This is part of our Business Entertaining 2008 special report.
Upper West Side: Super-civilized Dovetail is the latest project from chef-owner John Fraser, who most recently wowed critics at nearby Compass. Here, Fraser’s work remains tethered to the seasons, with local ingredients peppering a modern menu of dishes such as oysters Rockefeller with pancetta, lobster knuckles, poached hen egg, and champagne-caviar cream; crispy pork belly with rock shrimp, braised kale, and oloroso sherry broth; and rack of lamb with Indian spices and burnt lemon jus. Matching the refined menu is the elegant setting, a town house designed by Richard Bloch with a dramatic central raw-brick archway framed by double-height ceilings and towering windows cloaked in sheer curtains; it works for a quiet lunch or dinner, or even a proper afternoon tea (served from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays and weekends). There’s a 20-seat grotto-style sherry cellar on the lower level.Upper East Side: What used to be the Lenox Room is now T-Bar Steak and Lounge, a stylish eatery for carnivorous types with a downtown vibe: dark wood floors, warm sage upholstery, and cool backlit mirrors. While chef Ben Zwicker is clearly fired up about meat—there’s a T-bone, a rib eye, a New York strip, and a filet mignon from meat god Pat LeFrieda on his menu—he’s also devoted to the sea, with a smashing raw bar, a slew of fish tartares, and entrées like Mediterranean branzino with shaved fennel and fresh herbs. If you’re looking for an affordable yet impressive lunch spot, the $25 mix-and-match Lunch Box includes such choices as Hudson Valley beet salad with goat feta, citrus dressing, and pistachios, and turkey burgers stuffed with spinach and caramelized onions.
Columbus Circle: Those who live for chef Marc Murphy’s braised lamb shanks, boudin noir, steak frites, and flawless pasta carbonara are celebrating Landmarc’s arrival at the Time Warner Center, giving this neighborhood—rich with haute, high-priced cuisine—a much-needed no-frills American bistro. Clodagh designed the space, which has a factory-meets-urban-loft feel, with exposed brick, hardwood floors, rebar, and rusted metals, as well as walls of windows that allow daylight to stream in at breakfast and lunchtime. Groups can request one of the genie-in-a-bottle booths or book one of two private rooms; each seats 45 and has audiovisual capabilities.
Midtown/Theater District: Chef Kerry Heffernan made a name for himself as the opening chef at Eleven Madison Park. His second act is South Gate, a luxurious neighborhood perch overlooking Central Park designed by Tony Chi to feel timeless and to transition easily from morning patisserie to skylit lunch pad to evening dinner salon and late-night bar. (The patisserie morphs into a private dining room after breakfast has been served.) Heffernan’s menu traces the seasons with dishes such as seared foie gras with pears, tarragon, muscat, and pear wafers; pork with cider, star anise, leeks, and kholarabi-bacon puree; and venison with fresh juniper, red carrots, and rosemary fritters.
Midtown West/Hell's Kitchen: This restaurant and wine bar honors the culinary province of Nice—or Nizza, as the Italians call it. Chef Andy D’Amico and his business partner Robert Guarino offer a menu that celebrates not only the bright flavors of Nice but also the coastal cuisine of Liguria, and the surrounding east bank of the Riviera as well, with starters like Ligurian Swiss chard and pancetta torta; fritto misto of calamari, sardines, shrimps, and mussels; and a slew of thin and crispy crusted pizzas like the San Remo, topped with tomatoes, anchovies, capers, garlic, and San Remo olives—in addition to entrées such as wild boar lasagna and branzino with roasted artichokes, potatoes, and olives. The blond-wood-washed space has an easy vibe that’s perfect for casual lunch meetings or dinners, with an affordable and extensive wine list that includes 30 choices by the glass and 100 by the bottle.
Midtown East: Replacing the venerable Lespinasse is no easy task, but Adour, the new Alain Ducasse restaurant at the St. Regis, has done it with grace and respect. Named for a river in the southwest of France close to where Ducasse was born, Adour is a showcase for contemporary French cuisine by executive chef Tony Esnault, formerly of Alain Ducasse at the Essex House. But Ducasse conceived of Adour with an eye toward wine education as well as culinary excellence: Wine novices and aficionados alike will be wowed by Adour’s interactive wine technology at the wine bar and in Adour’s 12-seat private tasting room. Sommeliers activate the wine list by touching the tabletop, and a screen projects the wine list onto the surface. Then you choose the wine that interests you by tapping one of the petals in its icon; each petal is keyed to that wine’s essentials, from origin and producer to varietal and grape. It’s a matter of weeks before this hits the iPhone, no?
Chelsea: Chef Daniel Angerer opened Klee about a year and a half ago with modest ambitions: to create a neighborhood place that would satisfy competing cravings a few times a week. He’s succeeded, and then some. The restaurant feels effortlessly chic, with atmospheric golden lighting, a lean bar-as-communal-table lit from below, and a slew of oversize banquettes for party-size groups. Klee’s diverse brasserie menu makes it a place that pleases both die-hard foodies and gimme-a-burger-and-a-beer folks. Plat du jour such as Wiener schnitzel, Viennese fried chicken, and house-made sausages with smoky sauerkraut harken back to Angerer’s Austrian homeland, but the menu reaches into the realm of contemporary American with dishes like Florida shrimp salad with avocado and herbs, wood-oven-roasted chicken with fennel figs and truffles, and Niman Ranch pork loin with red cabbage, apples, and mustard relish.
Flatiron/Gramercy/Union Square: Bar Stuzzichini, a big and bustling Flatiron Italian restaurant, is not ideal for intimate tête-à -têtes, but it’s perfect for a lunch or dinner get-together where you’re looking for a place with a nice amount of buzz. Beyond a long saloonlike wine and food bar serving wonderful stuzzichini (small plates)—like arancini, eggplant stuffed with ricotta, and Roman-style crispy frizzled artichokes—by chef Paul Di Bari (formerly of Wallsé), you’ll find a dining room filled with clubby tufted black-leather banquettes. The pastas are terrific, notably hearty bowls of handmade gnocchi Amatriciana and sunny tangles of tagliolini alla limone with lemon, cream, and a nutty shower of pistachios.
West Village: For their follow-up to Gusto, Sasha and Alexei Muniak enlisted Mario Batali’s Iron Chef sous Anne Burrell to create a menu of modern Italian fare that would match their striking contemporary two-story space. At Centro Vinoteca, she’s come through, so much so that you’d it down to her goat cheese and pumpkin cakes, handmade pici with sausage ragu, and brined heritage pork chop crusted with fennel pollen in a dark basement if you had to. Luckily, you don’t—this 1920s building is wrapped in windowed French doors, decked out in cool black-and-white accents, and lit with solid glass and steel chandeliers that resemble large icicles. Ask for a table upstairs if you need a quieter setting, or stick to the street level to take in more of the scene.
Meatpacking District: Los Dados brings the meatpacking district its first Mexican restaurant, with a menu of tacos and regional home cooking by Sueños chef Sue Torres. Owned by meatpacking denizens David Rabin and Will Regan (of Lotus and Double Seven), the restaurant emphasizes scene and atmosphere with gothic candelabras, walls hung with Mexican artwork and candles, and a communal table for large groups seeking out fresh-fruit sangria and margaritas by the pitcher. Cozy booths tucked into nooks in the wall make for more intimate group dining, and the menu is just right for family-style taking and passing, with platters of guacamole and handmade tortillas, tamarind-glazed skirt steak with nopales en escabèche and pasilla chile, and grilled shrimp with Yucatan pork achiote tamal and ancho chile sauce
East Village: Belcourt is sort of the East Village version of Balthazar, but with a little bit of Prune thrown in to keep things real. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (with free Wi-Fi for meetings that require an Internet boost), this beautiful sun-filled bistro owned by Mehenni Zebentout (Nomad) is filled with vintage pieces from Parisian flea markets, with Deco lights and floor-to-ceiling windows that give the place an air of genuine charm. Chef Matt Hamilton, who’s cooked at Prune and, most recently, Uovo, is serving a rustic menu of plates such as salt-cod stew with brandade dumplings, purple potatoes, and baby carrots; preserved rabbit legs with fennel, mushroom, and chestnut sugo; and lamb burgers with goat cheese, spicy tomato sauce, zucchini pickles, and fries.
Lower East Side: Fans of spirited Latin American cuisine flock to Rayuela, a stunning two-story restaurant with a lofty lower-level bar featuring a live olive tree that peaks into the swanky upstairs dining room, which is marked by glossy hardwood floors, sheer floor-to-ceiling curtains sectioning off custom sofa banquettes, and walls of cast-iron windows. Chef Maximo Tejada (Ola and Chicama) serves a menu of what he calls estilo libre latino, or freestyle Latino cuisine. This means a Pan-Latin wave of fresh and fiery ceviche alongside paella, arroz con pollo, and more contemporary combinations like sugar-cane-marinated duck breast with duck confit, spinach, and pan-seared foie gras on a yellow corn arepa. If you’re looking for a hip but civilized place for an after-work drinks meeting, the bar is ideal, with a spacious lounge and cocktails by Junior Merino that highlight single spirits, such as the Mezcal, a smoky blend of Mezcal, ginger, pineapple, and Cointreau.
SoHo and NoLIta: Purchased last year by the team behind Five Points and Cookshop, Provence has been born again with a face-lift that includes a beautiful marble bar, cozy café tables tucked into French doors, lace and toile accents on the golden stucco walls, and an enclosed garden room perfect for private dining. For lunch meetings, the sun-filled space feels peaceful and serene, with a menu of light fare including a Niçoise salad with poached tuna, cucumber, cauliflower, olives, new potatoes, and baby greens, and plump bouchot mussels in an aromatic broth of garlic, scallion, tomato, and chili. For dinner, the restaurant feels lively yet civilized, with a selection of rustic dishes such as braised rabbit, mashed new potatoes, roasted peppers, and peas, and “label rouge” rotisserie chicken with rosemary, garlic, and a warm frisée salad.
TriBeCa: While the name Cleaverhouse may bring back memories of The Sopranos’ Christopher Moltisanti’s debut film, this bright and airy restaurant in the new Hilton has little to do with gangsters and gore and everything to do with elegant French-American cuisine. The 4,500-square-foot space was designed by Albert Angel and Elle Kunnos to evoke a grand old train station, with 20-foot windows, wrought-iron latticework details, and black-and-white tiles and accents. Chef de cuisine Mathieu Palombino (formerly of BLT Fish and BLT Steak) features a large raw bar alongside such signatures as tableside steak tartare, smoked and braised prime cuts of beef, and simply prepared fresh local fish dressed with snippings from the kitchen’s interior herb garden. The restaurant, which has wireless Internet, does not have a private room but can be bought out for events; it seats 200 or holds 350 for receptions.
Financial District: While Nobu may seem like the only place for sushi below Canal Street (indeed, it’s one of the best), Haru Wall Street offers another surefire option for sushi-lovers in the financial district. Located in the historic Beaver Building and designed by Chris Smith, Haru sticks to the sleek decor of its seven other Manhattan locations, but this one offers two private rooms that can seat 15 people each, equipped with plasma TVs, audiovisual hookups, and free wireless Internet, along with a 17-seat sushi counter and a full bar serving colorful cocktails like the green tea margarita and the Komodo Dragon, as well as an extensive list of mojitos.
Upper West Side: Super-civilized Dovetail is the latest project from chef-owner John Fraser, who most recently wowed critics at nearby Compass. Here, Fraser’s work remains tethered to the seasons, with local ingredients peppering a modern menu of dishes such as oysters Rockefeller with pancetta, lobster knuckles, poached hen egg, and champagne-caviar cream; crispy pork belly with rock shrimp, braised kale, and oloroso sherry broth; and rack of lamb with Indian spices and burnt lemon jus. Matching the refined menu is the elegant setting, a town house designed by Richard Bloch with a dramatic central raw-brick archway framed by double-height ceilings and towering windows cloaked in sheer curtains; it works for a quiet lunch or dinner, or even a proper afternoon tea (served from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays and weekends). There’s a 20-seat grotto-style sherry cellar on the lower level.Upper East Side: What used to be the Lenox Room is now T-Bar Steak and Lounge, a stylish eatery for carnivorous types with a downtown vibe: dark wood floors, warm sage upholstery, and cool backlit mirrors. While chef Ben Zwicker is clearly fired up about meat—there’s a T-bone, a rib eye, a New York strip, and a filet mignon from meat god Pat LeFrieda on his menu—he’s also devoted to the sea, with a smashing raw bar, a slew of fish tartares, and entrées like Mediterranean branzino with shaved fennel and fresh herbs. If you’re looking for an affordable yet impressive lunch spot, the $25 mix-and-match Lunch Box includes such choices as Hudson Valley beet salad with goat feta, citrus dressing, and pistachios, and turkey burgers stuffed with spinach and caramelized onions.
Columbus Circle: Those who live for chef Marc Murphy’s braised lamb shanks, boudin noir, steak frites, and flawless pasta carbonara are celebrating Landmarc’s arrival at the Time Warner Center, giving this neighborhood—rich with haute, high-priced cuisine—a much-needed no-frills American bistro. Clodagh designed the space, which has a factory-meets-urban-loft feel, with exposed brick, hardwood floors, rebar, and rusted metals, as well as walls of windows that allow daylight to stream in at breakfast and lunchtime. Groups can request one of the genie-in-a-bottle booths or book one of two private rooms; each seats 45 and has audiovisual capabilities.
Midtown/Theater District: Chef Kerry Heffernan made a name for himself as the opening chef at Eleven Madison Park. His second act is South Gate, a luxurious neighborhood perch overlooking Central Park designed by Tony Chi to feel timeless and to transition easily from morning patisserie to skylit lunch pad to evening dinner salon and late-night bar. (The patisserie morphs into a private dining room after breakfast has been served.) Heffernan’s menu traces the seasons with dishes such as seared foie gras with pears, tarragon, muscat, and pear wafers; pork with cider, star anise, leeks, and kholarabi-bacon puree; and venison with fresh juniper, red carrots, and rosemary fritters.
Midtown West/Hell's Kitchen: This restaurant and wine bar honors the culinary province of Nice—or Nizza, as the Italians call it. Chef Andy D’Amico and his business partner Robert Guarino offer a menu that celebrates not only the bright flavors of Nice but also the coastal cuisine of Liguria, and the surrounding east bank of the Riviera as well, with starters like Ligurian Swiss chard and pancetta torta; fritto misto of calamari, sardines, shrimps, and mussels; and a slew of thin and crispy crusted pizzas like the San Remo, topped with tomatoes, anchovies, capers, garlic, and San Remo olives—in addition to entrées such as wild boar lasagna and branzino with roasted artichokes, potatoes, and olives. The blond-wood-washed space has an easy vibe that’s perfect for casual lunch meetings or dinners, with an affordable and extensive wine list that includes 30 choices by the glass and 100 by the bottle.
Midtown East: Replacing the venerable Lespinasse is no easy task, but Adour, the new Alain Ducasse restaurant at the St. Regis, has done it with grace and respect. Named for a river in the southwest of France close to where Ducasse was born, Adour is a showcase for contemporary French cuisine by executive chef Tony Esnault, formerly of Alain Ducasse at the Essex House. But Ducasse conceived of Adour with an eye toward wine education as well as culinary excellence: Wine novices and aficionados alike will be wowed by Adour’s interactive wine technology at the wine bar and in Adour’s 12-seat private tasting room. Sommeliers activate the wine list by touching the tabletop, and a screen projects the wine list onto the surface. Then you choose the wine that interests you by tapping one of the petals in its icon; each petal is keyed to that wine’s essentials, from origin and producer to varietal and grape. It’s a matter of weeks before this hits the iPhone, no?
Chelsea: Chef Daniel Angerer opened Klee about a year and a half ago with modest ambitions: to create a neighborhood place that would satisfy competing cravings a few times a week. He’s succeeded, and then some. The restaurant feels effortlessly chic, with atmospheric golden lighting, a lean bar-as-communal-table lit from below, and a slew of oversize banquettes for party-size groups. Klee’s diverse brasserie menu makes it a place that pleases both die-hard foodies and gimme-a-burger-and-a-beer folks. Plat du jour such as Wiener schnitzel, Viennese fried chicken, and house-made sausages with smoky sauerkraut harken back to Angerer’s Austrian homeland, but the menu reaches into the realm of contemporary American with dishes like Florida shrimp salad with avocado and herbs, wood-oven-roasted chicken with fennel figs and truffles, and Niman Ranch pork loin with red cabbage, apples, and mustard relish.
Flatiron/Gramercy/Union Square: Bar Stuzzichini, a big and bustling Flatiron Italian restaurant, is not ideal for intimate tête-à -têtes, but it’s perfect for a lunch or dinner get-together where you’re looking for a place with a nice amount of buzz. Beyond a long saloonlike wine and food bar serving wonderful stuzzichini (small plates)—like arancini, eggplant stuffed with ricotta, and Roman-style crispy frizzled artichokes—by chef Paul Di Bari (formerly of Wallsé), you’ll find a dining room filled with clubby tufted black-leather banquettes. The pastas are terrific, notably hearty bowls of handmade gnocchi Amatriciana and sunny tangles of tagliolini alla limone with lemon, cream, and a nutty shower of pistachios.
West Village: For their follow-up to Gusto, Sasha and Alexei Muniak enlisted Mario Batali’s Iron Chef sous Anne Burrell to create a menu of modern Italian fare that would match their striking contemporary two-story space. At Centro Vinoteca, she’s come through, so much so that you’d it down to her goat cheese and pumpkin cakes, handmade pici with sausage ragu, and brined heritage pork chop crusted with fennel pollen in a dark basement if you had to. Luckily, you don’t—this 1920s building is wrapped in windowed French doors, decked out in cool black-and-white accents, and lit with solid glass and steel chandeliers that resemble large icicles. Ask for a table upstairs if you need a quieter setting, or stick to the street level to take in more of the scene.
Meatpacking District: Los Dados brings the meatpacking district its first Mexican restaurant, with a menu of tacos and regional home cooking by Sueños chef Sue Torres. Owned by meatpacking denizens David Rabin and Will Regan (of Lotus and Double Seven), the restaurant emphasizes scene and atmosphere with gothic candelabras, walls hung with Mexican artwork and candles, and a communal table for large groups seeking out fresh-fruit sangria and margaritas by the pitcher. Cozy booths tucked into nooks in the wall make for more intimate group dining, and the menu is just right for family-style taking and passing, with platters of guacamole and handmade tortillas, tamarind-glazed skirt steak with nopales en escabèche and pasilla chile, and grilled shrimp with Yucatan pork achiote tamal and ancho chile sauce
East Village: Belcourt is sort of the East Village version of Balthazar, but with a little bit of Prune thrown in to keep things real. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (with free Wi-Fi for meetings that require an Internet boost), this beautiful sun-filled bistro owned by Mehenni Zebentout (Nomad) is filled with vintage pieces from Parisian flea markets, with Deco lights and floor-to-ceiling windows that give the place an air of genuine charm. Chef Matt Hamilton, who’s cooked at Prune and, most recently, Uovo, is serving a rustic menu of plates such as salt-cod stew with brandade dumplings, purple potatoes, and baby carrots; preserved rabbit legs with fennel, mushroom, and chestnut sugo; and lamb burgers with goat cheese, spicy tomato sauce, zucchini pickles, and fries.
Lower East Side: Fans of spirited Latin American cuisine flock to Rayuela, a stunning two-story restaurant with a lofty lower-level bar featuring a live olive tree that peaks into the swanky upstairs dining room, which is marked by glossy hardwood floors, sheer floor-to-ceiling curtains sectioning off custom sofa banquettes, and walls of cast-iron windows. Chef Maximo Tejada (Ola and Chicama) serves a menu of what he calls estilo libre latino, or freestyle Latino cuisine. This means a Pan-Latin wave of fresh and fiery ceviche alongside paella, arroz con pollo, and more contemporary combinations like sugar-cane-marinated duck breast with duck confit, spinach, and pan-seared foie gras on a yellow corn arepa. If you’re looking for a hip but civilized place for an after-work drinks meeting, the bar is ideal, with a spacious lounge and cocktails by Junior Merino that highlight single spirits, such as the Mezcal, a smoky blend of Mezcal, ginger, pineapple, and Cointreau.
SoHo and NoLIta: Purchased last year by the team behind Five Points and Cookshop, Provence has been born again with a face-lift that includes a beautiful marble bar, cozy café tables tucked into French doors, lace and toile accents on the golden stucco walls, and an enclosed garden room perfect for private dining. For lunch meetings, the sun-filled space feels peaceful and serene, with a menu of light fare including a Niçoise salad with poached tuna, cucumber, cauliflower, olives, new potatoes, and baby greens, and plump bouchot mussels in an aromatic broth of garlic, scallion, tomato, and chili. For dinner, the restaurant feels lively yet civilized, with a selection of rustic dishes such as braised rabbit, mashed new potatoes, roasted peppers, and peas, and “label rouge” rotisserie chicken with rosemary, garlic, and a warm frisée salad.
TriBeCa: While the name Cleaverhouse may bring back memories of The Sopranos’ Christopher Moltisanti’s debut film, this bright and airy restaurant in the new Hilton has little to do with gangsters and gore and everything to do with elegant French-American cuisine. The 4,500-square-foot space was designed by Albert Angel and Elle Kunnos to evoke a grand old train station, with 20-foot windows, wrought-iron latticework details, and black-and-white tiles and accents. Chef de cuisine Mathieu Palombino (formerly of BLT Fish and BLT Steak) features a large raw bar alongside such signatures as tableside steak tartare, smoked and braised prime cuts of beef, and simply prepared fresh local fish dressed with snippings from the kitchen’s interior herb garden. The restaurant, which has wireless Internet, does not have a private room but can be bought out for events; it seats 200 or holds 350 for receptions.
Financial District: While Nobu may seem like the only place for sushi below Canal Street (indeed, it’s one of the best), Haru Wall Street offers another surefire option for sushi-lovers in the financial district. Located in the historic Beaver Building and designed by Chris Smith, Haru sticks to the sleek decor of its seven other Manhattan locations, but this one offers two private rooms that can seat 15 people each, equipped with plasma TVs, audiovisual hookups, and free wireless Internet, along with a 17-seat sushi counter and a full bar serving colorful cocktails like the green tea margarita and the Komodo Dragon, as well as an extensive list of mojitos.
Photo: Courtesy of T-Bar Steak and Lounge
Photo: Courtesy of Dovetail
Photo: Courtesy of T-Bar Steak and Lounge
Photo: Quentin Bacon
Photo: Bruce Buck
Photo: Courtesy of Rayuela
Photo: Courtesy of Bar Stuzzichini
Photo: Courtesy of Centro Vinoteca
Photo: Courtesy of Andy Ryan Photography