravy over pappardelle pasta ($15.50).
I would have liked more lobster in my lobster club sandwich ($12.50) and less of the large pasta and vegetable salad piled alongside it. The salad, dressed with a sharp vinaigrette and plenty of oregano, was a poor choice to partner the delicate lobster.
