Jazz Standard

There's never a food or drink minimum at Jazz Standard, making it lighter on the budget and on the diet than other clubs. But my dietary resolve dissolves as soon as I open the front door and catch the fragrance of wood-smoked barbecue.

Sometimes the food actually lives up to that seductive promise. It did last Saturday, when I went to check out drummer extraordinaire Cindy Blackman. I wasn't really hungry, so I opted to share a burger, fries, and a mac-and-cheese side -- nice light meal, huh?

We told the waiter we wanted to share. Instead of bringing a plated meal and an extra dish, he brought two plates, each with an individual small, thick, ultra-juicy burger on fresh buns that had the consistency of home-made english muffins. The burger was topped with semi-melted bleu cheese running down the sides. Lettuce, tomato, onion slices and pickles garnished each dish, along with more than enough fries. On request, the waiter brought two kinds of barbecue sauce. One was good; the other was amazing, pairing a slightly fruity flavor that may have been tamarind with a nice smoky chipotle bite.

The mac-and-cheese was served separately in a rather large ramekin, the top nicely browned and crunchy. It was a little saucy, the way I like it -- sometimes it's been nice and cheddar-y but a little dry at this venue.

The burger was the star. It had a wonderful grilled, meaty flavor, and was so juicy I was glad the lights were down so no one could see me dribbling. Even the cheese had a wonderful texture. How often do I kvell about a burger?

The food menu isn't huge. I don't find the appetizers especially interesting, calamari with a sweet red pepper dip is the exception. I've never tried the salads -- who goes to a bbq joint for a salad? And they're up toward the $10 range and I just can't make myself pay that much for a little salad. The spicy cheese fries are great, fun to share.

I've tried chicken, sausage, salmon and sausage entrees. When the entrees are good, they're very good. Sometimes they're dry and not that interesting.

Jazz Standard has an extensive drink menu, including Old Overholt rye whiskey, a fave of mine, which I grew up calling "Old Overalls." I was surprised to see Auchentoshan 3 Wood single malt whisky is considerably more expensive at the Standard than at Keen's, where I recently tasted it for the first time. For the price of three shots you could buy a bottle at Zachy's.

The service can be a bit problematic. The Lady in Red wants to write a book about table service at jazz clubs -- it ranges from uneven to awful, across the board. Everyone at the Standard is very nice, they always are at Danny Meyer restaurants. I always try to get to a club in time to eat before the music starts. Cindy Blackman doesn't play dinner music. None of the jazz I like is dinner music. Besides, I don't want to multitask: I can't give either the food or the music the attention it deserves.

But time of arrival has nothing to do with when you can order, which has nothing to do with when you're served. So that's why I always vow I won't eat at the club. Until I open the door and pick up that delightful aroma ...