Johnny Utah's Grand Opening
BY: Diana Kost

- Diana Kost

When my editor asked me to go to the opening of Johnny Utah’s, I said okay without knowing too many details. All I knew was that it was a themed restaurant. In Rockefeller Center. An urban cowboy themed restaurant in Rockefeller Center. Not only is this only 2 blocks away from my job, but it’s a themed restaurant in Rockefeller Center. How good could it possibly be?

Apparently really good.

Before I made my way inside, I took a picture with the Naked Cowboy, aptly positioned in front of the entrance. But of course, like most cowboys, the naked one requested that I take a picture of both his front and his back. Wait. Most cowboys do this, right?

I walked down two flights of stairs, which might have been easier had I been wearing flats, and was surprised to see that Johnny Utah’s is not that themed. I mean, it is themed but not in the cheesy Applebee’s type of way. For one, the walls are scarcely decorated. There are no over-the-top pictures of cowboys or portraits of western plateaus. Instead, the two private rooms house portraits of old western men with those silly mustaches I thank God went out of style in the 1900s.

Before I went to explore the rooms, I positioned myself in front of the kitchen entrance where a few teams of hungry guests mingled. My boyfriend and I made friends with this charming gentleman by the name of John Doe and for twenty minutes we stopped every single waitress to sample the Hors D’oeuvres. After a while they too came out in teams, attempting to navigate past us. But the food was good and I’m not sorry that I hogged the bite-size treats.

Following the feeding frenzy, I made my way to the one of the private rooms. Decorated like bank vault (with an authentic bank vault door), this room housed two tables and safety deposit boxes along the wall. An ideal room for a private party that requires ultimate discretion. The other private room overlooks the main room and the entire back wall houses bottles of Labrot & Graham Woodford Reserve Bourbon. The couches that line the back wall look like cow, and unfortunately feel like it, too. Sitting against them made me itch and that is not really that attractive when dining with other people.

Perhaps the biggest drawl is the mechanical bull that sits in the center of the room. And it’s not just a bull that is there for people to take pictures. It’s a real bull, with real controls and cushioning surrounding the area for when people will inevitably fall off. I asked my boyfriend if I should go on. He replied, “Okay. But I won’t even have time to take the picture,” implying that I would fall off. Given that I against making a fool out of myself in public, I did not go on the bull. But I watched as others did and that was great fun.

The crowd on opening night was sexy and I hope real people go to this restaurant. And by real people, I mean people who live in New York and aren’t just visiting. Of course, given the location (Rockefeller Center – sigh), I suspect a majority of the patrons will be out- of -towners. This, of course, is bad only if you happen to be a local. Either way, I’m sure Johnny Utah’s will succeed, given it is the only restaurant in a neighborhood that houses a multitude of office buildings and Radio City Music Hall.