‘Tis the season to be jolly! December is the time for celebration and cheer. It is also a time to recollect and reflect on the events of the past year, and to focus on the opportunities that lie ahead in the New Year. What would the holiday season be without a few indulgent guilty pleasures? While those New Year’s resolutions may be lurking in the distance, holiday parties, festive gatherings, and all the decadent, sublime cuisine that your waistline can handle must be the focus for now.

On Saturday, December 10, 2016 we attended the Holiday Carolers Brunch at The Lambs Club Restaurant and Bar in New York City. Once the theatrical epicenter of the 20th century, The Lambs Club received its name after the Lambs, America’s first professional theatrical club organized by a group of actors and enthusiasts in 1874. The coveted New York landmark now stands as The Chatwal Hotel and The Lambs Club Restaurant located in the heart of New York City at 132 W 44th. Recent notable celebrity sightings include Bill Gates, Anna Wintour, Amal Clooney, Misty Copeland, Bradley Cooper, Mark Zuckerberg and Tilda Swinton.

2016 marked the third annual Holiday Carolers Brunch and this year’s events began on Saturday, December 3rd. It continues each Saturday in December and is a festive event filled with live caroling and traditional brunch fare, including the Valrhana hot chocolate bar with all its trimmings.

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If you’re licking your chops, don’t worry, we were too as course after course graced our table. From the very beginning of the brunch we were taken on a journey through old New York; a time dedicated to the Progressive Era that occurred at the beginning of the 20th century. The Progressive Era was characterized by vast growth and impressive urban achievement and was a time of glamour and decadence that propelled the theatre and film industries. Theirry Despont, the internationally renowned architect and interior designer, has stayed true to the Art Deco aesthetic with The Lambs Club harboring sleek and sophisticated lines that meld with contemporary inspiration. The 80-seat restaurant provides an intimate setting for guests, where they can think of themselves as being part of the ‘who’s who’ of New York’s elite scene for the day. Celebrated chef Geoffrey Zakarian’s modern American cuisine delighted our taste buds as were taken through an immersive holiday voyage.

Beginning with delicate, flaky pastries, we moved on to the mouthwatering entrées, where we chose the ‘Egg White Frittata’ and ‘The Lambs Club Burger’ - both turned out to be excellent choices. The service was superb with the beautiful service staff effortlessly attending our every need. Their attentive attitude was displayed via simple touches, such as when they took perfect holiday portraits of diners in front the fireplace, or at their table, as they enjoyed their experience during the loveliest time of the year. The pièce de résistance, of course, was the holiday carolers that filled the room with their melodic and angelic voices. The Christmas hymns and familiar jingles invoked nostalgic childhood memories, such as running down the stairs to see what old St. Nicholas has left. The holidays are truly the most wonderful time of the year!