To Make a Dramatic Statement
If the success of the original TriBeCa outpost is anything to go by, the second Megu Midtown inside Trump World Tower will be a hotspot for those with deep pockets and a weakness for Japanese cuisine. Koji Imai’s second property in the United States is much smaller than the first and offers a slightly different menu (although the emphasis is still on fresh ingredients). The main dining room’s interior—matching its swanky surroundings—was designed to impress and features lamp pillars, a 27-foot-long hand drawn picture of tigers, a 500-pound crystal chandelier, and open kitchens. The bar is decorated with illuminated photographic art on seven-foot kimono fabric pedestals.
For a Completely Private Room
Hudson Yards Catering is an off-premise caterer from Danny Meyer, the restaurateur behind Union Square Café, the Modern, and other successful establishments. The catering outfit’s dining room in its west Chelsea headquarters is available for private events. Designed like a restaurant, and accommodating as many as 20, the space features the new American cooking of chef Kerry Heffernan, late of Meyer’s Eleven Madison Park.
For an Enlightened Palate
Philly-based uber-restaurateur Stephen Starr brings his wildly popular pan-Asian restaurant Buddakan to New York in the meatpacking district’s Chelsea Market building, however, here the menu will be focused more on Chinese cuisine. The 16,000-square-foot space was designed by Christian Liagre (who also did the Mercer Kitchen) and is divided into five distinct rooms. There is an oak communal table that seats 26, and a Golden Library for private parties that seats 44.
For Wall Streeters and Other Carnivores
Meat lovers eagerly awaited the April opening of Tom Colicchio’s Craftsteak. An evolution of his acclaimed Craft in the Flatiron district, the steakhouse is modeled after its sister restaurant of the same name in Las Vegas. One-third of the new triumvirate on Tenth Avenue that includes Del Posto and Morimoto, Craftsteak is also a large space, with 225 seats. The main dining room features a two-story steel and glass wine vault which can store 2,000 bottles, and the large bar area serves food as well. A private dining room seats 30.
To Get Some Space
In their most ambitious project to date, Mario Batali, Joseph Bastianich, and his mom Lidia Bastianich have joined forces to bring their vision of an elegant, Italian restaurant to the meatpacking district. Del Posto’s cavernous space, which is luxurious simply by virtue of the amount of room that abounds, has been transformed into a sedate, refined dining room. Two areas of seating are offered in the main dining room which seats 75: a raised section on the street level, and round tables for larger parties on the second floor. Reservations are also accepted in the lounge area, which features a separate menu and a piano player nightly. Downstairs is a large private dining room, which seats 150, and has a foyer which can hold a prefunction reception. There’s also a smaller private dining room on the main floor which seats 24.
For the Adventurous
After navigating past the “Employees Only” sign, down a staircase, and through the kitchen, guests at La Esquina find themselves in a dark, brickwalled dining room with wrought-iron gates and plenty of candles. The speakeasy vibe won’t be for everyone, but is bound to impress certain downtown denizens and fashionable types. The semiprivate room seats 24 around rustic farm tables for Mexican fare and more than 100 tequilas.
For Spanish Touches
With a résumé that includes stints at Bouley, Blue Hill, and the legendary El Bulli in Spain, Alex Ureña had foodies eagerly anticipating the opening of his new restaurant, Ureña. The narrow room is lined with banquettes on both sides, and has a small bar in the front, and there is a selection of tapas in addition to the regular menu.
To Test Their Mettle
Fans of Japan’s Iron Chef finally got their wish when featured chef Masaharu Morimoto opened Morimoto in New York. Although it shares a name and owner (Stephen Starr) with its sister restaurant in Philadelphia, that’s about where the similarities end. Tadao Ando designed the cavernous space here and gave it a sleek, austere look. The main dining room is dominated by a wall of 17,000 water bottles that are illuminated and glow a soft white. The private dining room seats 20, and there’s also an omakase (or chef’s table) that fits just eight perched right at the edge of the open kitchen.
For an Elegant Evening
In February, Jo-Ann Makovitzky and Marco Moreira moved their six-year old French-American restaurant Tocqueville a few doors down the street. The new, larger location offers a 75-seat dining room, a 20-seat wenge wood bar, and a 30-seat mezzanine-level private room, and will continue to feature a greenmarket-driven menu with French influences. The original location will become a private event space available for groups with as many as 70 guests, but later in the year, the couple plans to renovate it and reopen it as a new restaurant.
For the Design-Minded
Thor, the Hotel on Rivington’s restaurant (named for the hotel’s initials), is run by chef Kurt Gutenbrunner, and features a menu that reflects a European heritage yet showcases local, farm fresh ingredients. The focal point of the dining room is a 21-foot glass ceiling that looks up at dramatically lit views of the neighborhood’s old tenement buildings. The second floor lounge can accommodate 100 for a cocktail party, and there’s a private dining room that can seat 30 for dinner.
—Caryl Chinn & Anna Sekula
Photos: Dan Hallman for BiZBash (Buddakan, Hudson Yards, Morimoto)
Posted 05.18.06
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Ask the Experts: Business Entertaining
If the success of the original TriBeCa outpost is anything to go by, the second Megu Midtown inside Trump World Tower will be a hotspot for those with deep pockets and a weakness for Japanese cuisine. Koji Imai’s second property in the United States is much smaller than the first and offers a slightly different menu (although the emphasis is still on fresh ingredients). The main dining room’s interior—matching its swanky surroundings—was designed to impress and features lamp pillars, a 27-foot-long hand drawn picture of tigers, a 500-pound crystal chandelier, and open kitchens. The bar is decorated with illuminated photographic art on seven-foot kimono fabric pedestals.
For a Completely Private Room
Hudson Yards Catering is an off-premise caterer from Danny Meyer, the restaurateur behind Union Square Café, the Modern, and other successful establishments. The catering outfit’s dining room in its west Chelsea headquarters is available for private events. Designed like a restaurant, and accommodating as many as 20, the space features the new American cooking of chef Kerry Heffernan, late of Meyer’s Eleven Madison Park.
For an Enlightened Palate
Philly-based uber-restaurateur Stephen Starr brings his wildly popular pan-Asian restaurant Buddakan to New York in the meatpacking district’s Chelsea Market building, however, here the menu will be focused more on Chinese cuisine. The 16,000-square-foot space was designed by Christian Liagre (who also did the Mercer Kitchen) and is divided into five distinct rooms. There is an oak communal table that seats 26, and a Golden Library for private parties that seats 44.
For Wall Streeters and Other Carnivores
Meat lovers eagerly awaited the April opening of Tom Colicchio’s Craftsteak. An evolution of his acclaimed Craft in the Flatiron district, the steakhouse is modeled after its sister restaurant of the same name in Las Vegas. One-third of the new triumvirate on Tenth Avenue that includes Del Posto and Morimoto, Craftsteak is also a large space, with 225 seats. The main dining room features a two-story steel and glass wine vault which can store 2,000 bottles, and the large bar area serves food as well. A private dining room seats 30.
To Get Some Space
In their most ambitious project to date, Mario Batali, Joseph Bastianich, and his mom Lidia Bastianich have joined forces to bring their vision of an elegant, Italian restaurant to the meatpacking district. Del Posto’s cavernous space, which is luxurious simply by virtue of the amount of room that abounds, has been transformed into a sedate, refined dining room. Two areas of seating are offered in the main dining room which seats 75: a raised section on the street level, and round tables for larger parties on the second floor. Reservations are also accepted in the lounge area, which features a separate menu and a piano player nightly. Downstairs is a large private dining room, which seats 150, and has a foyer which can hold a prefunction reception. There’s also a smaller private dining room on the main floor which seats 24.
For the Adventurous
After navigating past the “Employees Only” sign, down a staircase, and through the kitchen, guests at La Esquina find themselves in a dark, brickwalled dining room with wrought-iron gates and plenty of candles. The speakeasy vibe won’t be for everyone, but is bound to impress certain downtown denizens and fashionable types. The semiprivate room seats 24 around rustic farm tables for Mexican fare and more than 100 tequilas.
For Spanish Touches
With a résumé that includes stints at Bouley, Blue Hill, and the legendary El Bulli in Spain, Alex Ureña had foodies eagerly anticipating the opening of his new restaurant, Ureña. The narrow room is lined with banquettes on both sides, and has a small bar in the front, and there is a selection of tapas in addition to the regular menu.
To Test Their Mettle
Fans of Japan’s Iron Chef finally got their wish when featured chef Masaharu Morimoto opened Morimoto in New York. Although it shares a name and owner (Stephen Starr) with its sister restaurant in Philadelphia, that’s about where the similarities end. Tadao Ando designed the cavernous space here and gave it a sleek, austere look. The main dining room is dominated by a wall of 17,000 water bottles that are illuminated and glow a soft white. The private dining room seats 20, and there’s also an omakase (or chef’s table) that fits just eight perched right at the edge of the open kitchen.
For an Elegant Evening
In February, Jo-Ann Makovitzky and Marco Moreira moved their six-year old French-American restaurant Tocqueville a few doors down the street. The new, larger location offers a 75-seat dining room, a 20-seat wenge wood bar, and a 30-seat mezzanine-level private room, and will continue to feature a greenmarket-driven menu with French influences. The original location will become a private event space available for groups with as many as 70 guests, but later in the year, the couple plans to renovate it and reopen it as a new restaurant.
For the Design-Minded
Thor, the Hotel on Rivington’s restaurant (named for the hotel’s initials), is run by chef Kurt Gutenbrunner, and features a menu that reflects a European heritage yet showcases local, farm fresh ingredients. The focal point of the dining room is a 21-foot glass ceiling that looks up at dramatically lit views of the neighborhood’s old tenement buildings. The second floor lounge can accommodate 100 for a cocktail party, and there’s a private dining room that can seat 30 for dinner.
—Caryl Chinn & Anna Sekula
Photos: Dan Hallman for BiZBash (Buddakan, Hudson Yards, Morimoto)
Posted 05.18.06
Related Stories
10 Business Entertaining Biggies
10 Hot Restaurants for Business Entertaining
5 Conversation Starters for Business Entertaining
5 Under-Hyped Spots for Business Entertaining
5 Quiet Cocktails Spots for Business Entertaining
5 Sparkling Scenes for Business Entertaining
Ask the Experts: Business Entertaining
Buddakan
Hudson Yards
Morimoto
Thor
