Since throwing a 100th anniversary blowout last October, the new owners of the refurbished Plaza Hotel have been steadily opening the property's various venues—from the grand ballroom in January to the Rose Club bar and lounge in July. The latest to reopen will be the Oak Room, which is scheduled to debut Monday, November 10. The lobby-level dining and drinking spot will be run by restaurateur Joey Allaham and offer a menu from James Beard award-winning chef Joel Antunes.
Originally opened in 1907 as a men's club, this restaurant and bar will flaunt its historic (and landmarked) interior with wood-paneled walls, a barrel-vaulted ceiling, a mosaic tile floor, and large murals from artist Everett Shinn. To complement all this, architect Annabelle Selldorf got permission from the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission to update and add various elements, including new cork flooring in one section, a copper top for the bar, custom furnishings, and lighting fixtures.
In addition to several niches in the bar and the connecting restaurant that are suitable for semiprivate groups, the venue also offers two private areas. On one side of the 112-seat main dining area is an 18-seat room with an LCD monitor for presentations. Inside the glass-walled kitchen will be an eight-seat chef's table with its own entrance. Custom menus will be available in both of these spaces.
Antunes, who previously worked in the kitchens of Paul Bocuse and Michel Troisgros, will provide a seasonal American menu with international influences, crafting dishes like Nantucket Bay scallop and organic corn chowder and meunière-style Dover sole filets. Open on weekdays for lunch and dinner, the Oak Room will also serve brunch and dinner on weekends; breakfast service will be introduced later this year.
