When pondering somewhere high-class and impressive to take one’s dining companion, perhaps a tiny independent public house in the center of London isn’t somewhere you would hit upon. Think again.

The Seven Stars is the personification of British quaint with wooden beams, dark corners and leafy plants hanging from beams above the sidewalk outside. According to a framed document on the wall this establishment was first licensed to sell alcohol in 1502. It is a previous recipient of Time Out’s Pub of the Year award and - with seating for only about fifty people - is about as cozy as it gets. Except, of course, if you make the mistake of visiting on a Thursday or Friday evening, in which case its standing room only, chaps. Dozens of lawyers file over from the Royal Courts of Justice across the road, and all the barristers chambers in the area.

The food and atmosphere are provided by owner Roxy Beaujolais (her co-owner husband is famed New York architect and writer, Nathan Silver). Ms. Beaujolais, larger than life and barely able to fit behind the tiny bar, is a London institution. She has authored a cookbook (Home from the Inn Contented), been front-of-house manager during the heyday of Ronnie Scott’s famous Soho club, and presented a BBC cookery program. She has even had a whiskey and a minor jazz standard named after her. She is also completely terrifying, frequently swearing at customers, more often than not with a drink in her hand - but this only adds to the atmosphere. As, in fact, do the barmaids - traditional wenches in every sense but dress, they pour pints and deliver dishes with wit, sarcasm and aplomb.

The menu changes daily depending on what is freshly delivered by the local butcher shop that morning. Be warned: This is not a place to bring vegetarians, unless they enjoy being sniffed and looked at like a bizarre subspecies. Vegetarian options do, however, include bruschetta with tomatoes, onion and garlic piled on top, or the more traditional Welsh Rarebit made with Guinness which gives it a rich and deep taste. Each dish is huge - they could easily be shared by two people as a starter - and the bread is thick enough to be used as a door stop. They’re delicious, as are the various chillies, oyster dishes and fish plates that are often found on the menu, along side the more traditional meat-based meals.

A highlight was the cheese plate - three different British and European cheeses along with lots of biscuits and a good dose of relish on the side. With a large glass of rich red wine, it is the perfect round-off to a wonderful meal. One thing Ms. Beaujolais does not do is cheat on portions. If this were your only meal of the day, you would be more than satisfied.

Do not come to the Seven Stars if you want to be mollycoddled, but do come if you want to have a good time. Pull up a chair, order some sausage and mash or a humongous steak, sip on a pint of locally produced bitter (flavors are seasonal and range from the expected to the bizarre such as coffee or hazelnut ale), sit back and watch the show unravel around you with bantering barmaids and caustic customers competing for the biggest laugh.

Lawyers, writers, artists and academics all flock here for the people, food and drink that maintain the incredibly high standard of the traditional British pub.

Seven Stars was visited, and referred to, by diarist Dominick Dunne of Vanity Fair. What could be of a higher class than that?

Seven Stars
53-54 Carey Street,
Holborn, London, UK
Tel: (020) 7242 8521

- Reviewed by Claire Payne (clairepayne@hotmail.com)