text: After sampling two great oysters and a really tasty Parmesan Tater Tot during the Yelp Elite event in the Side Car, Diane and I decided to repay the favor by having a full dinner in P.J. Clarke's main dining room.  It was an eye opener, because before this meal I didn't know that this establishment was a fine bastion of comfort food. \n\nWe opened with what turned out to be the only discordant note of the evening: Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail.  The Cocktail Sauce was great, but for only 4 large shrimps at over $18 for the dish, the shrimp had better be great, too!  And, unfortunately for us and the rating for this review, these crustaceans were only mediocre.  Although they looked fine enough, they were tough, hard, and had little flavor.  But the meal was far from over, and I still kept an open mind after our stumbling start.\n\nWhat a great recovery!  The excellent French Onion Soup Gratinee that I was served was sweet and delicious--maybe the best I've ever savored of hundreds I've tried from coast to coast and around the world, since this is one of my favorite dishes and I order it almost every time I see it on a restaurant menu.  Our server, Anthony, said that the onions are sweated separately before they are put in the soup, and the cheese is a combination of Gruyere and Swiss, with the top browned with Parmesan.  As a photo reveals, this soup was bursting with cheese on the edges of the crock, and visible bubbles on the cheese covering glistened as if heralding that something special would be found inside.  Carefully breaking through the cheese with a knife, hot broth, a well-melted crouton, and well-caramelized onions came to view.  The broth was hearty and melded well with the cheese that fell inside along with the soup's other ingredients.  Not a hint of bitterness was detected in the dish.  The white crock in which the soup was served was large but I would not have minded if its bottom had been endless.\n\nNext for me was a Chicken Pot Pie.  It arrived in a white elongated dish that was shaped much like a shark.  The doughy top of the pot pie was tanned and taut.  It wasn't smoking at all.  But I needn't have been concerned.  For, when I broke through the thin crust, the contents were piping hot and truly delicious: a generous amount of white chicken meat, potato chunks, and carrot and celery bits, all combined in a tasty and creamy White Sauce.\n\nAfter recent repeated disappointments in landing a medium-rare hamburger at different establishments in town, Diane was thrilled with her medium-rare Cadillac Burger, containing tasty bacon and a slice of American Cheese.  When the cheeseburger was cut in half, you could clearly see the redness across the middle of the 8-oz. burger, as another photo discloses.  I tasted the burger, and it was juicy and delicious even on a plain bun, which is the way my vegetable-hating wife likes her burgers.  And, even the accompanying French Fries tasted great!  Plus, there are always the Tater Tots available to opt for next time.\n\nWe finished with a delicious shared Bread Pudding a la Mode finished with a very nice La Creme Bourbon Sauce that a diner can pour out to his or her desire, and Cinnamon Ice Cream.  The ice cream was pretty scanty, and we got through it before the dish was half-finished.  So, I requested more.  It was quickly brought to the table without extra charge.\n\nService by Anthony and his assistant was excellent throughout the meal.  Extra ice was even provided in an extra glass without request to refresh my Iced Tea.  Great comfort food at a high but fair price for the quality of ingredients, and everything prepared and baked in house!  This was a five-star experience except for our appetizer, which brought the overall rating down a notch.  Next time, it's oysters for me!  For, after this experience, there will definitely be a \"next time\" fairly soon.