Bistro du Vent
Maybe French-style bistros are an exhausted genre, but that hasn’t stopped Mario Batali and David Pasternack’s Bistro du Vent from attracting buzz from critics, and customers from the crowded theater district. With red leather banquettes and wood accents, the decor, much like the food, is charming and unpretentious.
BLT Steak More than just your typical steak house, Laurent Tourondel’s bistro has a great wine selection and critically acclaimed menu, along with luxurious design from Michael Bagley that includes stylish ebony tables, walnut floors, suede paneling, and a 23-foot zinc bar. At Table 25 in the center of the room you get a view of the crowd—all diners have to walk by to be seated. The newer sibling, BLT Fish, in a three-story townhouse in the Flatiron district, is just as impressive.
Cafe Gray Since its September opening last year, Gray Kunz’s high-end café in the Time Warner Center has established itself as a popular hotspot for food fans. Although the interior design from the Rockwell Group has raised a few eyebrows, the Asian-accented French menu and Central Park views have kept the venue packed. Booths near the bar offer some privacy, while a private dining room seats 70 or accommodates 120 for receptions.
Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar Another gem in Jack and Grace Lamb’s family of tiny East Village restaurants, Jack’s Luxury Oyster Bar features fare from chef Allison Vines-Rushing, who won the James Beard Foundation’s Rising Star Chef of the Year award in 2003. The round table in the center of the first floor is great for two or four, and the six-table, second-floor private dining room (reserved for the chef’s tasting menu) is an intimate space for meetings or parties.
Lure Fishbar Owned by John McDonald and Josh Pickard (Lever House), Lure transformed the restaurant space under the SoHo Prada store with a stylish nautical theme. Modeled after a 1940’s luxury yacht, the look is highlighted by white leather banquettes, teak walls, and striped wood floors. Chef Josh Capon’s menu is dominated by seafood—naturally—with fussy but tasty trimmings.
Masa Famed sushi chef Masa Takayama closed his Beverly Hills sushi mecca Ginza Sushi-ko to open this 26-seater in the Time Warner Center, getting locals worked up over spending $300 for the tasting menu. Seated at the bar, diners have a chance to see Takayama at work, while the tables are quiet, private spaces where patrons can enjoy the carefully decorated venue.
Masa Famed sushi chef Masa Takayama closed his Beverly Hills sushi mecca Ginza Sushi-ko to open this 26-seater in the Time Warner Center, getting locals worked up over spending $300 for the tasting menu. Seated at the bar, diners have a chance to see Takayama at work, while the tables are quiet, private spaces where patrons can enjoy the carefully decorated venue.
Megu TriBeCa’s Megu makes a big statement with 13,000 square feet of space on two levels, a decorative wall of porcelain sake vases, and a menu full of pricey, elaborate Asian fare. The tables surrounding the Buddha ice sculpture make for prime peoplewatching. For a more private experience, there’s the Imperial Lounge that seats 35, and a private lounge and a private dining room that each seat 12.
The Modern MoMA’s new restaurant, operated by Danny Meyer, is sleek and modern and has already earned rave reviews. The elegant formal dining room overlooks the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden, and has oval-shaped leather booths and modernist tableware. The casual Bar Room features artwork by Thomas Demand, a 46-foot marble bar with a smoked-glass wine wall, and comfortable lounge seating.
Per Se Getting a table at the New York restaurant of much-revered French Laundry chef Thomas Keller may require two months’ advance reservation, but the anticipation is part of the experience, right? There are only 16 tables in the spacious, Adam Tihany-designed main dining room, so diners can talk business without being overheard. For larger groups or even more privacy, the 990-square-foot West Room (which can be divided into two) seats 60, and the East Room (which has views of Central Park) seats 12.
Spice Market You want heat, Spice Market has it. This cavernous market-style restaurant has diners captivated in an Aladdin fantasy world. Reservations are hard to get, but the front of house is first-rate. A long chic bar keeps just a few diners on hold, but most people are seated promptly. There is energy and cacophony, at least at night, so serious negotiations should be done elsewhere. The downstairs dining room feels left over—you won’t want to sit there once you’ve been on the dazzling main level. Bring people you’ll be comfortable with—the fancy food is served family-style.
—Ted Kruckel & Anna Sekula
Photo: Quentin Bacon (The Modern)
Posted 05.31.05
This story originally appeared in the April/May 2005 issue of the BiZBash Event Style Reporter.
Maybe French-style bistros are an exhausted genre, but that hasn’t stopped Mario Batali and David Pasternack’s Bistro du Vent from attracting buzz from critics, and customers from the crowded theater district. With red leather banquettes and wood accents, the decor, much like the food, is charming and unpretentious.
BLT Steak More than just your typical steak house, Laurent Tourondel’s bistro has a great wine selection and critically acclaimed menu, along with luxurious design from Michael Bagley that includes stylish ebony tables, walnut floors, suede paneling, and a 23-foot zinc bar. At Table 25 in the center of the room you get a view of the crowd—all diners have to walk by to be seated. The newer sibling, BLT Fish, in a three-story townhouse in the Flatiron district, is just as impressive.
Cafe Gray Since its September opening last year, Gray Kunz’s high-end café in the Time Warner Center has established itself as a popular hotspot for food fans. Although the interior design from the Rockwell Group has raised a few eyebrows, the Asian-accented French menu and Central Park views have kept the venue packed. Booths near the bar offer some privacy, while a private dining room seats 70 or accommodates 120 for receptions.
Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar Another gem in Jack and Grace Lamb’s family of tiny East Village restaurants, Jack’s Luxury Oyster Bar features fare from chef Allison Vines-Rushing, who won the James Beard Foundation’s Rising Star Chef of the Year award in 2003. The round table in the center of the first floor is great for two or four, and the six-table, second-floor private dining room (reserved for the chef’s tasting menu) is an intimate space for meetings or parties.
Lure Fishbar Owned by John McDonald and Josh Pickard (Lever House), Lure transformed the restaurant space under the SoHo Prada store with a stylish nautical theme. Modeled after a 1940’s luxury yacht, the look is highlighted by white leather banquettes, teak walls, and striped wood floors. Chef Josh Capon’s menu is dominated by seafood—naturally—with fussy but tasty trimmings.
Masa Famed sushi chef Masa Takayama closed his Beverly Hills sushi mecca Ginza Sushi-ko to open this 26-seater in the Time Warner Center, getting locals worked up over spending $300 for the tasting menu. Seated at the bar, diners have a chance to see Takayama at work, while the tables are quiet, private spaces where patrons can enjoy the carefully decorated venue.
Masa Famed sushi chef Masa Takayama closed his Beverly Hills sushi mecca Ginza Sushi-ko to open this 26-seater in the Time Warner Center, getting locals worked up over spending $300 for the tasting menu. Seated at the bar, diners have a chance to see Takayama at work, while the tables are quiet, private spaces where patrons can enjoy the carefully decorated venue.
Megu TriBeCa’s Megu makes a big statement with 13,000 square feet of space on two levels, a decorative wall of porcelain sake vases, and a menu full of pricey, elaborate Asian fare. The tables surrounding the Buddha ice sculpture make for prime peoplewatching. For a more private experience, there’s the Imperial Lounge that seats 35, and a private lounge and a private dining room that each seat 12.
The Modern MoMA’s new restaurant, operated by Danny Meyer, is sleek and modern and has already earned rave reviews. The elegant formal dining room overlooks the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden, and has oval-shaped leather booths and modernist tableware. The casual Bar Room features artwork by Thomas Demand, a 46-foot marble bar with a smoked-glass wine wall, and comfortable lounge seating.
Per Se Getting a table at the New York restaurant of much-revered French Laundry chef Thomas Keller may require two months’ advance reservation, but the anticipation is part of the experience, right? There are only 16 tables in the spacious, Adam Tihany-designed main dining room, so diners can talk business without being overheard. For larger groups or even more privacy, the 990-square-foot West Room (which can be divided into two) seats 60, and the East Room (which has views of Central Park) seats 12.
Spice Market You want heat, Spice Market has it. This cavernous market-style restaurant has diners captivated in an Aladdin fantasy world. Reservations are hard to get, but the front of house is first-rate. A long chic bar keeps just a few diners on hold, but most people are seated promptly. There is energy and cacophony, at least at night, so serious negotiations should be done elsewhere. The downstairs dining room feels left over—you won’t want to sit there once you’ve been on the dazzling main level. Bring people you’ll be comfortable with—the fancy food is served family-style.
—Ted Kruckel & Anna Sekula
Photo: Quentin Bacon (The Modern)
Posted 05.31.05
This story originally appeared in the April/May 2005 issue of the BiZBash Event Style Reporter.
Megu
The Modern
