| THE SCOUT 05.31.05 12:00 AM |
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| 10 Business Entertaining Biggies |
| Make guests feel like big shots at these power scenes and business entertaining classics. |
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Daniel
The entry experience is unsurpassed. Swirl into the first landing, and take a minute to look in on a surprisingly lively and mixed crowd at the bar, and perhaps the most chic host stand ever to grace a restaurant. Shoot for a corner table and let your waiter take over, or book their private rooms, which have a clubby feel. (There’s also the Skybox—a glass-enclosed room for four above the kitchen.) Since 1998 Daniel has equaled French excellence, and you can still expect to see chef Boulud himself, barking orders and kissing guests. The upside of Daniel being closed for lunch is that it’s an insider’s haven for private lunches. |
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PHOTO GALLERY |
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Four Seasons
Even the most hurried and jaded New Yorkers pause to catch their breath as they mount the stairs of arguably the finest restaurant in the world. The power-broker crowd is a nice sideshow, but people come here for the swooping and seamless service and the hushed and serious atmosphere, in the most pleasant of architectural settings. When too many C.E.O.s call first for lunch tables in the Grill Room, being sent to the Pool Room is a better consolation than the balcony, we say. And the private rooms are just about perfect.
Gramercy Tavern
Is this the modern definition of a restaurant? Owner Danny Meyer certainly knows everything about seamless and hassle-free service (and he’s happy to tell you about it). Layer that sense of comfort with an ongoing commitment to being at the forefront of American cuisine. For casual drinks and small plates, the front room is the bustling action area, and the slightly uncomfortable seats make you sit up and pay attention to the creative food. For dinner, the dining room feels important, and a private room for 22 has dark wooden vaulted ceilings.
Jean Georges
Say what you want about Donald Trump, he built a landmark location for Jean-Georges Vongerichten—a modern, sleek wonderland where you can look out on the park, while savoring.phparagus with morels or lobster tartine with lemongrass, pea shoots, and a broth of fenugreek. A meal here is an exercise in anticipation. Don’t forget there’s an outdoor deck to go with the swingy bar, the relaxed front room, and a main dining room where a sense of hushed expectation accompanies the courses. Expect to see Jean-Georges darting about, never too busy to greet people, and expect to pay top dollar (but you get what you pay for).
Lever House
The facelift given to the Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Lever House building was no mere nip and tuck, and as a direct result its basement eatery (pictured) quickly became one of the big boys of business entertaining. Handsome and professional Michael Bailey greets you (he used to be at Michael’s, which is kind of confusing, but you get used to it). After a buzzy launch, a mix of all types has settled into the dining room’s modernist curves.
Michael's
This is the ultimate see-and-be-seen lunch spot. Most prefer to be placed in the front room, but at night—if the place isn’t closed for a book party—the garden is prettier, and most of the bold-faced names are gone anyway. Or get there early for evening seats at the bar (but never sit there at lunch). And there’s a great Cobb salad.
Nobu
It would be easy to label Nobu as the celebrity sushi place of Page Six, but it’s more. It is—despite the constant flush of success—soothing. There is a babbling brook in the bathroom. The staff is discreet, there is no wait if your reservation is properly made, and classic, sublime items are always on the menu (rock shrimp and black miso with cod come to mind). Plates come intermittently, but in a planned manner, not haphazardly like so many places.
Peter Luger Steakhouse
Let’s go to another world—well, Brooklyn, anyway—where we can eat steak and creamed spinach and not be ashamed. Let it be old-fashioned and raucous. Let them serve giant plates of the most expensive flanks still sizzling from the grill. Let it be Peter Luger’s. Proximity to Wall Street helps this Master of the Universe kind of place, and experienced expense account masters know to come with cash, and to warn clients and colleagues to check egos at the door. Stick to the basics on the menu, and don’t ask for anything fancy from the bar. They hate that.
21 Club
This 75-year-old spot has so much to offer, one of the reasons for its ongoing success. The Ivy League-style downstairs restaurant is one of the city’s liveliest and most widely used business spots—networks are bought and sold over plates of chicken hash. But if you want a serious sit-down before dinner, in private, there is a roomy lounge with important-looking furniture. Upstairs, you name it, they got it: six private rooms of all sizes and styles. And downstairs is a 22-seat dining room in the wine cellar. Plus, these people are professional about their billing, so you can be confident that expense reports are correct.
Union Square Café
This is Gramercy Tavern’s bustling cousin, where the hosts somehow know how to make perhaps the oddest restaurant configuration work. Perfectly. You go up the steps to check in, but sometimes they send you right back down to the preferred room for lunch. So many people still order the tuna burger, regulars fight for a spot at the bar, and some folks take clients here again and again and again.
—Ted Kruckel
This story originally appeared in the April/May 2005 issue of the BiZBash Event Style Reporter.
Posted 05.31.05
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Bowlmor Lanes
A New York landmark since 1938, Bowlmor Lanes is a whimsical bowling alley decorated with a wide palette of bright colors. Ideal for corporate and individual events, fund-raisers, meetings, and product launches, Bowlmor Lanes can accommodate as many as 550 people at an event. More >>
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Alan Klein Photography
Alan Klein’s lively candid style and training as a portrait photographer contribute to a uniquely integrated approach to event coverage. An early adopter of digital technology, Alan photographs award ceremonies, galas, fund-raisers, corporate seminars, press events, portraits, and private parties. More >>
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Allen Dalton Productions
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