P 157-171 UVG_Restaurants.so.FINAL.3

Transcription

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Page 157
THE BIZBASH GUIDE TO VENUES
PHOTO: KATE LACEY
RESTAURANTS
NEW ABBOCCATO
The Blakely Hotel’s in-house restaurant is Abboccato,
opened by the Livanos family, owners of Oceana and
Molyvos. The 85-seat space’s walls are padded with creamcolored leather. Chef Jim Botsacos and chef de cuisine Jake
Addeo serve Italian fare. A 25-seat terrace overlooks the
New York City Center. (138 West 55th St., 212.265.4000)
ABIGAEL’S
Abigael’s is one of the only non-deli restaurants that offers
upscale kosher cuisine. Abigael’s on Broadway, the bilevel
Victorian-style location, offers the largest special event facilities for kosher-only food, with six rooms ranging in size from
the Equestrian Room, which holds 150 for receptions or 110
seated, to the library, which holds 20 for receptions or seats
12. (Abigael’s: 9 East 37th St., 212.575.1407; Abigael’s on
Broadway: 1407 Broadway, 212.575.1407)
AGOZAR
A brightly colored slice of Cuba designed by Richard Bloch,
Agozar features an L-shaped black steel bar and a cozy lounge
in the front of the restaurant. The dining room offers sunny,
golden walls contrasted with turquoise and white drapes, and
bright, eye-catching mosaic tables. The dining room also has
a separate entrance for private events. The entire space seats
71. (324 Bowery, 212.677.6773)
AIX
This Upper West Side restaurant from Didier Virot, formerly
of Virot in the Dylan Hotel, serves Provençal cuisine in a
three-story space. The first level seats 80, the second level
seats 15, and the private space on the third level seats 30.
(2398 Broadway, 212.874.7400)
ALAIN DUCASSE AT THE ESSEX HOUSE
Alain Ducasse’s New York outpost is as famous for its food,
now created by chef de cuisine Tony Esnault (who worked for
Ducasse in Monte Carlo), as it is for its high prices. The gourmet fave has a main dining room that seats 65, a lounge, a
12-seat private room, and a 200-year-old oak chef’s table
that seats six. (155 West 58th St., 212.265.7300)
NEW ALAMO
Margo Portela and Manuel Nunez have brought back the
Alamo, a restaurant popular in the 1980’s that closed in 2002.
Located in the former C space, the Alamo has colorful decor
including Mexican papier-mâché dolls, a mural by artist
Maria Redondo, terra-cotta tiled floors, red and orange banquettes, and cactus plants. The front bar holds 15, the main
dining room seats 70, and the upstairs dining room holds 60.
(304 East 48th St., 212.759.0590)
ALFREDO OF ROME
The New York branch of Alfredo di Lelio’s Italian restaurants
offers three private dining rooms—Cicciolina, Tiber, and
Baccus—that can be combined (to seat 81 or hold 125 for
receptions) or used independently for events. There is also
the 90-seat semiprivate forum room, which holds 100 for
receptions. The entire Midtown space can hold 300 for
receptions or seat 200. (4 West 49th St., 212.397.0100)
ALICE’S TEA CUP
Sisters Haley and Lauren Fox opened this Upper West Side
teahouse with decor inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice in
Wonderland. The 1,200-square-foot space seats 45 in the
main room and 20 in the adjacent Raspberry Room, a private
dining area. (102 West 73rd St., 212.799.3006)
NEW ALTO
L’Impero chef Scott Conant, Chris Cannon, Jane Epstein,
and Vicente Wolf opened this Northern Italian restaurant in
April. The 5,000-square-foot space was designed by Wolf
and named for both the Italian term for gourmet cuisine,
alta cucina, and the Alto Adige region of Italy. The main
dining room seats 85, and the mezzanine-level private dining area has two spaces—one seats 16, the other 24. (520
Madison Ave., 212.308.1099)
AMUSE
This trilevel Chelsea restaurant has a 120-seat main dining
room and four private dining areas each with a private
entrance: the lounge seats 50 or holds 85 for receptions; the
second-floor apartment with a baby grand piano seats 50 or
holds 125 for receptions; and the third floor’s Matisse Salon
and Matisse Library have 11-foot ceilings and mahogany
bars, and hold 125 and 110 for receptions, respectively. (108110 West 18th St., 212.929.3512)
AMY RUTH’S
A favorite dining spot for Harlem locals, Amy Ruth’s
opened in 1998 and displays African-American art on a
bimonthly basis. The soul food restaurant names its dishes
after prominent African-Americans and offers a private dining room—the Reggie Harris Pavilion—that seats 90 and
features a small stage with audiovisual capabilities. (113
West 116th St., 212.280.8779)
ANGELO & MAXIE’S
Architect Morris Nathanson’s design for this 210-seat steak
house includes 1930’s Art Deco decor accented with murals
of dining cows. The casual and masculine space has warm
wood paneling, comfortable booth seating, and a private dining room that seats 50. (233 Park Ave. South, 212.220.9200)
ANNISA
This airy, minimalist venue opened in 2000 and serves contemporary Asian-influenced American fare from award-winning
chef Anita Lo. The restaurant features chenille banquettes and
a blond wood bar, and can seat 45. There is no private room,
but the entire restaurant can close for private parties. (13
Barrow St., 212.741.6699)
APPLEBEE’S NEIGHBORHOOD BAR AND GRILL
Applebee’s brings the suburbs to New York with three
Manhattan locations. The 20,000-square-foot 50th Street loca-
tion is joined to the Winter Garden Theater. A private room
seats 50, and the second and third floor each seat 200. The
Times Square location seats 385 on two levels and the Lower
Manhattan restaurant holds 40 for receptions in a private
room, or seats 230 in the entire space. (234 West 42nd St.,
212.391.7414; 102 North End Ave., 212.945.3277; 205 West
50th St., 212.262.4022)
AQUAGRILL
Considered one of the city’s finest seafood restaurants, this
popular SoHo spot that opened in 1996 has a brightly colored dining room and a creative menu from chef-owner
Jeremy Marshall. The main dining space seats 90, while an
outdoor terrace, surrounded by bamboo and sea grass,
seats 30. (210 Spring St., 212.274.0505)
NEW AQUAVIT
The hallmarks of Scandinavian design—clean lines and
beautiful wood—fill chef Marcus Samuelsson’s Swedish
restaurant, which relocated in January from its original location behind MoMA. The space features furniture from classic
designers such as Arne Jacobsen, Poul Kjaerholm, and
Verner Panton. A private dining area behind the bar has
audiovisual capabilities and Internet access, and seats 40, or
holds 50 for a reception. (65 East 55th St., 212.307.7311)
ARABELLE
The in-house restaurant at the Hotel Plaza Athénée,
Arabelle serves New American fare in a 2,890-square-foot
main dining room that seats 100 or holds 150 for receptions. The restaurant offers an elegant, ivory-colored 280square-foot private dining space that seats 20 or holds 30
for receptions. A bar holds 100 for receptions. (37 East 64th
St., 212.606.4647)
ARNO RISTORANTE
Italian restaurant Arno offers three rooms in its bilevel space.
The largest, the Boticelli Room, seats 100; the Fiorentina
seats 60; and the Oak Room seats 12. The rooms can be
combined to create larger spaces, or the entire restaurant
can close for an event. (141 West 38th St., 212.944.7420)
NEW AROMA KITCHEN & WINE BAR
Another restaurant squeezed itself into the East Village this
past April: Aroma, a new Italian kitchen and wine bar owned
by Alexandra Degiorgio and Vito Polosa. Executive chef
Chris Daly’s menu takes inspiration from Italy and New York’s
seasons, while the interior contrasts contemporary fixtures
with dark wood and brick. The restaurant seats 30, and there
is sidewalk seating as well. (36 East 4th St., 212.375.0100)
ARTISANAL FROMAGERIE & BISTRO
Terrance Brennan’s cheese heaven in Murray Hill has a
classic brasserie look designed by Adam Tihany, with Art
Deco fixtures, brass bar railings, red banquettes, and vintage cheese posters. With 200 international varieties of
cheese and a cheese-slicing station in the rear, Artisanal
also serves classic French bistro fare and has a modestly
priced international wine list. The entire space seats 170.
(2 Park Ave., 212.725.8585)
ASIA DE CUBA
This chic Philippe Starck-designed Asian-Latin fusion restaurant from Jeffrey Chodorow is inside the Morgans Hotel. The
two-story venue has a 2,200-square-foot, 140-seat lower
level with a 30-foot-long marble communal table and a 15foot-high light box featuring a photo of a waterfall. The
1,700-square-foot upstairs space seats 50 or holds 120 for
receptions. (237 Madison Ave., 212.726.7755)
ASIATE
Thirty-five floors above Columbus Circle is the in-house
restaurant of the Mandarin Oriental New York hotel.
Featuring a French-Japanese fusion menu from chef Noriyuki
Sugie and modern design by Tony Chi, Asiate has views of
Central Park through 16-foot-tall windows. The dining room
seats 80, and a semiprivate dining area next to the restaurant’s impressive floor-to-ceiling wine rack seats 10. (80
Columbus Circle, 212.805.8881)
ATELIER
On the ground floor of the Ritz-Carlton New York Central
Park is this restaurant serving American-influenced French
cuisine from chef Alain Allegretti. The modern space has
pale green silk and leather banquettes, sycamore-paneled walls, glass sculptures, and contemporary art from
Charles Beiderman and Laurie Fendrich. The lounge seats
20, while the main dining room seats 70. (50 Central Park
South, 212.521.6125)
ATLANTIC GRILL
Owned by B. R. Guest restaurant group, Atlantic Grill features
a sushi bar in the front of the Upper East Side restaurant and a
large, open 200-seat dining room with pale blue walls and a
skylight. The rear of the dining room offers comfy, wine-colored, U-shaped banquettes. (1341 Third Ave., 212.988.9200)
@SQC
Chef Scott Campbell’s Upper West Side 95-seat restaurant
serves New American cuisine. Designed by Lincoln Clark, the
restaurant’s dining room is a long, narrow, glass-enclosed
atrium with cedar-topped tables, light brown banquettes
with yellow cushions, and a 16-seat bar. Campbell’s signature
dish—a decadent hot chocolate—is on the menu along with
what he calls “gourmet baby food”—organic fare for infants.
(270 Columbus Ave., 212.579.0100)
AUGUST
Andrew Chapman opened this European restaurant in the
West Village in March 2004. Executive chef Tony Liu’s menu
includes dishes from different regions in Europe and a wine
list to complement them. The cozy 65-seat space features
wooden banquettes, antique floorboards, and a heated atrium. (359 Bleecker St., 212.929.8727)
Chemist Club
AUREOLE
Charlie Palmer’s much-loved Upper East Side restaurant is
housed in a converted bilevel brownstone. The 340-seat
space is decorated with honey-colored wood paneling, a
wine tower in the main dining room, cherry-colored marble
floors in the bar area, and banquettes upholstered in
maroon-colored leather. Two private rooms hold 88 for
receptions. (34 East 61st St., 212.319.1660)
AVRA ESTIATORIO
This restaurant offers Greek and Mediterranean cuisine in a
dining room designed by architect Yianni Skordas to look
like a Greek home, with limestone floors, whitewashed
walls, and simple wooden furnishings. The seafood restaurant seats 180, and an outdoor terrace seats 50. (141 East
48th St., 212.759.8550)
AZALEA
Azalea features modern Italian cuisine in an airy space
designed by Rick Daley. An 18-foot mahogany ceiling soars
above the dining room, where guests dine on meat- and
seafood-centric cuisine inspired by Parma and the Amalfi
coast. The space seats 90 and an outdoor terrace seats 45.
(224 West 51st St., 212.262.6660)
BABBO
When he’s not making the rounds at Esca, Lupa, Otto, or his
other New York ventures, or filming his Food Network show,
chef Mario Batali can be found at Babbo. In operation since
1998, this 90-seat, split-level Greenwich Village venue (formerly the Coach House) received the James Beard
Foundation’s Best New Restaurant Award the year it opened.
Beverage director David Lynch oversees the extensive wine
list. (110 Waverly Place, 212.777.0303)
BALDORIA
From the same family that owns Rao’s in Harlem is Baldoria,
an Italian restaurant in the theater district. Home-style cuisine, Wurlitzer jukeboxes that play opera and contemporary
Italian music, and comfortable red leather booths give the
restaurant a welcoming family vibe. The space’s ground-floor
dining room seats 62, and the upstairs lounge seats 74. (249
West 49th St., 212.582.0460)
BALTHAZAR
Keith McNally’s bustling SoHo eatery opened in 1997, and
has warm, yellow walls and ceiling columns, large antique
mirrors, tiled floors, and large frosted glass front windows
that overlook Spring Street. Serving French bistro fare, the
space seats 175 or holds 250 for receptions, and can be
closed for private events. (80 Spring St., 212.965.1414)
BAO 111
Its far-East Village location has done nothing to diminish this
eatery’s popularity. The single dining room serves up inventive Vietnamese fusion cuisine from chef-owner Michael
Huynh, and offers live jazz. The space seats 48 or holds 100
for receptions. (111 Ave. C, 212.254.7773)
NEW BAR AMERICAIN
Chef Bobby Flay (Mesa Grill, Bolo) opened this brasserie
designed by David Rockwell in April. The venue has a raw
bar, a 28-foot bar, and a 200-seat dining room. Decor
accents include arched ceilings, round booths, marble-andwood floors, and glass display cases for the wine. There are
two private dining rooms that seat 22 or hold 30 for receptions each. For a larger event, you can combine the two
rooms with the mezzanine to seat 100 or hold 150 for a
reception. (152 West 52nd St., 212.265.9701)
BARBALUC
This Upper East Side wine bar and restaurant offers Friulian
fare from chef-owner Emanuele Simeoni in two floors of
sleek, modern space. The main dining room downstairs seats
55, and a second-floor bar and dining room seats 30 or holds
50 for receptions. (135 East 65th St., 212.774.1999)
BARBETTA
In a landmark Midtown building, Barbetta’s ornate interior
takes inspiration from 18th-century Piedmonte. Opened in
1906, this Italian restaurant decorated with antiques has four
private dining rooms on the second floor. Other spaces
include an 18-seat wine library that holds 25 for receptions
and a 36-seat drawing room that holds 45 for receptions.
(321 West 46th St., 212.246.9171)
BARBUTO
Chef Jonathan Waxman’s Italian restaurant in the Industria
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RESTAURANTS
PHOTO: THOMAS MOORE
Café Gray
Superstudio photo studio features a wood-burning oven and
antique furnishings. The raw airy space has a fashionably rustic look with white-painted brick walls and garage-style doors,
and the menu (which changes daily) features seasonal dishes.
The entire space seats 70, and a private room seats 12. (775
Washington St., 212.924.9700)
NEW BARNA
Opened in March, the new restaurant in the Hotel Giraffe near
Gramercy Park serves chef John Kekalos’ modern interpretation of traditional Spanish cuisine. Faulding Architecture’s
design for the 3,000-square-foot, 104-seat space was inspired
by historic structures in Barcelona. Features include chartreusecolored banquettes, textured limestone walls, mahogany
floors, and a mosaic of glass and wood adorning the bar.
Barna also operates the hotel’s rooftop space. (365 Park Ave.
South, 212.532.8300)
BAROLO RESTAURANT AND GARDEN
Opened in 1990 in SoHo, Barolo offers Northern Italian fare
and an extensive wine list in a simple, spacious dining room.
Its indoor terrace room seats 110 or holds 150 for receptions,
and its outdoor garden is available for alfresco dining. (398
West Broadway, 212.226.2055)
NEW BAR SASA
In January, Bar Sasa replaced the short-lived Bar Tonno’s narrow
NoLIta space with a sushi and sake bar. Chef Kyohei Fukushi
(from Philadelphia’s Morimoto restaurant) supervises the menu
of Japanese small plates and sushi. A large fish tank sits at the
front of the space. (17 Cleveland Place, 212.966.7334)
BASSO EST
Serving authentic, regional Italian cuisine, Basso Est (meaning
Lower East and indicating its location) displays low-key decor
in a 36-seat dining room that holds 45 for a reception. The
restaurant has a modestly priced menu that suits the area and
parallels chef-owner Paolo Catini’s native Abruzzi—a mountainous southern province known for its hearty (and sometimes spicy) pasta dishes. (198 Orchard St., 212.358.9469)
BATTERY GARDENS
Battery Gardens replaced American Park at the Battery, with
a white, beige, and pale celery-colored dining room and
event space, but kept the same fantastic views. Downstairs,
the restaurant is open to the public. Upstairs is the 200-seat
harbor view room, exclusively for special events: it seats 175
with a dance floor or holds 350 for receptions. (Inside Battery
Park, opposite 17 State St., 212.809.5508)
BAYARD’S
In the financial district’s landmark India House, Bayard’s is a
beautiful restaurant that features nine private dining rooms
ranging from the intimate, 12-seat jewel room to the spacious
200-seat marine room. Serving New American cuisine from
Eberhard Muller, it features a maritime decor scheme, with
cream-colored walls, slate blue fabrics, and gold detailing. (1
Hanover Square, 212.514.9454)
BAYOU
There are plenty of places to dine on Southern cuisine in
Harlem, but Bayou’s New Orleans-style fare—especially its
turtle soup and inventive desserts—are critically acclaimed.
Unassuming decor includes sunny yellow paint, dark wooden furnishings, brick walls, and black-and-white photographs of Louisiana. The restaurant can seat 65. (308 Lenox
Ave., 212.426.3800)
BEACON
This handsome Midtown eatery offers a classic environment of white tablecloths and hardwood floors with tawny
wooden furnishings in a bilevel space. Famous for its flavorful dishes cooked in a wood-burning oven, the 200-seat
dining room has an open kitchen where diners can watch
the grilling action. The private mezzanine area overlooking
the main restaurant seats 40; the clubroom seats 100. (25
West 56th St., 212.332.0500)
BECCO
This Lidia Bastianich Italian eatery on the theater district’s
Restaurant Row offers its atrium for private events, seating 40
guests. The main upstairs dining room seats 70 or holds 100
for receptions. Becco’s menu is full of budget-friendly, familystyle classics. (355 West 46th St., 212.397.7597)
NEW B.E.D. NEW YORK
The sister restaurant to the original Miami hotspot is on the
sixth floor and rooftop of a west Chelsea building. The
restaurant has a 6,000-square-foot dining room with 23
beds—on which guests can dine—and a 7,600-square-foot
rooftop garden and gazebo. The entire space is more than
15,000 square feet, and holds 620 for receptions. (530 West
27th St., 212.594.4109)
BEN BENSON’S STEAKHOUSE
Opened in 1982 and a popular choice with suited businessmen (regulars have brass nameplates on the walls), this steak
house has a classic look: white walls and tablecloths, darkwood wainscoting, and hardwood floors. Ben Benson’s
upstairs private event space seats 80 or holds 125 for receptions. (123 West 52nd St., 212.581.8888)
BEPPE
Cesare Casella’s Tuscan place looks like a little house when
you arrive, and the homey vibe continues inside, where you’ll
find his regional-based cooking. Open since March 2001, the
venue was designed by Bogdanow Partners Architects and
includes a fireplace. The main dining room seats 80 and a
private room seats 30. (45 East 22nd St., 212.982.8422)
NEW BESITO
The menu at Besito combines tastes from Cuba, the
Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Argentina, and other
Hispanic cultures. The decor matches the fare, with a
Spanish-colonial and American Southwest look. The restaurant, which opened in October 2004, has a private dining
area that seats 55 or holds 120 for receptions. (357 West
Broadway, 212.966.2030)
NEW BETTE
Amy Sacco, owner of Lot 61 and Bungalow 8, named her
new restaurant after her mother. The eatery, which opened
this past June, overlooks Chelsea apartment building
London Terrace and features a menu billed as “European
grill” from chefs Tom Dimarzo and Arlene Jacobs. (461
West 23rd St., 212.366.0404)
BICE RISTORANTE
This eatery named for the Milanese branch (which opened
in 1926) from the same restaurant group was designed by
Adam Tihany. The Art Deco-influence decor in the casual,
airy dining room is uncomplicated—vaulted ceilings and
beige walls with brass sconces. The Northern Italian cuisine
is simple, but classic, and there is seating for 185. (7 East
54th St., 212.688.1999)
BILTMORE ROOM
A re-creation of the Biltmore Hotel—the once-famous spot
near Grand Central Terminal—in Chelsea, this restaurant
includes original floor-to-ceiling marble slabs salvaged from
the hotel. Chef Gary Robins’ cuisine is Asian fusion, and the
classy dining room—replete with chandeliers, a vaulted ceiling, and a padded phone booth—seats 100 or holds 175 for
receptions with hors d’oeuvres and buffet stations. (290
Eighth Ave., 212.807.0111)
BINY JAPANESE FOOD & KARAOKE BAR
Lychee martinis, a selection of sake cocktails, fusion sushi,
video screens, and white leather furniture fill Biny (which
stands for “best in New York”), a restaurant and karaoke
bar in SoHo. In addition to the dining space and bar, the
venue offers seven private rooms—each with its own theme
decor—equipped with karaoke machines. (8 Thompson
St., 2nd Floor, 212.334.5490)
NEW BISTRO DU VENT
Housed in the same building as Esca is this restaurant also
owned by Mario Batali, David Pasternack, and Joseph
Bastianich. It offers a Cote d’Azur, Provence-style menu,
and the space is inspired by traditional French bistros. It
seats 100, and has red leather banquettes and dark wood
accents. There is also outdoor seating for 24. (411 West
42nd St., 212.239.3060)
NEW BISTRO MUSÉE
Chef Jennifer Mandell of Caffè Grazie opened this French
restaurant in December in the two-story town house once
occupied by the Lobster Club. The main dining rooms seat
72, and a private space upstairs seats 40. Design elements
include vintage French posters and blackboards in the bathrooms with romantic poems and quotes from Voltaire and
Sartre. (24 East 80th St., 212.249.6500)
BIVIO
While this Italian restaurant doesn’t have any private dining
rooms like its sister restaurant Bottino, it has just as much charm.
The dining room contrasts walnut wood with stainless steel,
and has large blackboards lining the walls displaying the daily
offerings from chef Alessandro Prosperi. The venue seats 80 or
holds 100 for a reception. (637 Hudson St., 212.206.0601)
BLACK DUCK
You’ll find American cuisine on this Flatiron bistro’s menu.
Inside a restored 18th-century brownstone next to the Park
South Hotel, Black Duck’s 75-seat dining room has an
alabaster bar, candles, and burgundy walls. In the summer,
French doors open onto an outdoor space. The restaurant
holds 100 for receptions. (122 East 28th St., 212.204.5240)
NEW BLT FISH
Located in the former AZ space, the sister restaurant to Laurent
Tourondel’s BLT Steak has a first-floor lounge, a second-floor
event space, and a fine dining room on the top floor. The event
space seats 65 or holds 125 for receptions and has full audiovisual capabilities, a full-service bar, and private bathrooms; it’s
also wheelchair-accessible. (21 West 17th St., 212.691.8888)
NEW BLT PRIME
The third bistro in Laurent Tourondel’s ever-expanding
empire is BLT Prime, a meat-centric restaurant designed by
Michael Bagley. The 5,000-square-foot, 100-seat main dining
room has a glass-paneled dry-aging room, a semiopen
kitchen, and skylights. The 10,000-square-foot space, which
opened in June, also includes three kitchens, and a 65-seat
private dining room. (111 East 22nd St., 212.995.8500)
BLT STEAK
The first in the trifecta of BLT restaurants owned by Laurent
Tourondel and designed by Michael Bagley, BLT Steak has a
23-foot zinc bar, chocolate and caramel color accents, and
suede paneling. A private event space on the second floor
seats 18 or holds 30 for receptions, and features audiovisual
amenities such as a plasma screen and a sound system for
meetings. (106 East 57th St., 212.752.7470)
BLUE FIN
Part of the B. R. Guest restaurant group, Blue Fin is the
younger, hipper sister to the Blue Water Grill. This eatery,
the in-house restaurant for the W Hotel in Times Square,
serves seafood fare in a two-story, 400-seat space. Three
private dining rooms are on the second floor. (1567
Broadway, 212.918.1400)
BLUE HILL
Dan Barber’s Blue Hill, a truly lovely restaurant inside a West
Village town house with elegant, yet minimal decor, has been
serving New American fare since 2000. The space seats 80, or
holds 100 for receptions, and offers the 20-seat garden room
for private functions. (75 Washington Place, 212.539.1776)
BLUE SMOKE
Danny Meyer’s take on urban barbecue has a casual roadhouse look, with large splayed light fixtures that resemble
giant asterisks illuminating the room’s brick walls, exposed
steel piping, black tables, and red vinyl chairs. A small 35seat balcony overlooks the bar, and the basement-level Jazz
Standard seats 140 or holds 170 for receptions. (116 East
27th St., 212.447.7479)
BLUE WATER GRILL
In a former bank, Blue Water Grill’s decor is simple and classic: white walls and tablecloths with accents of blue in the
furniture. This seafood restaurant has live jazz music and
two dining rooms in addition to the main dining room—the
35-seat Bank Vault and the 80-seat jazz room downstairs
(which can be booked for private lunches). (31 Union
Square West, 212.675.9500)
BOATHOUSE IN CENTRAL PARK
This restaurant and event space is a tented, pavilionlike structure on the east side of Central Park’s lake. With beautiful
views of the park, the Boathouse offers the lake room, surrounded by French doors that open onto an English-style
garden for events. The 4,500-square-foot garden pavilion is
available year-round and seats 300 or holds 450 for a reception. (Fifth Ave. at 72nd St., 212.517.2233)
BOLO
Bobby Flay’s casual Spanish cooking outpost in the Flatiron
district has been a popular neighborhood choice for diners
since it opened in 1993. The atmosphere is relaxed in the
vibrantly colored 85-seat main dining room, which holds 110
for receptions. (23 East 22nd St., 212.228.2200)
NEW BOLZANO’S BAR CUCINA
Marc Packer’s new 10,000-square-foot Italian brasserie in the
theater district has a specialty bread station, an outdoor
patio, and chef Sam Hazen’s creative take on traditional
American favorites, like spaghetti-stuffed meatballs. The
space has a 20-seat bar, a 205-seat main dining room, a 110seat outdoor patio, and two private rooms (the smaller seats
18, the larger seats 50). (1515 Broadway, 212.302.2250)
BOMBAY PALACE
This Midtown Indian restaurant has spacious banquettes, a
crystal chandelier, and imported brass fixtures from India.
The banquet room features full audiovisual amenities and a
dance floor, and holds 150 guests for receptions. Above
Bombay Palace is K, a Kama Sutra-themed bar and lounge.
(30 West 52nd St., 212.541.777)
NEW BOMBAY TALKIE
Designed by Danish architect Thomas Juul-Hansen and
inspired by owner Sunitha Ramaiah’s native India, this restaurant features teak floors, birch furniture, exposed brick walls,
and canvas billboards of classic Indian films in its two floors
of space. The venue seats 60 and serves cuisine reminiscent
of Indian teahouses. (189 Ninth Ave., 212.242.1900)
NEW BOND 45
The Fireman Hospitality Group’s newest venture, Bond 45, is
an elegant space decorated in antique woods, marble, and
deep reddish brown leather accents. The venue takes its
name from the Bond clothing store that once occupied the
location. It features 1940’s artwork and original mosaics, and
to tie in the nostalgia, a large vintage Deco-style bar. The
restaurant seats 250. (154 West 45th St., 212.869.4545)
BOND STREET
Inspired by traditional Japanese decor, Bond Street offers
elegant surroundings in a low-lit space. Proven hipster hangout creator Jonathan Morr (APT) owns the trilevel sushi
lounge in a NoHo town house, which has an 85-seat main
dining room, a 100-seat lounge, and a second floor that
holds 120 for receptions. The private 40-seat Tatami Room
has a sunken table. (6 Bond St., 212.777.2500)
BOTTINO
With its tasty Italian fare and its pretty back terrace, Bottino
has been a Chelsea favorite since it opened in 1998.
Formerly a hardware store, the space retained the original
shelving and added modern furniture. Its enclosed east garden room seats 26. (246 10th Ave., 212.206.6766)
BOULEY
Marbled white walls gracefully arch over the main dining room,
and crimson pilasters flank the plush red couches that line the
walls at famed chef David Bouley’s eponymous eatery. For private dining, the 80-seat red room holds 125 for receptions, and
the 40-seat white room holds 75 for receptions. The entire
restaurant can host seated events for 120 guests or receptions
for 175. (120 West Broadway, 212.964.2525)
NEW BOULEY BAKERY & MARKET
Rapidly multiplying Whole Foods aren’t the only new markets in town. David Bouley’s much-anticipated trilevel bakery
and market finally opened in May. This new TriBeCa venue
has a food market on the lower level, a café (with sidewalk
seating) and bakery with a wood-burning oven on its main
floor, and a 30-seat dining room upstairs that serves as a
restaurant by night. (130 West Broadway, 212.608.5829)
BOUTERIN
Antoine Bouterin’s Midtown restaurant in the shadow of the
Queensboro Bridge offers a rustic countryside atmosphere in
a 100-seat dining room filled with antiques and fresh flowers.
The menu here is full of comforting Provençal dishes—some
of which are family recipes. The venue holds 150 for receptions, and a 100-seat tented garden is available in the summer. (420 East 59th St., 212.758.0323)
BRASSERIE
On the ground floor of the landmark Seagram Building,
Brasserie’s mod dining room is filled with layers of sleek wooden panels that curve along the walls and ceiling. White chairs
and tables fill the main dining room, and the chic, all-white side
room has sliding panels that can enclose the 60-seat space for
private dining. (100 East 53rd St., 212.751.4840)
BRASSERIE 8 1/2
Brasserie’s younger sibling offers a design that’s part modern
art museum and part restaurant. Works by Leger and Matisse
adorn the walls, and a dramatic central staircase—which
could double as a speaking stage—descends from the main
entrance. A private dining room seats 75 or holds 100 for a
reception. (9 West 57th St., 212.829.0812)
BRASSERIE JULIEN
An Upper East Side brasserie with decor inspired by Art
Deco Paris, Brasserie Julien is owned by Philippe Feret of
Allure Catering and named after his son. The restaurant has
a semiprivate space in the rear of the main dining room that
seats 45; the entire space seats 100 or holds 200 for a reception. (1422 Third Ave., 212.585.0808)
BRASSERIE 360
A bilevel Midtown brasserie and sushi bar from chefs Luc
Dendievel (Bayard’s) and Kazuo Yoshida (Jewel Bako) has
French doors, a zinc bar, and a red, beige, and yellow
palette. A sweeping curved staircase joins the restaurant’s
downstairs 100-seat brasserie to the upstairs 100-seat sushi
bar. (200 East 60th St., 212.688.8688)
BROTHER JIMMY’S
Lively and crowded with hungry sports fans and lovers of
Southern food, these three locations offer a full range of
grilled meat and belly-filling fare. The original Brother Jimmy’s
on Second Avenue holds 250 for receptions and offers a a 42seat Hog Room, a 20-seat café, and the wall space that seats
20. For receptions, the Third Avenue and Amsterdam Avenue
locations hold 200 and 180 respectively. (1485 Second Ave.,
212.288.0999; 1644 Third Ave., 212.426.2020; 428
Amsterdam Ave., 212.501.7515)
BRUNO JAMAIS RESTAURANT CLUB
Bruno Jamais offers a few options for those who want a
space just blocks from the Metropolitan Museum of Art: a
private dining room in the basement seats 20, or the entire
restaurant seats 90 or holds 150 for receptions. Tony Chi
designed the space, which has a large skylight, plush furniture, and a stone fireplace. (24 East 81st St., 212.396.3444)
BRYANT PARK GRILL
Behind the New York Public Library, this eatery is operated
by Ark Restaurant Group and offers an impressive setting in
one of the most beautiful parks in New York. The Bryant Park
Grill serves New American cuisine in an elegant dining room
featuring a mural painted with birds, and banquettes upholstered in leaf-print patterned fabric. The restaurant seats 200.
(25 West 40th St., 212.840.6500)
B. SMITH’S
Cooking show personality and former model Barbara Smith
runs this spacious, brightly colored venue serving
Southern-influenced global cuisine on Restaurant Row. The
elegant restaurant has a private 25-seat dining room and an
80-seat mezzanine, or the entire space seats 175. (320
West 46th St., 212.315.1100)
BULL & BEAR
This is the Waldorf-Astoria’s in-house steak house and pub.
Constantly filled with hotel guests and Midtown businessmen, the masculine-looking street-level space has a
mahogany bar and Edwardian-style decor. Its Captain’s
To search for venues by neighborhood,
go to BiZBash.com
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RESTAURANTS
B.R. GUEST.
Leave the hard stuff up to us...
Focus on the more important things, like enjoying yourself.
w w w. b r g u e s t r e s t a u r a n t s . c o m • w w w. j a m e s h o t e l s . c o m • w w w. t h e g y m . c o m
B.R. Guest Special Events
B.R. Guest is more than just a restaurant group – think of us
as a one-stop hospitality shop dedicated to serving all your
event planning needs. Looking to wow your client at a business meeting? We can help. Having an elegant black tie dinner
for 100 guests? We have spaces to accommodate your needs.
Family in town for the holidays? We will create a menu that
will dazzle.
Atlantic Grill can accommodate up to 60 guests in our semiprivate sushi room.
Blue Fin at the W Hotel has multiple spaces for parties up to
120 guests.
Blue Water Grill has a private bank vault for 18-35 guests and
spaces for smaller parties. Jazz up your event by booking our
Jazz Dining Room!
Blue Water Grill Chicago features a private dining room accommodating 30-90 guests and can accommodate 10-20 guests
on the main dining floor.
Dos Caminos is a fiesta! We have event spaces to accommodate up to 75 people.
Dos Caminos Soho brings south of the border favorites to
parties of 10-18 guests.
FiAMMA Osteria, a New York Times 3-star restaurant, features
a private dining room for up to 60 guests.
FiAMMA Trattoria Scottsdale at the JAMES Hotel offers the
“studio” for 20-40 guests. Additional party sizes may be accommodated upon request! For more information please call
702.891.7600.
Isabella’s can accommodate parties of 12-16 guests on the
main dining floor.
Ocean Grill has a picture perfect space – our semi-private
Photo Room holds parties of 28-50 guests! Or enjoy a table in
our main dining room with 10-26 guests.
Park Avalon features our brilliant candle alter table for 1522 guests. We can also accommodate larger parties of 35-65
guests.
Ruby Foo’s transports guests to the Far East. Have a lunch or
dinner party for 15-35 guests or book our private Asian Den for
20-80 guests.
Ruby Foo’s Times Square offers parties on the main dining
floor and our semi-private alcove.
Vento Trattoria, located in the Meatpacking District, is perfect
for any event of up to 120 guests.
Special Events Department
212.331.0328 • [email protected]
Contact us today for current capacities, pricing and menus.
Corner, with shelves of books and red walls, is often used
for private meetings or small events, and seats 30. The
entire restaurant seats 200. (301 Park Ave., 212.891.0204)
BULL RUN RESTAURANT AND CONFERENCE
CENTER
Yes, it’s a hangout for Wall Streeters, but it also boasts versatile conference space on the second floor, ideal for an
out-of-office lunch meeting. The 120-seat restaurant’s 12foot ceilings have arched wooden beams, and the conference space can be broken into four smaller rooms, or used
as one large room for a reception of 250 guests. (52
William St., 212.859.2200)
BUTTER
A giant illuminated photograph of a white birch forest is at
the rear of Butter’s 65-seat main dining room, which features a 20-foot-high arched ceiling and wooden furnishings. The walls and ceiling of the downstairs 50-seat birch
room are covered with rows of birch branches, while the
gallery lounge is a narrow space with high-backed red
leather banquettes. (415 Lafayette St., 212.253.2828)
CAFÉ BOULUD
Daniel Boulud’s no-tie-required 90-seat restaurant in the
Surrey Hotel is still posh, pairing white tablecloths with black
chairs in a warmly lit dining room with cream-colored walls.
Boulud’s menu is divided into four parts: traditional dishes,
seasonal specialties, vegetarian creations, and foods influenced by other cuisines. (20 East 76th St., 212.772.2600)
CAFÉ CENTRO
In the MetLife Building, Café Centro serves French and
Moroccan cuisine in a dining room decorated in polished
marble, brass, and glass, and high-backed banquettes. Its
sleek beer bar seats 100 or holds 150 for receptions, while
a private dining room seats 50 or holds 70 for receptions.
The entire space seats 250 or holds 500 for receptions.
(200 Park Ave., 212.818.1222)
CAFÉ DES ARTISTES
George and Jenifer Lang’s venerable café, just a few blocks
from Lincoln Center, is as well known for its rich history as for
its food and the nymph murals painted by Howard Chandler
Christy that cover the walls. The French eatery’s private
room, the parlor, seats 14. (1 West 67th St., 212.877.3500)
CAFÉ DEVILLE
Café Deville is a brasserie on the ground floor of the
building that once housed the Hotel Regina. It has more
than 3,000 square feet of function space, including sidewalk seating, and Le Bar Bleu, a basement lounge and
bar. Wooden tables, leather banquettes, and French
doors make up the decor in this simple, pretty venue.
(103 Third Ave., 212.477.4500)
CAFÉ FIORELLO
A consistently popular dining favorite for Lincoln Centergoers, Café Fiorello offers an attractive private room with
studded leather chairs, striped fabric banquettes, and Mark
Kostabi paintings on the walls. The room seats 40 or holds
50 for a reception; the entire restaurant seats 200 or holds
250 for receptions. (1900 Broadway, 212.595.5330)
NEW CAFÉ GRAY
Since its September 2004 opening, Gray Kunz’s high-end
café has established itself as a popular hotspot. Although
the interior design from the Rockwell Group has raised a
few eyebrows—placing the open kitchen in front of the
windows overlooking Central Park—the Asian-accented
French menu keeps the 120-seat dining room booked. A
private dining room seats 70 or holds 120 for receptions.
(10 Columbus Circle, 3rd Floor, 212.823.6338)
CAFÉ OPALINE
Caterer Great Performances operates Café Opaline inside
the Dahesh Museum of Art. The 70-seat café serves Middle
Eastern and Mediterranean fare in a space with onyx counters, bamboo floors, rich orange-red walls, and an illuminated
frosted-glass bar. Coveted seats here are those that look out
the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Madison Avenue.
(580 Madison Ave., 212.521.8155)
CAFÉ ST. BARTS
Operated by catering company Sage Events, this is a grand
terrace café at St. Bartholomew’s Church. The third-floor
clubrooms seat 100 or hold 125 for receptions; and the
first-floor great hall, equipped with a stage, seats 175, or
holds 225 for a reception. Two outdoor spaces are available. (109 East 50th St., 212.888.2664)
NEW CAFÉ 202
Food and fashion come together again with Nicole Farhi’s
Manhattan location in the Chelsea Market—the original
Café 202 is in London’s Notting Hill neighborhood. The
venue occupies 4,575 square feet in the market and has
a 3,000-square-foot basement. Supervising the menu,
which includes English-style tea, is chef Annie Wayte. (75
Ninth Ave., 646.638.0115)
CALLE OCHO
A masterful mix of color and texture, Calle Ocho’s impressive dining room features a graceful, white wood ceiling
with an eye-grabbing rear wall made of copper. A semiprivate dining room seats 16 or holds 30 for receptions, and
the main dining room seats 150. The entire restaurant holds
400 for receptions. (446 Columbus Ave., 212.873.5025)
CANAPA
A pretty, soothing setting can be found at this East Village
Italian restaurant owned by Antonio Bellomo, who also
owns Petrosino. Canapa serves tapas, pizza, and pasta.
Canapa, which means hemp in Italian, has a raw natural
look, and the main dining room seats 60. (245 East
Houston St., 212.673.5351)
CAPITAL GRILLE
The Manhattan outpost of this nationwide steak house chain
is inside the Philip Johnson-designed Trylon Towers. Private
dining options include the 40-seat Chrysler Room with a DSL
connection, the 28-seat wine vault, the semiprivate, 100-seat
Trylon Room, and the 10-seat chef’s table with a view of the
open kitchen. The entire restaurant seats 250 or holds 300 for
receptions. (155 East 42nd St., 212.953.2000)
CARMINE’S
Serving Southern Italian fare, both Carmine’s locations are
comfortable spots suitable for guests with large appetites.
The original Carmine’s on the Upper West Side has an early
20th-century-inspired interior and a private dining room
that seats 40. The theater district location offers a secondfloor event space for 150 guests. (200 West 44th St.,
212.221.3800; 2450 Broadway, 212.362.2200)
CASA LA FEMME NORTH
This uptown reincarnation of the owners’ former SoHo
venue serves northern Egyptian cuisine in an exotic setting, which includes private tented tables, hanging
lanterns, hookahs, and quiet booths with plush floor
seats. The dining room seats 85, and the bar seats 10.
(1076 First Ave., 212.223.2322)
CASA MONO
Part of Mario Batali’s restaurant empire, Casa Mono offers
tapas from executive chef Andy Nusser and Spanish wines
in a 24-seat dining room near Gramercy Park. Here diners sit
at two large communal tables and, like Batali’s other restaurants, it’s a festive spot perennially packed with customers.
(52 Irving Place, 212.253.2773)
CASCINA RISTORANTE
Rose-colored walls, wood-beamed ceilings, and a brick
oven are found at this traditional Italian restaurant in Hell’s
Kitchen. The two-story space seats 175 or holds 250 for
receptions. The communal farmhouse tables and equally
rustic house wines, imported from the owner’s Northern
Italian vineyard, make this trattoria feel more like a Tuscan
countryside eatery than a Hell’s Kitchen storefront. (647
Ninth Ave., 212.245.4422)
NEW CAVIAR & BANANA
In December 2004 Jeffrey Chodorow’s French-influenced,
Brazilian-themed brasserie replaced chef Rocco DiSpirito’s
failed reality TV restaurant Rocco’s on 22nd Street. Named
for its signature amuse-bouche of tapioca caviar and plantain chips, the restaurant seats 40 or holds 120 for receptions, and features novel dishes concocted by executive
chef Claude Troigros and chef de cuisine Bobby Varua.
Rogerio Ribis and Monica Reis designed the restaurant’s
festive decor. (12 East 22nd St., 212.353.0500)
CAVIAR RUSSE
Owned by Caspian Pearl, the largest caviar importer in the
United States, Caviar Russe is an elegant restaurant that
serves expensive roe in luxurious parlors decorated with
ornate moldings, pale blue ceilings, and murals depicting
Russian fairy tales. The venue offers a 25-seat private room.
(538 Madison Ave., 212.980.5908)
CENTOLIRE
Part of the Pino Luongo empire, Centolire’s main and private dining rooms are located on the second floor overlooking Madison Avenue. Decorated with bright yellow tablecloths and pastel-striped banquettes, the dining room seats
40 or holds 60 for receptions. A private room seats 20 or
holds 30 for receptions. (1167 Madison Ave., 212.734.7711)
NEW CENTRICO
In June, Drew Nieporent replaced the belly dancers and
Moroccan atmosphere at his Middle Eastern restaurant
Layla with this Mexican eatery. Centrico serves Americaninfluenced Mexican cuisine from chef Aarón Sanchez in the
Pulice-Williams-designed space. The 90-seat dining room
has 15-foot ceilings and wall-to-wall windows, and is decorated with warm colors, bamboo columns, and a hammered zinc bar. (211 West Broadway, 212.431.0700)
‘CESCA
Named after the daughter of one of the restaurant’s partners, Francesca, ‘Cesca offers Tom Valenti’s regional Italian
fare on the Upper West Side. The warm, comfortable interior has dark wood-paneled walls, wrought-iron lamps and
chandeliers, a granite-topped bar, and chocolate-colored
velvet booths. A private dining room seats 20. (164 West
75th St., 212.787.6300)
CHANTERELLE
Owned by husband and wife David and Karen Waltuck,
Chanterelle opened in 1979 and is still a favorite TriBeCa
haunt. The dining room is simple, with delicate chandeliers,
multitiered moldings, and dark wood pilasters that tower
along the walls. Artwork is displayed on the menus, not the
walls, and includes a variety of work from photographers, writers, artists, and musicians. The room is spacious and seats 85,
or holds 150 for receptions. (2 Harrison St., 212.966.6960)
OPENING SOON CHARLIE TROTTER
RESTAURANT
Joining other marquee restaurants in the Time Warner
Center is an informal eatery from Chicago’s famous Charlie
Trotter. Scheduled to open in late 2005, the yet-unnamed
seafood spot, designed by Michael Graves, will have a
main dining room, a bar and lounge, and a raw bar. (10
Columbus Circle; for more information call the Susan
Magrino Agency, 212.957.3005).
NEW CHEF & COMPANY CAFÉ
When Chef & Company owner Jason Apfelbaum updated
the look of his catering company’s bustling café space—
where he also serves lunch to a Flatiron district business
crowd—he added a modern-looking tasting room available for small events. The intimate space, typically used for
tastings for the firm’s corporate clients, seats eight at a
large chrome dining table. (8 West 18th St., 646.336.1980)
CHELSEA BISTRO & BAR
The 75-seat main dining room of this cozy French bistro is
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PHOTO: ULI WAGNER
Falai
accented with mahogany detailing, billowy velvet drapes,
impressionist paintings, and a working fireplace. The quiet,
comfortable space is most suitable for smaller groups, and
the 30-seat garden terrace designed to look like a French
café opens in the summer. (358 West 23rd St., 212.727.2026)
NEW CHEMIST CLUB
Replacing Nyla as the Dylan Hotel’s in-house restaurant and
bar, this venue from John Hawkins opened in August with a
10-foot-wide fireplace and two floors of space. The Chemist
Club serves New American fare from chef John Kaunas, seats
75 in the dining room and 40 in the upstairs lounge, and features glass beakers and tubes filled with colorful liquids—
indicating the venue’s original purpose as a lecture hall for
scientific presentations. (52 East 41st St., 212.297.9177)
CHINA GRILL
With Asian-inspired cuisine, China Grill is part of Jeffrey
Chodorow’s restaurant empire. Thirty-foot ceilings, marble
mosaics on the limestone floor, and granite walls characterize
the 35-seat dining room of this Midtown spot. The entire
space, including the bar and lounge, seats 300 or holds 600
for receptions. (60 West 53rd St., 212.333.7788)
CHURRASCARIA PLATAFORMA
Named for the tradition of cooking meat over a wood-burning
fire, Churrascaria Plataforma’s two restaurants serve large
groups with big appetites. The original Brazilian rotisserie in
the theater district seats 300, and its downtown outpost seats
180. Both venues are simply decorated, with tiled floors, tall
columns, and high ceilings. (316 West 49th St., 212.245.0505;
221 West Broadway, 212.925.6969)
CITÉ GRILL
Earlier this year, executive chef Kersten Eggers revamped
this theater district eatery’s menu, and the interior was renovated by the same firm that created the space, Arnold Syrop
Associates. The 200-seat dining room features 1930’s-style
chandeliers, cement tiles from France, and a gold, slate, and
ochre color scheme. (120 West 51st St., 212.956.7100)
CITRUS BAR & GRILL
Latin bar and grill Citrus serves Southwestern fare in a bright,
colorful restaurant on the Upper West Side with a list of more
than 100 tequilas. The private room seats 75 or holds 150 for
receptions. The entire restaurant holds 350 for receptions.
(320 Amsterdam Ave., 212.595.0500)
CITY HALL
Located in a landmark cast-iron building in TriBeCa from
1863, City Hall is a seafood and steak house that offers two
private rooms. The restaurant offers hearty American fare in
a stark setting in its 100-seat granite room, which holds 200
for a reception. The 30-seat rose room has exposed brick
and rose-colored walls, and holds 45 for receptions. (131
Duane St., 212.227.7777)
COCO PAZZO
Another of Pino Luongo’s restaurants, this Upper East Sider
serves Tuscan fare from chef Mark Strausman. Decorated with
hand-painted murals, pastels, and lavish floral arrangements,
the airy dining room seats 135. The private dining alcove seats
19 or holds 30 for a reception. (23 East 74th St., 212.681.7701)
COMPASS
The Upper West Side’s Compass serves French-influenced
American cuisine from chef Neil Annis, formerly of
Lespinasse, in a 30-seat dining room with a glass-topped bar.
The venue also has a 16-seat wine cellar and a glassenclosed 20-seat private room with views of the kitchen. (208
West 70th St., 212.875.8600)
COUNTER
This East Village vegan restaurant and wine bar specializes in
dishes with organic and sustainable ingredients. The flavor-
ful, soul food-inspired dishes are served in a relaxed candlelit
setting, with dark wood and comfy leather chairs. While there
is no private room, you can rent the whole space for a special event. (105 First Ave., 212.982.5870)
OPENING SOON COUNTRY
From Town chef Geoffrey Zakarian, Country will be housed in
the newly restored Carlton Hotel. The large bilevel venue—
designed by David Rockwell—will restore the space’s original
look, including a mosaic floor and a Tiffany glass dome in the
main dining room. Plans also include nine private rooms and
a casual, street-level café. Country is scheduled to open at
the end of September. (22 East 29th St., for more information, call Bullfrog & Baum, 212.255.6717)
CRAFT/CRAFTBAR
Tom Colicchio’s 85-seat restaurant Craft, known for its createyour-own-meal menu, has wide wooden tables, a built-in
wine rack, and a curved wall of leather-covered panels. In
April the more casual Craftbar moved around the corner to
a larger, 120-seat space—replacing Morrells restaurant—and
its former space became Craft’s 40-seat private dining room.
(Craft: 43 East 19th St., 212.780.0666 ext. 34; Craftbar: 900
Broadway, 212.461.4300)
CROTON RESERVOIR TAVERN
This two-story restaurant and tavern has a 50-foot oak bar,
exposed brick walls, stained glass accents, wrought-iron
railings, and leather chairs. Featuring a 150-square-foot
hand-painted mural of the Croton Reservoir, the entire
space seats 160 or holds 350 for receptions. The lower
level has a brick bar and holds 125 for receptions. (108
West 40th St., 212.997.6835)
NEW DA GIACOMO
The first New York outpost of the renowned Milanese restaurant is located in an Upper East Side town house. Seafood and
pasta dishes are on the menu from chef Marco Monti in this elegant bilevel venue, featuring celadon walls, aquatic-themed art,
and Murano chandeliers. Several small dining rooms are available for private events. (156 East 64th St., 212.308.1300)
DANIEL
The flagship of chef Daniel Boulud’s restaurant empire is
inside the Mayfair Hotel and serves contemporary French cuisine. Shoot for a corner table in the 140-seat dining room or
take over their private rooms, which have a clubby feel (like
the exclusive skybox—a glass-enclosed dining salon above
the kitchen, where four diners can watch the action below
while partaking of an eight-course tasting menu). Since 1998
Daniel has been synonymous with French excellence, and
you can still expect to see Boulud himself, barking orders and
kissing guests. (60 East 65th St., 212.288.0033)
DANUBE
David Bouley’s famed Danube offers a sumptuous, elegant
dining environment without being too over-the-top. In the
70-seat main dining room, golden lamps line the walls next
to dark wooden columns, and plush drapes cloak the tall
windows that face the street. The private wine room seats 28
or holds 30 for receptions. (30 Hudson St., 212.791.3771)
DA SILVANO
A popular spot for the media and fashion crowd, Silvano
Marchetto’s Tuscan restaurant in Greenwich Village opened
in 1975, and has a smaller dining area next door (Da Silvano
Cantinetta) and sidewalk seating under a bright yellow
awning. The entire space or parts of it can be used for private events. (260 Ave. of the Americas, 212.982.2343)
DAVID BURKE & DONATELLA
The restaurant partnership between chef David Burke and
restaurateur Donatella Arpaia has an imaginative dining
room. Designed by Matthew Sudock of M Design, the 90-
seat space features geometric patterns with a predominantly red, white, and brown color scheme. A 25-seat mezzanine
is also available, and for receptions the front lounge accommodates 200. (133 East 61st St., 212.813.2121)
DB BISTRO MODERNE
Chef Daniel Boulud’s take on bistro fare offers diners a
sexy setting with eye-catching crimson, flame-shaped
flowers on the west walls of the 50-seat front room, and a
calmer pistachio-colored room in the rear that seats 54. A
semiprivate area in the rear seats 12 guests. (55 West 44th
St., 212.391.2400)
DEL FRISCO’S DOUBLE EAGLE STEAKHOUSE
This formidable 16,000-square-foot, 480-seat, three-story
space has dark wood touches, stone surfaces, and a view of
Midtown. Private dining options are plentiful: the semiprivate
Newsroom seats 30, the private lounge behind the
Newsroom can seat 40, the Diamond Room (ideal for meetings and small private functions) seats 22, and the wine cellar (with its own private bar) seats 75. (1221 Ave. of the
Americas, 212.575.5129)
NEW DELLE ROVERE
Owners Frank LaRuffa and his son, Frank Jr. (descendants of
the Italian Della Rovere clan), opened this restaurant in
February with a modern regional Italian menu created by
Jason Kellert, Tim Kemp, and Jennifer Prizzi. The entire
space seats 170 (including outdoor seating) and is furnished
with rosewood furniture, stained-glass windows, and a stone
waterfall. (250 West Broadway, 212.334.3470)
DELMONICO’S
Dining at Delmonico’s is a history lesson in itself. The Wall
Street steak house has moved around Manhattan—it suffered
a few fires and a shutdown during Prohibition—since its
inception in 1827. The current space in a Beaux-Arts-style triangular building offers three private rooms with classic steak
house decor; the entire restaurant holds 400 for receptions.
(56 Beaver St., 212.509.1144)
NEW DIABLO ROYALE
Former Chanterelle chef Keith Harry devised the casual menu
for this Mexican restaurant. Opened in July and owned by Bob
Giraldi and Jason Hennings, the space features murals of vintage tequila labels painted onto the exposed brick walls, rusted steel and wooden tables from Desiron, and a quilted-stainless-steel taco bar overlooking the kitchen. The outdoor space
seats 18. (189 West 10th St., 212.620.0223)
DISTRICT
This in-house restaurant at the Muse Hotel in Times Square
serves contemporary American fare from Rob Curran.
Designed by David Rockwell, the 85-seat Broadway-theaterthemed dining room features muted beige and wood decor
with accents like proscenium arches and spotlights. A private
dining room seats 80 or holds 150 for receptions. (130 West
46th St., 212.485.2999)
DIWAN
Diwan offers regional Indian cuisine in an elegant setting,
with rich dark wooden furnishings and delicate Indian wood
carvings set inside the walls. The front lounge is a modern,
sleek space with cushy low chairs, cube seating, and low
tables. A private room seats 40 or holds 55 for receptions.
The entire space seats 125 or holds 160 for receptions. (148
East 48th St., 212.593.5425)
DJANGO
This David Rockwell-designed space is elegant, airy, and spacious. Decorated with comfortable couches upholstered in
pretty fabrics and curtains of glass beads along the walls,
Django serves Middle Eastern Mediterranean cuisine. For
receptions the lounge holds 125, the private room holds 80,
or the entire restaurant holds 600. Sheer fabric gathered at
the ceiling surrounds the Gypsy Tent—a 10-seat secondfloor space. (480 Lexington Ave., 212.871.6600)
DOMINIC RESTAURANT
Italian-American fare is served in John Villa’s pretty space
with exposed brick walls, blue and yellow high-backed banquettes, and soft lighting. The private wine cellar seats 12,
the semiprivate café seats 30, and the 50-seat dining room
holds 75 for receptions. (349 Greenwich St., 212.343.0700)
NEW DON’S BOGAM BBQ & WINE BAR
This Little Korea establishment has dark wood and a stark,
minimalist look—a pattern of repeating squares dominates
the space in a nod to a classic “turtle ship,” or Korean battleship. An entire section of the restaurant features grilling
tables, with each one seating four to six people. This area
can seat 75 and has walls ornamented with subtle blue
mosaics. Guests sit Korean-style: Low to the floor with their
shoes removed. (17 East 32nd St., 212.683.2200)
DOS CAMINOS
A B. R. Guest restaurant, the original Dos Caminos is upholstered with rich, autumnal tones and warmly lit with light fixtures fashioned out of hollowed-out logs. The kitchen turns
out modern Mexican fare, and waiters prepare guacamole
tableside in the 275-seat dining room. The 110-seat SoHo
branch has an 80-seat outdoor café. (373 Park Ave. South,
212.294.1000; 475 West Broadway, 212.277.4300)
DOWNTOWN CIPRIANI
This is the less formal version of the Upper East Side’s Harry
Cipriani restaurant. The SoHo restaurant offers pricey Italian
fare in ornate surroundings with high ceilings, glittering chandeliers, and walls ornamented with modern art. The chic main
dining room seats 100. (376 West Broadway, 212.343.8999)
DR-K
DR-K offers Dominican soul food without the typical bright,
flashy decor. The dining room has a soothing palette of purple
and silver. Upstairs is the 190-seat champagne lounge, with a
DJ booth, glass-topped cocktail tables, banks of television
monitors, and a curtained private area. (114 Dyckman St.,
212.304.1717)
NEW DUVET
Opened in December, this restaurant and lounge owned by
Sabina Belkin was designed by Andres Escobar. Furnished with
large beds, the venue features an eight-foot-tall jellyfish tank
beside a 90-foot, 35-seat wraparound bar designed to resemble melting ice. The bilevel space holds 500 upstairs and 200
downstairs for receptions. (45 West 21st St., 212.989.2121)
DYLAN PRIME
As sleek and elegant as a steak house can get, Dylan Prime fills
a former TriBeCa warehouse with a modern atmosphere and
upscale cuisine. A semiprivate dining room seats 25, the
lounge can be closed off to seat 50 or hold 125 for receptions,
or the entire space can seat 200. (62 Laight St., 212.334.4783)
ELAINE’S RESTAURANT
Elaine Kaufman’s Upper East Side Italian-American restaurant, which opened in 1963, is a New York institution known
more for its patrons—a who’s who of media and literary
types—than its food. The restaurant even spawned a book
published in 2004, Everyone Comes to Elaine’s. The private
room seats 60. (1703 Second Ave., 212.534.8114)
ELEVEN MADISON PARK
Danny Meyer’s seven-year-old restaurant has supple black
banquettes, Art Deco touches, and soaring ceilings. But the
most impressive part of the decor is the park view: From twostory windows, the lush greenery of the park (in green
months, that is) is a charming, cheerful vista. Two private
rooms (one seating 22, the other seating 32) can be used
separately or combined, and look out onto the main dining
room, which seats 170 or holds 400 for receptions. (11
Madison Ave., 212.889.0905)
ELMO
In Chelsea, Elmo’s modern interior is filled with striped banquettes and simple mosaics. The venue has two floors of event
space: the first-floor restaurant offers New American fare; and
the basement lounge with Miami nightclub-inspired decor
holds 300 for a reception. (156 Seventh Ave., 212.337.8000)
EL RIO GRANDE
Part of Ark Restaurants, this Midtown Tex-Mex restaurant
separates its food into two rooms—one for Texas, the other
for Mexico. Each seats 75 or holds 150 for a reception. The
space is decorated in traditional Southwestern style, and features an outdoor patio. (160 East 38th St., 212.867.0922)
NEW EMPLOYEES ONLY
Opened in January, this restaurant and bar inspired by
speakeasies is owned by a collective of drinking and dining
veterans including Bill Gilroy of the Match restaurants, and
Jason Kosmas and Dushan Zaric of Brooklyn bartending
school Cocktail Conceptions. The venue has two rooms
available for events; the entire space seats 100. (510
Hudson St., 212.242.3021)
NEW ENGLISH IS ITALIAN
The latest restaurant from China Grill Management replaces
Tuscan and features a menu from chef Todd English, who
usually specializes in Mediterranean cuisine. The 4,500square-foot space, which opened in February, seats 160 and
has been revamped with large canopies, new window banquettes, and a wine tower against the main bar. The basement space has been transformed into a wine cellar and private dining room that seats 80 and showcases the wine collection. (622 Third Ave., 212.404.1700)
NEW EN JAPANESE BRASSERIE
Serving Japanese home-style cooking, EN has interiors with
custom-designed furniture imported from Japan, rich woods,
and antique carved panels, as well as high ceilings and large
windows. The main dining room seats 90, and there are five
private dining spaces. (435 Hudson St., 212.647.9196)
ESCA
Esca’s pale yellow and grayish-blue walls detailed with sparkling
blue tiles give the restaurant a sunny, Mediterranean feel to
match chef David Pasternack’s southern Italian seafood menu.
The main dining room seats 65, and a small outdoor patio seats
25 additional guests. (402 West 43rd St., 212.564.7272)
ESSEX
This 150-seat restaurant with whitewashed brick walls, skylights, and black tables and chairs combines Jewish and Latin
cuisines to create a quirky menu. The restaurant has three
spaces, including a semiprivate balcony that holds 40 for
receptions, a second balcony that holds 60 for receptions,
and the main floor, which holds 125 for receptions. (120
Essex St., 212.533.9616)
ESTIATORIO MILOS
Since 1997, Greek seafood fare has been served in this soothing, cavernous Midtown outpost of the Montreal restaurant of
the same name. In the main dining room, gauzy white curtains
billow from the high ceilings, weighed down by huge cloves of
garlic. The mezzanine’s private room seats 10 or holds 24 for
receptions. (125 West 55th St., 212.245.7400)
NEW ETCETERA ETCETERA
Owners Daniele Kucera, Franco Lazzari, and chef Stefano
Terzi of Vice Versa opened this Mediterranean restaurant in
Times Square in December. The venue (by Vice Versa
designer Franco Rosignolo) has a first-floor dining room
that holds 60 and a second-floor party room that can seat
100 or hold 200 for receptions. (352 West 44th St.,
212.399.4141)
OPENING SOON EUROPEAN UNION
Billing itself as part pub, part trattoria, and part café, the new
AvroKO-designed East Village spot from Bob Giraldi and
Jason Hennings (who also owns Diablo Royale) will be a 2,000square-foot, 97-seat space inspired by London “gastropubs.”
Chef Anne Burrell will oversee a European fusion menu.
European Union is scheduled to open in October. (235 East
4th St., 212.254.2900)
NEW FALAI
Chef and owner Iacopo Falai (Bread Tribeca, Le Cirque) serves
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RESTAURANTS
FIREBIRD
With the ambience of an opulent pre-Revolutionary Russian
home, FireBird’s two-story town house is decorated with
antique furniture, a marble-topped bar, vintage costumes,
and 19th-century photographs. The 230-seat restaurant has
four ornate dining rooms—two downstairs and two upstairs—
and a 20-seat space with a beautiful oval dining table that can
be used for private dining. (365 West 46th St., 212.586.0244)
540 PARK
When the room isn’t transformed into Feinstein’s at the
Regency for famed crooner Michael Feinstein’s cabaret act
(among others), the Regency Hotel’s in-house restaurant 540
Park is the site of power breakfasts. The dining space seats
100 or holds 150 for cocktails. The less formal library has
shelves of books, comfortable couches, and checkerboards
carved into tabletops. (540 Park Ave., 212.339.4050)
FIVE FRONT
Brooklyn’s Five Front offers New American fare in a lovely
spot beneath the Brooklyn Bridge. The main dining room
seats 45, the bar seats 24, and an intimate room off the 45seat garden space seats 17. The entire indoor space seats
65. (5 Front St., Brooklyn, 718.625.5559)
5 NINTH
Although 5 Ninth is just down the street from such meatpacking district standouts as Pastis and Spice Market, its
discrete wooden door and relatively small size set it apart.
Chef Zakary Pelaccio serves Asian-inspired cuisine with an
emphasis on pork. The venue is a restored trilevel brownstone with a 52-seat second-floor dining room, a 16-seat
bar, a garden, and a reservations-only 40-seat private
lounge. (5 Ninth Ave., 212.929.9460)
FIVES
The elegant in-house restaurant of the Peninsula New York
hotel serves seasonal “Atlantic rim” cuisine—creative
American seafood fare—from chef Gordon Maybury. The look
may be sophisticated, but the atmosphere in Fives’ 70-seat
main dining room is casual. Catered events in the other hotel
spaces enjoy the same cuisine. (700 Fifth Ave., 212.903.3072)
FOLEY’S FISH HOUSE
You can’t beat the view at Foley’s: on the fourth floor of the
Renaissance Hotel in one of the wedge-shaped blocks in
Times Square, Foley’s restaurant has three sides looking out
to the bustle outside. Serving fresh fish from Boston retailer
Foley’s Fish, the restaurant seats 100 or holds 125 for receptions. (714 Seventh Ave., 212.261.5200)
FOUR SEASONS RESTAURANT
Alex von Bidder and Julian Niccolini preside over this classic
entertaining spot, with its two main dining rooms—the Pool
Room and the Grill Room—and three smaller private dining
rooms. Of the private rooms, the Pool Room Terrace seats
100 using the restaurant’s chairs or 120 with rented chairs.
The Frank Stella Room holds 32 for receptions, and has four
Lichtenstein lithographs. The James Beard Room holds 14
for receptions and opens to the Frank Stella Room through
sliding doors. (99 East 52nd St., 212.754.9494)
14 WALL STREET
In J. P. Morgan’s former residence, 14 Wall offers five dining
rooms decorated with cream-colored walls and plush purple
and red seating. The largest, the Street Room, seats 94, and
the smallest room—Morgan’s former breakfast room—seats
16. With views of the Statue of Liberty and the Verrazano
Bridge, the entire space seats 150 or holds 250 for receptions. (14 Wall St., 31st Floor, 212.233.2780)
FRANKIE & JOHNNIE’S
A speakeasy when it opened in 1926, the original Frankie &
Johnnie’s is a family-owned steak house and seafood restaurant with seating for 66. A small semiprivate room seats 24.
The 37th Street location—originally John Drew Barrymore’s
town house—seats 170 and offers the Barrymore Room for
private events. (269 West 45th St., 212.997.9494; 32 West
37th St., 212.947.8940)
FRAUNCES TAVERN
Established as an inn by Samuel Fraunces in 1762, this
venue is now a small museum of American history, with five
dining rooms serving New American cuisine. The informal
tavern has wood paneling, Revolutionary muskets, an original mural depicting the Battle of Brooklyn, and a flatscreen TV. Other dining areas include the 110-seat Bissell
Room, the 68-seat Nichols Rooms, and the 26-seat
Washington Room. (54 Pearl St., 212.968.1776)
NEW FREDERICK’S MADISON RESTAURANT
Frederick and Laurent Lesort’s newest venture is this 65-seat
Upper East Side Mediterranean bistro in the former Café
Nosidam space. Vincent Chirico, the original Frederick’s chef,
oversees the menu. Opened in May, the restaurant features
sleek decor, including red banquettes and elegant light fixtures. (768 Madison Ave., 212.737.7300)
FRED’S AT BARNEYS NEW YORK
Fred’s offers Italian-American cuisine on the ninth floor of
Barneys. More impressive than the usual department store
cafeteria, this 175-seat restaurant caters to chic shoppers, especially at brunch on Sundays. A private dining room seats 45 or
holds 50 for receptions, or the entire restaurant holds 350 for
receptions or seats 225. (660 Madison Ave., 212.833.2200)
NEW FREEMAN’S
Freeman’s may be hidden away in a narrow alley off
PHOTO: DAVID LINDO
Roberto Passon
his native Italian cuisine in this Lower East Side restaurant he
opened in February, where everything from the pasta to the
chocolate is fatto in casa (made in-house). Designed by Uli
Wagner, the 40-seat space is sleek and white, and has a 20seat patio with vintage furniture. (68 Clinton St., 212.253.1960)
FELIDIA
In a converted Midtown brownstone, Lidia Bastianich’s
Italian restaurant features parquet floors, rich mahoganypaneled walls, and etched glass windows. The second floor
has two private dining areas: the window room seats 16,
and another room seats 24—combined, the rooms seat 40.
(243 East 58th St., 212.758.1479)
FIAMMA OSTERIA
It’s not everywhere you can get three-star Italian food
catered for a meeting in a SoHo town house. Fiamma’s
third-floor 75-seat private event space offers high-speed
Internet access, a plasma screen, private restrooms, and its
own kitchen. The sleek venue features a glass elevator, a
muted red and brown color scheme, and circular light fixtures. (206 Spring St., 212.653.0100)
FIFTY SEVEN FIFTY SEVEN
The in-house restaurant of the Four Seasons Hotel, Fifty Seven
Fifty Seven serves creative American cuisine in a dining room
that’s both elegant and modern. The I. M. Pei-designed, 77seat dining room features a breathtaking 22-foot coffered ceiling and bronze chandeliers. (57 East 57th St., 212.758.5757)
NEW 58
In the space once occupied by Au Bar is this restaurant and
lounge owned by Stratis Morfogen (owner of Sessa) and
Howard Stein (creator of Au Bar) that opened in December. The
Midtown venue’s 7,000 square feet holds 650 for receptions or
seats 150, and has neoclassical African decor that includes an
oak staircase, billowing canopies in earthy oranges and reds,
leather banquettes, and original black-and-white African safari
photos by Wayne Maser. (41 East 58th St., 212.308.9455)
NEW FILIP’S
Joshua Smookler, former wine director of Bouley, opened this
French-American restaurant in the Flatiron district in May. The
small 40-seat space is 600 square feet and can hold 60 for
receptions, and there’s also a 16-seat outdoor café. The
venue’s warm decor includes mustard- and burgundy-colored
walls and floors decorated with light-colored ceramic tiles.
(202 Seventh Ave., 212.242.4787)
F. ILLI PONTE
Steps from the Hudson River, F. Illi Ponte provides Italian fare
in a rustic room with exposed brick arches, a colorful tiled
floor, and brocade-covered chairs. The setting is cozy and
romantic—especially when the sun sets. The private rooms
upstairs have 16-foot windows looking out onto the river. (39
Desbrosses St., 212.226.4621)
9/6/05
Rivington, but since its October 2004 opening, this 50-seat
bar and restaurant has been bustling with hipsters, artists,
and actors. The popular joint serves traditional American cuisine and, despite its down-low profile, is usually filled with
customers. (End of Freeman Alley, 212.420.0012)
GABRIEL’S
Popular among theatergoers and Upper West Siders,
Gabriel’s serves flavorful Tuscan food in a casual dining room
and offers a 36-seat private room with sunny yellow walls.
Owner Gabriel Aiello is usually around to meet and greet
diners. (11 West 60th St., 212.956.4600)
GALLAGHER’S STEAK HOUSE
Originally opened in 1927, Gallagher’s prominent glassenclosed meat locker sits at the front of the restaurant in
full view of passersby. As a result of its location (near the
Neil Simon and Virginia theaters), this Midtown steak
house is a popular spot for stage actors and theatergoers.
The venue offers its 150-seat trophy room for events. (228
West 52nd St., 212.957.2884)
GARAGE RESTAURANT AND CAFÉ
This Greenwich Village restaurant serving casual American
cuisine opened in 1995 and took its name from the building’s
original business—an automobile garage. Garage has live
jazz music, inlaid wood floors, a two-story stone fireplace,
and a semiprivate balcony with seating for 35. (99 Seventh
Ave. South, 212.645.0600)
NEW GARI
Chef Masatoshi Sugio, of popular Japanese restaurants Gari
and Sushi of Gari, opened another in January, this time on
the Upper West Side. The 64-seat, 1,500-square-foot Tony
Chi-designed space opposite the American Museum of
Natural History is airy and open. At the sushi bar diners watch
as chefs prepare dishes from executive chef and partner
Mike Lim’s fusion menu. (370 Columbus Ave., 212.362.4816)
GEISHA
David Rockwell designed the geisha-inspired dining room of
this Japanese fusion restaurant; Le Bernardin’s Eric Ripert
consulted on the menu. The 100-seat main dining room is
not available for private events, but a second-level private
room seats 20. A second room for private receptions opened
earlier this year; it holds 40. (33 East 61st St., 212.813.1112)
GIANDO ON THE WATER
On Brooklyn’s waterfront just south of the Williamsburg
Bridge, Giando on the Water serves seafood and Italian cuisine, and offers views of Manhattan and the East River. Its
banquet space can seat 300 guests when combined with the
patio and terrace. (412 Kent Ave., Brooklyn, 718.387.7000)
GIOVANNI RISTORANTE
Owned by Giovanni Francescotti and serving Northern
Italian fare from chef Giovanni Pinato, this Midtown restau-
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Page 163
rant has a 185-seat main dining room featuring handmade
Venetian mirrors and a marble and mahogany bar. Two private rooms are available: the 35-seat club room, and the 70seat card room decorated with artwork inspired by playing
cards. (47 West 55th St., 212.262.2828)
GOTHAM BAR AND GRILL
Winner of the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding
Restaurant award in 2002, Gotham Bar & Grill is a standby for
business luncheons and a reliable restaurant for entertaining
clients. The space is clean and modern, with an open, highceilinged dining room and white-swathed light fixtures. The
entire restaurant seats 150 or holds 200 for receptions. (12
East 12th St., 212.620.4020)
GRAMERCY TAVERN
Owner Danny Meyer certainly knows something about
seamless, hassle-free service. 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. The slightly uncomfortable seats make you sit up and pay attention to the creative
food. For dinner the 140-seat dining room feels important,
and a private room for 22 has dark wooden vaulted ceilings
and antiques. (42 East 20th St., 212.477.0777)
GRAND CENTRAL OYSTER BAR
In the cavernous lower level of Grand Central Terminal, the
Oyster Bar first opened in 1913; after a fire in 1997, it was
restored to its original glory with a raw bar and magnificent
arched white-tiled ceilings. The classic New York eatery offers
a 65-seat semiprivate dining room for events. (Grand Central
Terminal, lower level, 212.490.6650)
GRILL ROOM
On the second floor of the World Financial Center, the Grill
Room offers New American cuisine and views of New York
Harbor. There are three private rooms: one seats 50; another seats 100; and the third has a lounge that holds 30 for
receptions. (225 Liberty St., 212.945.9400)
GROTTA AZZURRA
Traditional Italian dishes are served in this Little Italy establishment named for Capri’s underground cavern the Blue
Grotto. The restaurant originally opened in 1908 and attracted the likes of Frank Sinatra, but was renovated in the 1990’s
and reopened in 2003. The wine cellar has a private entrance
on Broome Street and seats 60 or holds 85 for a reception.
(177 Mulberry St., 212.925.8775)
NEW GUSTO RISTORANTE E BAR AMERICANO
Jody Williams and Sasha Muniak’s new West Village restaurant and bar, opened in May, was inspired by 1950’s and 60’s
Italian cinema (La Dolce Vita, Rocco and His Brothers, The
Gold of Naples). The decor is a mix of simple white tiles and
dark wood tables with plush black velvet banquettes,
Missoni striped barstools, and a 1950’s Viennese chandelier.
The 400-square-foot lower level wine cellar can be used for
special events. (60 Greenwich Ave., 212.924.8000)
HACIENDA DE ARGENTINA
An Upper East Side Argentinean restaurant with rustic
decor—think heavy oak tables and cowskin-covered banquettes, antique mirrors, and candelabras, as well as a
working fireplace—Hacienda seats 45 in its main dining
room. A haven for meat-lovers and homesick South
Americans, this eatery has a large selection of native wines.
(339 East 75th St., 212.545.1315)
HAKUBAI
This is the New York branch of a 200-year-old restaurant in
Kyoto. Specializing in kaiseki ryori—a meal consisting of
seasonal small plates—Hakubai is the in-house restaurant
of the Kitano Hotel and is notorious for its high-priced
menu. The 84-seat main dining room is brightly lit, and
three private tatami rooms are available for events. (66 Park
Ave., 212.885.7111)
HANGAWI
Little Korea’s HanGawi serves Korean vegetarian cuisine in a
luxurious, business-appropriate setting for an upscale crowd.
The no-shoes policy and recessed tables encourage interaction among groups in the serene and quiet space. The
restaurant comfortably seats 60, but due to the recessed
seating, cannot be used for cocktail receptions. (12 East
32nd St., 212.213.0077)
HARBOUR LIGHTS RESTAURANT
This elegant contemporary American seafood restaurant in
the South Street Seaport offers wonderful views of the harbor and the Brooklyn Bridge through its floor-to-ceiling windows and from its narrow 150-seat outdoor dining area.
Harbour Lights offers the Harbour Room for private events
and the Captain’s Table for large groups in the dining room.
The entire space seats 200. (Pier 17, 3rd Floor, South Street
Seaport, 212.227.2800)
NEW HARD ROCK CAFÉ
The Hard Rock Café is famous for its original memorabilia
displayed with museumlike care. Once on 57th Street, this
theme café moved to a new Times Square location in
August. The new 708-seat venue has the Hard Rock Live
concert space, a 1,800-square-foot retail area, and an outdoor section above the building’s marquee. (1501
Broadway, 212.343.3355)
THE HARRISON
A casual and graceful environment has been the allure of the
Harrison since its doors opened in 2001. The intimate
venue’s 85-seat main dining room is decorated with natural
wood, steel, leather, and antiques. The restaurant has a 35seat outdoor area and a lower-level, 22-seat private dining
space featuring a farmhouse table and walls lined with wood
wine racks. (355 Greenwich St., 212.274.9319)
HARRY CIPRIANI
In the Sherry-Netherland Hotel on the Upper East Side, the
first New York Cipriani restaurant has golden walls lit with
glowing sconces that illuminate the classic dining room.
Designed to imitate the original Cipriani restaurant, Harry’s
Bar in Venice, Harry Cipriani opened in 1985 and serves classic Venetian dishes. A semiprivate back room seats 20. (781
Fifth Ave., 212.753.5566)
HARU
The Benihana-owned chain of sushi restaurants has five
restaurants and one sake bar in Manhattan. The 180-seat Park
Avenue location has rice paper window screens, floors made
of photographs of grass, and tanks of robotic fish suspended
over the sushi bar. The more central 43rd Street outpost doesn’t have a private room, but can close off a section that seats
35. The newest outpost in Gramercy Park seats 140. (280 Park
Ave., 212.490.9680; 205 West 43rd St., 212.398.9810; 433
Amsterdam Ave., 212.579.5655; 1329 Third Ave., 212.452.2230;
220 Park Ave. South, 646.428.0989)
HAVANA CENTRAL
The new Times Square outpost of the Union Square restaurant features decor inspired by 1950’s Cuba. Serving homestyle Cuban fare, the venue has a 110-seat dining room, a
70-seat lounge, and a 26-seat veranda café. The entire space
holds 400 for receptions. The original location seats 70. (22
East 17th St., 212.414.4999; 151 West 46th St., 212.398.7440)
HEARTBEAT
HeartBeat has an upscale, health-conscious, organic menu in
the W New York. David Rockwell’s design includes a subtle
blend of pastels and natural wood accented by columns covered with colorful glass fragments. The restaurant has no private dining room, but the entire space seats 125 or holds
200 for receptions. (149 East 49th St., 212.407.2900)
HIGHLINE
Named for the nearby rail structure and serving modern Thai
cuisine, the restaurant features a waterfall that flows through all
three floors of the space, which has a whimsical, space-age
look. Dining rooms on two floors seat 75 each, and the subterranean lounge seats 100. (835 Washington St., 212.243.3339)
HISPANIOLA
In Washington Heights, Hispaniola offers Dominican-Asian
fusion cuisine from executive chef David Nuñez in a 92-seat
dining room that holds 150 for a reception. The 35-seat café
lounge holds 50 for a reception, and the 25-seat cigar
go to BiZBash.com
Your fairytale
Two, large private rooms accomodate:
• Cocktail receptions for 300 and 700 people.
• Sit-down meals for 80 and 175 people.
www.TABLEXII.com
begins here.
TABLE XII • 109 East 56th Street, New York, NY 10022 • Phone: 212.750.5656 - Fax: 212.7508050
9/6/05
11:53 PM
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RESTAURANTS
lounge, equipped with a plasma TV, Internet access, a fireplace, and a humidor, holds 45 for receptions. (839 West
181st St., 212.740.5222)
HUDSON CAFETERIA
The stylish Hudson Cafeteria is akin to a college dining hall—
as envisioned by Philippe Starck. Long wooden communal
tables and benches, stained glass windows, and exposed
brick walls give the room a warm, comfortable atmosphere.
The entire space seats 150 or holds 250 for receptions. (356
West 58th St., 212.554.6306)
HUÉ
This multilevel West Village restaurant from Frank Prisinzano
(owner of Frank, Supper) and Karim Amatullah (owner of the
West Village restaurant and bar Halo, replaced by 49 Grove)
opened in 2003 and has an eclectic menu that offers modern Vietnamese cuisine as well as sushi. The space has a skylight, waterfall, fireplace, and banquette seating. The upstairs
portion seats 45, the downstairs seats 85; the entire restaurant holds 510 for receptions. (91 Charles St., 212.691.4170)
IAN
Chef Ian Russo served stints at Roy’s in Honolulu, Bouley, and
Lespinasse before establishing this Upper East Side restaurant, where he serves New American cuisine. The dining
room has peach walls, billowing drapes, and soft lighting,
and seats 80 or holds 100 for receptions. (322 East 86th St.,
212.861.1993)
ICON NEW YORK
Style counts when you’re the in-house restaurant at a W Hotel
(see Blue Fin, Olives), and Icon’s daring decor—sapphire-tiled
pilasters and plush, blood-red seats set against round, dark
wooden tables—certainly strives to maintain that premise.
Icon has a 65-seat outdoor terrace, the 30-seat skylight room,
and a semiprivate bar that holds 50 for receptions. (130 East
39th St., 212.592.8888)
NEW IL BASTARDO
Replacing Chelsea’s Viscaya Lounge is this 90-seat restaurant from Bobby and Enrico Malta. The design by iCrave
Design Studio includes mahogany floors, exposed brick
walls, a 40-foot bar, and a reflective ceiling (designed to imitate water). The Tuscan grill menu is a collaboration
between consulting chef Camillo Bassani (Nero) and executive chef Joseph Cacace (Gramercy Tavern, Boathouse in
Central Park). A private room holds 100 for receptions. (191
Seventh Ave., 212.675.5980)
IL BUCO
NoHo’s antique store-turned-restaurant is a warmly lit, comfortable space serving Mediterranean fare amid a collection
of American accoutrements. The nearly 200-year-old wine
cellar features brick walls and the restaurant’s assortment of
Italian, Spanish, and French wines, and hosts private events,
corporate parties
seating 25. The main dining room seats 70, and the chef’s
table at the rear seats 20. (47 Bond St., 212.533.1932)
IL CORTILE
In Little Italy, Il Cortile is an airy restaurant with an indoor
Roman garden in its high-ceilinged, sunlit 262-seat dining
room. The skylights and lush greenery make Il Cortile a scenic space for corporate dinners or receptions; and the eatery
has four private rooms for smaller events—including a 75seat garden room and a 65-seat Renaissance Room. (125
Mulberry St., 212.226.6060)
INDOCHINE
Indochine has established itself as a NoHo mainstay still
crowded with style-minded twentysomethings. In a landmark
building opposite the Public Theater, the restaurant’s interior
was inspired by French-colonial Vietnam and seats 120 or
holds 150 for receptions. The bar and lounge seats 50
guests. (430 Lafayette St., 212.505.5111)
‘INOTECA
Attracting a variety of diners, this late-night Lower East Side
haunt is an extension of Jason and Joe Denton’s ‘Ino and offers
an sizable list of regional Italian wines. The 45-seat main dining
room has cast iron-framed windows and hardwood floors.
Inspired by Italian liquor bars, the 30-seat Cantina showcases
Inoteca’s wine collection. (98 Rivington St., 212.614.0473)
OPENING SOON INTENT
Architect Xavier de la Grange has teamed up with François
Payard to bring Mediterranean food and wine from Italy,
France, and Spain to SoHo. This restaurant is scheduled to
open in fall 2005. (231 Mott St.; for more information call the
Hall Company, 646.638.0771)
ISABELLA’S
A favorite among Upper West Siders and Natural History
Museum visitors, Isabella’s offers a bright, airy, bilevel atmosphere that features large windows that look out onto Columbus
Avenue. Continental cuisine is served in a space with brick
walls, subdued yellow tones, and wooden floors. A semiprivate
mezzanine seats 40. (359 Columbus Ave., 212.724.2100)
I TRULLI
Southern Italian fare is served in a country-style, brick- and
wood-filled dining room with a fireplace and a private 70-seat
space. The 120-seat garden, open year-round, is partially covered, and heated during the winter. The entire restaurant can
be closed for an event—it seats 120 or holds 150 for receptions. The owners of I Trulli also own Vinoteca, a space for private events and wine tastings. (122 East 27th St., 212.481.7372)
IXTA
Mexican cuisine fuses with a high-design interior by Lesly
Zamor at this restaurant named for the legendary Aztec
mountain. Ixta—noted for its vibrant orange color
scheme—seats 40 in a modern, uncluttered room, and an
holiday parties
45 west 21 street . new york . ny . 10010
phone: 212.989.2121 . fax: 212.989.2107
www.duvetny.com
birthdays
outdoor patio seats an additional 10. Cocktails here are
unusual and creative—mixing coconut milk and pineapple
juice, or blending strawberry hibiscus tea with lime juice
and cachaça (Brazilian liquor made from sugarcane juice).
(48 East 29th St., 212.683.4833)
JACK’S LUXURY OYSTER BAR
Another gem in Jack and Grace Lamb’s family of tiny, successful restaurants, Jack’s Luxury Oyster Bar offers creative
dishes featuring oysters (naturally) and other seafood
delights from chef Allison Vines-Rushing, who won the
James Beard Foundation’s Rising Star Chef of the Year award
in 2003. The bilevel venue has a six-table second-floor private dining room reserved for the chef’s tasting menu. (246
East 5th St., 212.673.0338)
JANE
Chefs Glenn Harris, Marc Meyer, and Jonathan Waxman all had
a hand in creating the menu at Jane, a casual eatery in
Greenwich Village. Jane’s private, 40-seat green room holds 65
for receptions, and its moss green walls offer tranquility on
bustling Houston Street. (100 West Houston St., 212.254.7000)
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 sit up high overlooking the park
while savoring the exquisite cuisine. Don’t forget there’s an
outdoor deck to go with the lively bar, a 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. (1 Central
Park West, 212.299.3900)
JEZEBEL
Serving Southern cuisine, Jezebel is a Midtown restaurant with
live piano entertainment. The decor evokes the Old South,
from the porch swings and potted palms to the old parlor
decor. The entire space holds 200 for receptions, and there is
a 50-seat private dining room. (630 Ninth Ave., 212.582.1045)
JOJO
An Upper East Side neighborhood favorite from JeanGeorges Vongerichten, JoJo is a graceful, if somewhat opulent bilevel restaurant with rich, plush red banquettes that
line the walls, terracotta tiles, silk drapes, and large windows
that brighten the rooms. The entire space seats 80 and
serves Vongerichten’s signature French fusion cuisine. (160
East 64th St., 212.223.5656)
JOSEPHS CITARELLA RESTAURANT
Grocery king Joe Guerrera’s Midtown seafood restaurant,
formerly Citarella Restaurant, features a 60-seat private dining room with brown and ivory-padded silk “fish scales.” It
holds 100 for receptions. A balcony can also be used for pri-
breakfast meetings
vate events. The entire restaurant has four floors—each with
private access—and can be booked for events. (1240 Ave. of
the Americas, 212.332.1515)
KAI/ITO EN
Short for kaiseki, the form of meal consisting of seasonal
small plates, Kai is a 44-seat restaurant located on the second floor of Ito En, a green tea boutique on the Upper East
Side. An intimate private dining room in the basement seats
14, and features private elevator access and restrooms. (822
Madison Ave., 212.988.7277)
KEENS STEAK HOUSE
This British restaurant in Midtown features one of the largest
selections of single-malt Scotches in the country. Keens
offers four different banquet rooms with a total capacity of
500 for receptions or 385 seated. The 35-seat Bullmoose
Room has a fireplace and is often used for wine tastings. The
Lillie Langtry Room seats 25, and the Lambs Room, the
largest, seats 100. (72 West 36th St., 212.947.3636)
KING’S CARRIAGE HOUSE
This cozy Upper East Side restaurant inside a 19th-century
town house takes its inspiration from Irish country manors
and features antique furniture and collectibles. Serving
Continental cuisine, the restaurant consists of three rooms—
each of which can be booked for private dining. One room
seats 16, another seats 22, and a third seats 30. (251 East
82nd St., 212.734.5490)
NEW KITCHEN & COCKTAILS
A. J. Gilbert, the owner of popular California bistro Luna
Park, has brought his casual style and famous cocktails to
the East Coast. Opened in July, this Lower East Side restaurant—like its West Coast counterparts—was inspired by the
Bar du Marché on Paris’ Left Bank, and features wood furnishings, contemporary art, and crystal chandeliers. (199
Orchard St., 212.420.1112)
KITCHEN 22
Charlie Palmer’s Kitchen 22 in the Flatiron district serves his
signature creative American cuisine. The restaurant features
a 12-seat bar decorated with illuminated globe lamps in the
front; in the rear is a small 50-seat dining room. The modern
but comfortable space has giant lampshades suspended
from the ceiling, pale vanilla-colored walls, and slate blue
banquettes. (36 East 22nd St., 212.228.4399)
KITCHEN 82
The slightly larger Kitchen 82 from Charlie Palmer is on the
Upper West Side and, like its Flatiron district sister restaurant
Kitchen 22, is decorated with slate blue banquettes. The restaurant seats 68 in the main dining room, and a sidewalk café in
the summer seats 20. (461 Columbus Ave., 212.875.1619)
KITTICHAI
Chef Ian Chalermkittichai serves upscale Thai cuisine at the in-
private party room available
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EN Japanese Brasserie
house restaurant that replaced Thom inside the 60 Thompson
Hotel. Kittichai was named one of Travel & Leisure’s best new
restaurants in 2004. The venue has 3,000 square feet of space
and seats 150 or holds 275 for receptions in its main dining
room. Thirty additional seats are available in the private outdoor cabanas. (60 Thompson St., 212.219.2000)
NEW KOI
Located in the former Ilo space in the Bryant Park Hotel and
owned by Nick Haque, Koi is the New York incarnation of
the popular Los Angeles restaurant of the same name.
Designed by iCrave Design Studio (Crobar, Aer Lounge),
the space has a waterfall, dark wood furniture, soft leather
banquettes, and ceiling decor inspired by fish scales. Chef
Sal Sprufero offers a Japanese menu, and the space seats
165. (40 West 40th St., 212.642.2100)
NEW KOMEGASHI
This Flatiron district restaurant opened in December and features a Japanese-French fusion menu. The venue showcases
minimalist wooden furnishings, soft lighting, a tiled floor, and
semiprivate booths. Beneath a 120-seat main dining room is
a private space that seats 60 guests, has sliding screens printed with floral photographs, and audiovisual equipment available for meetings. (928 Broadway, 212.475.3000)
LA BOTTEGA
One of two restaurants inside the Maritime Hotel (the other
is Matsuri), La Bottega offers moderately priced Italian fare.
The eatery is abundant in dark wood furnishings, and has
tiled flooring, a wood-burning oven, and cozy booths with
leather cushions. Inside, the restaurant seats 175; the outdoor patio seats 300. (88 Ninth Ave., 212.243.8400)
L’ABSINTHE
This restaurant’s menu has a mix of classic French bistro fare
and creative contemporary European food. Decorated with
brass rails, mirrors, dark wooden café tables, and Art Nouveau
posters, this brasserie can close off the rear portion of the
restaurant for private dining. (227 East 67th St., 212.794.4950)
LA GRENOUILLE
This French restaurant, opened by the Masson family in
1962, is often regarded a New York classic. The dining room
is filled with luxe red banquettes, warm gold walls, and elaborate fresh flower arrangements. A 70-seat, bilevel party
room upstairs (once the home of artist Bernard Lamotte and
Le Petit Prince author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry) is equipped
with a fireplace, a skylight, French doors, and a balcony. (3
East 52nd St., 212.752.1495)
LANDMARC
Named after chef-proprietor Marc Murphy, Landmarc offers
French and Italian cuisine in a TriBeCa space designed by
architect Robert Pierpont and designer Natalie Loggins. The
100-seat, bilevel space fuses industrial materials like steel
and concrete with natural wooden floors and elegant leather
banquettes. (179 West Broadway, 212.343.3883)
LA PRIMA DONNA
La Prima Donna offers regional Italian fare in a 200-seat
restaurant with festive decor inspired by a Venetian carnival.
When the main dining room is partitioned, a fully enclosed
75-seat room at the rear can be used for private dining. Also
available is the 35-seat sea room, which holds 45 for receptions. (163 West 47th St., 212.398.3400)
LATTANZI RISTORANTE
This bilevel, family-owned restaurant in a town house on
Restaurant Row has four dining rooms, a second-floor terrace, and the skylight patio room that opens onto a garden.
The cuisine is Jewish-influenced Italian, and Lattanzi’s elegant and rustic interior combines exposed brick walls with
wooden ceiling beams and candlelight. The main dining
room seats 160. (361 West 46th St., 212.315.0980)
LE BERNARDIN
Chef Eric Ripert mans the stove at this much-lauded 130-seat
French seafood restaurant. Les Salons Bernardin is the private
room with its own entrance, kitchen, restrooms, and coat
check. The space is enclosed in etched glass with coffered
maple ceilings, and seats 90 or can be divided into three separate rooms. (155 West 51st St., 212.489.1515)
OPENING SOON LE CIRQUE
The new location of Sirio Maccioni’s much-loved restaurant—
which catered to a high-profile and high-spending crowd in
its last incarnation—will open in early 2006 in the same
Midtown complex that houses Bloomberg LP. (731 Lexington
Ave., 212.644.0315)
L’ECOLE
L’École is the restaurant of the French Culinary Institute,
where students cook under the supervision of the school’s
chef-instructors. Open since 1984, the elegant 70-seat dining room with yellow and crimson walls has served adventurous diners willing to try their luck with student-made meals
at bargain prices. (462 Broadway, 212.219.3300)
LEMON
This bilevel restaurant and lounge serves Asian-influenced
American bistro fare. Featuring 20-foot French doors,
mahogany accents, and velvet couches, Lemon also has a
black-and-white photo booth. The 4,000-square-foot
ground floor has a 120-seat main dining room and a 45seat café, and the 2,000-square-foot upstairs lounge seats
100; the entire space holds 500 for receptions. (230 Park
Ave. South, 212.614.1200)
LENOX
Co-owned by chef Charlie Palmer, Lenox Room is a bar,
restaurant, and lounge on the Upper East Side with a 35-seat
wine library for private dining and an outdoor café. Red and
olive green walls, lounging chairs, and a relaxed atmosphere
have kept diners returning to this elegant spot since it
opened in 1995. (1278 Third Ave., 212.772.0404)
LE PÉRIGORD
This traditional French restaurant has waiters in tuxedos, soft
lighting, and desserts served on an antique trolley. A tranquil
setting for business entertaining, Le Périgord offers a 40-seat
private room decorated with muted colors and walls painted
with French landscapes. (405 East 52nd St., 212.755.6244)
LES HALLES
The original Les Halles on Park Avenue has a 140-seat dining
room and in 2004 extended the property with an indoor market and additional dining space next door. The downtown
location continues the classic French brasserie style, with dark
wooden tables and chairs and matching dark brown leather
banquettes along the walls. Its 40-seat mezzanine is available
for private events, and the dining room seats 75. (411 Park
Ave. South, 212.679.4111; 15 John St., 212.285.8585)
LEVER HOUSE
The face-lift given to the Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Lever
House building worked like a charm, and its basement eatery
quickly became one of the big boys of business entertaining.
The dining room’s modernist curves and punctuating hot colors
recall Eero Saarinen’s TWA terminal, and the exquisite bar is
frustratingly tiny, but for small groups there are no complaints
here. A private room seats 22. (390 Park Ave., 212.888.2700)
LE ZINC
The casual downtown sibling of Karen and David Waltuck’s
Chanterelle, Le Zinc is decorated with art posters on the walls
and filled with high-backed booths. Le Zinc serves eclectic
bistro fare in a 90-seat space that holds 140 for receptions.
(139 Duane St., 212.513.0001)
L’IMPERO
Designed by co-owner Vicente Wolf and serving chef Scott
Conant’s critically acclaimed Italian cuisine, L’Impero is a
sleek, modern restaurant with a smooth, shiny white ceiling,
raisin-colored banquettes, aquamarine chairs, and tall, elegant candleholders. An adjacent elevated room surrounded
by low glass walls can be partitioned by opaque white curtains and enclosed for private events. The restaurant seats
125 inside, and an outdoor patio seats an additional 20. (45
Tudor Place, 212.599.5045)
NEW LO SCALCO
Lo Scalco, also the Renaissance title for chefs to Italian
nobility, is chef Mauro Mafrici’s new TriBeCa restaurant.
Mafrici’s wife, architect Kimberly Mafrici, designed the
space, which debuted in December 2004. A 30-seat wine
cellar is available for private events and wine tastings. (313
Church St., 212.343.2900)
NEW LUDO
The name means “to play” in Latin. Owners Ravi Gulivindala
and Richard Ko in May replaced Chez Es Saada with this
restaurant, serving Middle Eastern and Mediterraneaninfluenced cuisine from chef Einat Adimony (Danube, Patria,
Odea). The 4,000-square-foot space, designed by Post
Logic Studio, has exposed brick walls, and can seat 95. (42
East 1st St., 212.777.5617)
LUPA
Mario Batali’s casual Italian restaurant in the West Village
features warm yellow walls, small café tables, brick archways, and an exposed wine rack in the front. The 30-seat
reception room has banquettes lining the walls, and the
main dining room—known as the tavern room—seats 50
and is only available for private events at lunchtime. (170
Thompson St., 212.982.5089)
NEW 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
showy but tasty trimmings. (142 Mercer St., 212.431.7676)
MACELLERIA
Part steak house and part Italian restaurant, the spare-looking
Macelleria is a large restaurant that was once a meat warehouse (it is in the meatpacking district, after all). In addition to
its main dining room, the restaurant has a 75-seat basement
wine cellar and a 30-seat back room for private events. (48
Gansevoort St., 212.741.2555)
MACY’S CELLAR BAR & GRILL
Operated by Restaurant Associates, this restaurant is located in
the basement of Macy’s in Herald Square. The 200-seat space
offers a private room that seats 80, and is decorated with a collection of exhibits that celebrate the store’s century-old history.
The restaurant’s menu offers burgers, sandwiches, salads, and
other casual fare. (151 West 34th St., 212.868.3001)
MAE MAE CAFÉ
Owned and operated by caterer Great Performances, this
SoHo wine bar and café is decorated with wine bottles, antique
wood furnishings, a curved mahogany bar, and a chandelier
with red lampshades. This neighborhood favorite seats 35 or
holds 80 for receptions. (68 Vandam St., 212.727.2424)
NEW MAINLAND
This Upper East Side restaurant serves traditional Chinese fare
from executive chef Brian Young (Quilted Giraffe, Le
Bernardin). The 6,000-square-foot, 160-seat venue, designed
by Morris Nathanson, has a dining room done in gold and red
(the Chinese colors for prosperity) and a custom-built woodburning oven expressly for its Peking duck dishes. (1081 Third
Ave., 212.888.6333)
MALONEY & PORCELLI
Owned by Smith & Wollensky, Maloney & Porcelli is known
as a place for a steak power lunch in Midtown. Upstairs, the
restaurant’s 1,800-square-foot skylight room has a large
fireplace, a baby grand piano, and a 25-foot cherry wood
bar, and seats 150 or holds 225 for a reception. (37 East
50th St., 212.750.2233)
MANHATTAN OCEAN CLUB
Also owned by Smith & Wollensky, this seafood restaurant’s
airy 220-seat bilevel dining space is handsome and refined,
with a central staircase made to look like the deck of a cruise
ship. The Manhattan Ocean Club offers the 30-seat Picasso
Suite for private dining. (57 West 58th St., 212.371.7777)
MARCH
In a narrow Upper East Side town house, this multilevel 85seat restaurant is known for its beautiful dining rooms. March
features a working fireplace, floor-to-ceiling mirrors, and
antique furnishings. The rooftop terrace and mezzanine are
available for alfresco dining from May to October. (405 East
58th St., 212.754.6272)
NEW MAREMMA
Named for Italy’s “Wild West” region, this West Village restaurant from Beppe’s Cesare Casella combines Tuscan fare with
what Casella calls “cowboy cuisine.” Opened in June, the
bilevel, 123-seat venue’s interior was designed by Bogdanow
Partners Architects (Union Square Café, Beppe) and features a
hand-painted map of the region, slate floors, mounted bullhorns, and skylights. (228 West 10th St., 212.982.8422)
MARKJOSEPH STEAKHOUSE
The MarkJoseph Steakhouse offers large cuts—one can
serve four people—of dry-aged porterhouse and is a popular lunch and dinner destination for Wall Streeters. The modern 150-seat dining room features an interesting sculpture of
a cow. (261 Water St., 212.277.0020)
OPENING SOON MAROONS
The Harlem branch of Arlene Weston’s Jamaican restaurant is
scheduled to open in October. The venue, designed by Glen
Coben of Glen & Company, will have a formal 140-seat dining room with an adjoining 20-seat café, and a private room
available for events. (300 West 145th St., 212.206.8640)
MARSEILLE
Simon Oren of Sushi Samba and L’Express offers French
Mediterranean cuisine in this Hell’s Kitchen restaurant. The
Casbah private dining room can seat 50 or hold 80 for a
reception, and the Oasis, a smaller, loungelike space, seats
18 or holds 20 for a reception. Both have private restrooms.
Downstairs is Kemia, a 60-seat bar and lounge. (630 Ninth
Ave., 212.333.2323)
MARS 2112
This cavernous, 35,000-square-foot, bilevel theme restaurant
has red rock walls and ceilings to simulate an intergalactic visit
to the red planet. With a 25-foot spaceship at the entrance, a
150-seat bar with specialty drinks, a three-story crystal tree,
and costumed waitstaff, the kitschy space can hold 1,000 for
receptions or seat 500. (1633 Broadway, 212.582.2112)
MAS
In the former Isla space, Mas is a small, 40-seat restaurant
where foodies flock to sample chef Galen Zamarra’s seasonal
French-American fare. The interior design is a contrast
between farmhouse accents—wood slats on the walls, a
sandstone bar, and hand-stitched pillows—and modern clean
lines and suede banquettes. (39 Downing St., 212.255.1790)
MASA
Famed sushi chef Masa Takayama closed his Beverly Hills
sushi mecca Ginza Sushiko to open this 26-seater in the Time
Warner Center, getting locals worked up over spending
$300 for the tasting menu. At the bar, diners have a chance
to see Takayama work, while the tables are quiet, private
spaces where patrons can enjoy the carefully decorated
venue. (10 Columbus Circle, 212.823.9800)
MATSURI
One of two restaurants inside the Maritime Hotel (the other
is La Bottega), the basement-level 250-seat Matsuri offers
Japanese fare from chef Tadashi Ono and more than 200 different types of sake. The theatrical decor in the windowless
space includes oversized Japanese paper lanterns, ceramic
tiled walls, and high arched ceilings. While the restaurant
itself cannot be rented for private events, the 50-seat sake
room can. (369 West 16th St., 212.243.6400)
MAYA
Maya’s 130-seat dining room has decor that mixes rustic and
modern touches, like marbled walls paired with handcarved wooden chairs, recessed lighting, antiqued wood
floors, and glass and wrought-iron tables in the bar. A 40seat semiprivate dining area is available for events. (1191
First Ave., 212.585.1818)
MCCORMICK & SCHMICK’S SEAFOOD
RESTAURANT
Bill McCormick and Doug Schmick started this nationwide
seafood restaurant chain in 1972, and opened its first New
York location in April 2004. This bilevel Midtown space is
decorated with wood-paneled walls, stained glass chandeliers, mosaic-tiled floors, and two mahogany bars. The
restaurant’s private 80-seat banquet room holds 125 for
receptions. (1285 Ave. of the Americas, 212.459.1222)
MEET
Meet offers an intimate, comfortable environment with glowing, orange-colored marbleized bars and tabletops, sleek
white pillars, taupe walls, and soft cream-colored leather
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RESTAURANTS
banquettes. Serving hearty Mediterranean fare, this meatpacking district restaurant has a private room that seats 20,
or the entire space seats 100 or holds 200 for a reception.
(71-73 Gansevoort St., 212.242.0990)
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 in the 205seat main dining room make for prime people-watching. For
a more private experience, the Imperial Lounge seats 35,
and a private lounge and a private dining room each seat 12.
A second location is scheduled to open in the Trump World
Tower in December. (62 Thomas St., 212.964.7777; 845
United Nations Plaza, 212.867.8584)
MERCER KITCHEN
Yes, it’s sceney, but Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s SoHo outpost has a steady following that goes as much for the fine
French food as for the fashionable crowd the hotel attracts.
On two floors inside the Mercer Hotel, this 200-seat restaurant has brick walls, pale purple banquettes, and a glass ceiling through which diners can see the crowds on the sidewalks. (99 Prince St., 212.966.5454)
MERMAID INN
Red Cat and the Harrison owners Danny Abrams and Jimmy
Bradley’s East Village seafood restaurant opened in 2003
with a menu from chef Michael Price. The space features
black and white decor with framed antique maritime maps
on the walls, and seats 38 in the front dining room (plus 10
at the bar), 40 in the rear dining area, 20 in the garden, and
12 in the sidewalk cafe. (96 Second Ave., 212.242.1122)
MESA GRILL
Food Network fave Bobby Flay serves gourmet
Southwestern fare at this still-popular restaurant he opened
in 1991. The vibrantly colored dining room has seating
upholstered in cowboy prints for 150 on two levels. The second-level balcony can be reserved for semiprivate events.
(102 Fifth Ave., 212.807.7400)
METRAZUR
New York doesn’t get more classic than Grand Central
Terminal, where Charlie Palmer’s Metrazur resides on the east
balcony overlooking the main floor of the station. The understated and modern space has a grand staircase, and after
renovations in early September, will feature a wine wall built
into the balcony. The restaurant seats 110 in the main dining
room and a private 40-seat dining room has wireless Internet
access and a projector screen. (Grand Central Terminal, East
Balcony, 212.687.4750)
NEW METROPOL
The brainchild of music producer Christiano Jannou and Joel
Zychick, this West Village bistro opened in March and features
soft lighting, black-and-white photographs, a bar decorated
with subway tiles, and leather banquettes. The dining room
seats 60, and the bar seats 20. (234 West 4th St., 212.206.8393)
METROPOLITAN CAFÉ
Ark Restaurant’s sunny, inviting café serves seasonal
American food and has an airy, exposed brick dining room
attached to a sunny atrium. A private room seating 30, the
bar room seating 60, and an 80-seat outdoor patio are all
available for events. The entire restaurant seats 270. (959
First Ave., 212.759.5600)
MICHAEL JORDAN’S THE STEAKHOUSE NYC
Designed to reflect Grand Central Terminal’s towering ceilings,
marble steps, and balconies, this Glazier Group property is in
the northwest balcony of the station. The restaurant seats 160,
or when combined with the bar holds 350 for receptions. The
Wine Salon, a private room showcasing the venue’s collection
of more than 1,500 wines, seats 20. The outdoor café seats 90.
(23 Vanderbilt Ave., 212.655.2300)
MICHAEL’S
This is the ultimate see-and-be-seen lunch spot for the
magazine and media world. Most prefer to be placed in the
front room, where you can speculate on who’s meeting with
whom while enjoying the great Cobb salad. But at night—
if the place isn’t closed for a book party—the garden is
prettier. Or get there early for evening seats at the bar. (24
West 55th St., 212.767.0555)
MJ GRILL
This is the lower-priced, more casual offspring of the
MarkJoseph Steakhouse—busiest during lunch and crowded at the bar after work. The comfortable 200-seat MJ Grill
has private booths and a 60-foot curving mahogany bar, and
offers a 100-seat private room that holds 250 for receptions.
(110 John St., 212.346.9848)
MODA
Moda is the in-house restaurant in Midtown hotel Flatotel,
serving executive chef Eric Mason’s Italian-influenced
American cuisine in a low-key minimalist dining room with
lights embedded in the dark walnut tables and glass panels
separating the dining area from the bar. Moda Outdoors is the
outdoor area of the restaurant that hosts evening cocktails and
summer movies. (135 West 52nd St., 212.887.9880)
NEW THE MODERN
This sleek 110-seat restaurant within the newly reopened
Museum of Modern Art (the eatery opened in January) is
operated by the Union Square Hospitality Group and features French-American cuisine. A 64-seat private dining
room overlooks the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture
Garden and holds 80 for receptions. The entire restaurant
holds 200 for receptions. (9 West 53rd St., 212.333.1220)
MOLYVOS
One block south of Carnegie Hall is Molyvos, offering authentic Greek cuisine and an extensive list of Mediterranean wines
in a dining room with decor inspired by the Greek islands’ fishing industry. The attractive Midtown space opened in 1997; the
entire restaurant seats 220. (871 Seventh Ave., 212.582.7500)
MONTPARNASSE
Serving tasty traditional French cuisine, Montparnasse is a
French bistro with decor inspired by 1930’s Paris, with
framed vintage posters and photographs, dark wood
accents, and subtle lighting. A private room seats 25, or the
entire restaurant seats 140 or holds 300 for receptions. (230
East 51st St., 212.758.6633)
MONTRACHET
Drew Nieporent’s first restaurant, now a TriBeCa institution,
seats 75 or holds 110 for receptions and has gold and copper walls, burgundy banquettes, and a polished marble wine
bar. A 40-seat private room in the back is decorated with
modern art from artists like Sean Scully, Martin Beck, and
Mary Hambleton. (239 West Broadway, 212.219.2777)
MORAN’S BAR & GRILL
With four dining areas and a New American menu, Moran’s
restaurant is in a turn-of-the-century landmark building in
Chelsea. Its private dining room, with exposed brick walls, a
tin ceiling, and dark wooden wainscoting, seats 175 with
room for dancing. (146 10th Ave., 212.627.3030)
MORTON’S THE STEAKHOUSE
The New York outpost of the national chain of steak houses
has three private rooms dedicated to meetings and events in
addition to its 160-seat dining space. One 750-square-foot
boardroom seats 50, a smaller 270-square-foot room seats
16, and a third seats 24 in 324 square feet. All three spaces
have audiovisual capabilities and can be combined to create
a 100-seat room. (551 Fifth Ave., 212.972.3315)
NAPLES 45
On the ground floor of the MetLife Building on Park Avenue,
Naples 45 is a Neapolitan Italian restaurant run by Restaurant
Associates. The brightly colored dining room has a whitetiled bar and holds 400 people for receptions or seats 200.
(200 Park Avenue, Metlife Building, 212.949.8248)
NEPTUNE ROOM RESTAURANT & BAIT BAR
Owned by Jeffrey Lefcourt and Glenn Harris—the same duo
behind SoHo’s Jane restaurant—the Upper West Side’s
Neptune Room serves Mediterranean-inspired seafood. The
blue- and yellow-toned space designed by Glen & Company
has brick walls, terra-cotta tiles, and cozy circular booths. (511
Amsterdam Ave., 212.496.4100)
NEW NERO
Replacing Zitoune in the meatpacking district is Nero, a 70seat restaurant opened in January by brothers Bobby and
Enrico Malta. The venue is decorated with wood tables,
exposed brick walls, and wine barrels, and Camillo
Bassani’s menu features Mediterranean cuisine. (46
NEW LEAF CAFÉ
In a 1930’s structure in Fort Tryon Park, this lodgelike restaurant offers New American cuisine and views of the Hudson
River Valley and George Washington Bridge. The New York
Restoration Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to
cleaning up and reclaiming the city’s green spaces, operates
the restaurant. The main dining room seats 50. (1 Margaret
Corbin Drive, 212.568.5323)
NICE MATIN
Nice Matin is an Upper West Side restaurant with Greek,
Italian, and Middle Eastern-inspired French cuisine. The 80seat dining room has a sunny Mediterranean look, with a
palette of yellows, reds, and greens, and a curved zinc bar;
a 70-seat outdoor patio is open in the summer. (201 West
79th St., 212.873.6423)
NICK & STEF’S STEAKHOUSE
Located at Madison Square Garden, Nick & Stef’s is a
Restaurant Associates-run steak house with a modern look
that combines muted gray, brown, and moss green colors
with blond wood. A semiprivate room seats 20 or holds 25
for receptions, or the entire space seats 150 or holds 250 for
a reception. (9 Penn Plaza, 212.563.4444)
NICOLE’S
Food and fashion combine in lovely, minimalist fusion at Brit
designer Nicole Fahri’s 4,000-square-foot Upper East Side
restaurant, in the basement of her boutique. Think warm
beige and gray colors, and food as pretty and simple as the
clothes. (10 East 60th St., 212.223.2288)
NINO’S TUSCANY
The fifth in Nino Selimaj’s line of restaurants is this Midtown
Tuscan eatery with a menu from chef Sal Maurocco and
entertainment provided by pianist Irving Fields. Decor in the
150-seat dining room includes colorful abstract murals from
artist Michael Litzig, brick arches, and iron lanterns. (117
West 58th St., 212.757.8630)
NOBU
It would be easy to label Nobu the celebrity sushi place of
Page Six, but it’s more. It is—despite the constant flush of success—soothing. The staff is organized and discreet, there is no
wait if your reservation is properly made, and classic, sublime
items are always on the menu. Plates come intermittently, but
in a planned manner, not haphazardly like so many places.
With custom-designed chairs inspired by pearls and chopsticks, the entire dining room seats 100, and a 36-seat semiprivate room is in the rear. Next Door Nobu, the extension of
Nobu that opened in 1998, has a 70-seat dining space that
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holds 95 for receptions. (105 Hudson St., 212.219.0500; Next
Door Nobu: 212.334.4445)
NEW NOBU 57
The new Midtown branch of the famous TriBeCa sushi
restaurant, from Drew Nieporent, Nobu Matsuhisa, and
Robert De Niro, opened in late July. Designed by David
Rockwell, Nobu 57 consists of 13,000 square feet on two
floors, decorated in wood, metal, and wicker. The upstairs
dining room seats 200, and on the ground floor is a bar and
lounge. (40 West 57th St., 212.757.3000)
NEW NOLITA HOUSE
Owned by Scott Bankey and chef Marc Matyas, Nolita House
is a 45-seat restaurant that opened in October 2004, serves
contemporary American cuisine, and showcases artisanal
cheese. Inspired by the design of a Shaker schoolhouse, the
venue often plays host to art exhibits and wine and cheese
tasting events conducted by Max McCalman. (47 East
Houston St., 1st Floor, 212.625.1712)
NORMA’S
Just off the lobby of the Le Parker Meridien hotel, the 102-seat
in-house restaurant offers traditional American fare, but only
for breakfast and lunch. Comfortable banquettes, leather
chairs, elegant wood accents, and high ceilings make for a
modern-looking eatery. (118 West 57th St., 212.245.5000)
NOVITA
Novita in the Gramercy Park area serves regional Italian cuisine from chef-owner Marco Fregonese and features yellow
walls, wooden floors, and Venetian sconces. Novita has a private room that seats 12 and sidewalk seating during the
warmer months. (102 East 22nd St., 212.677.2222)
OCEANA
Owned by the Livanos family (who also own Molyvos and
Abboccato), this Midtown seafood restaurant was designed
to resemble the interior of a cruise ship: the space is filled
with sleek banquettes, wood paneling, and walls decorated
with murals of ships at sea. Oceana’s private second-floor
salon seats 60, and the basement wine cellar, furnished with
a long oval table and rustic brick walls, seats 25. (55 East
54th St., 212.759.5941)
NEW OCEAN 50
Former Home chef Joseph Quintana is now manning the
kitchen of the Benjamin Hotel’s new seafood joint, Ocean 50,
which launched in November. Adjacent to hotel lounge Fin Bar,
the 90-seat dining room is casual but elegant and features seathemed decor accents. (565 Lexington Ave., 212.715.2514)
OCEAN GRILL
Another of Steve Hanson’s seafood restaurants, Ocean Grill
offers simple decor, with slate blue banquettes paired with
white table linens and large mirrors in its main dining room.
But more interesting is the semiprivate, 50-seat photo room,
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where the walls are crammed with framed landscape photos.
(384 Columbus Ave., 212.579.2300)
OCÉO, AN AMERICAN BISTRO
In the Time Hotel, this 100-seat restaurant’s dining room and
wine bar has an accompanying second-floor area, O2 bar
and lounge, which holds 200 for receptions in its lounge and
100 for receptions in its private room. Océo also operates
the hotel’s 30-seat penthouse glass pavilion private dining
room and the triplex and terrace event spaces, which offer
views of Times Square and the Hudson. (224 West 49th St.,
212.262.4523)
OLD HOMESTEAD STEAKHOUSE
Opened in 1868, New York‘s oldest steak house has been
owned and operated by the same family for three generations.
Though not as popular with the fashion crowd as some nearby meatpacking district eateries, this restaurant offers classic
steak house fare and a wine list recognized for its excellence
by Wine Spectator. Three private rooms are available for
group dining. (56 Ninth Ave., 212.242.9040)
OLIVES
The New York branch of prolific chef Todd English’s famed
Boston restaurant is inside the W Hotel on Union Square.
Olives serves Mediterranean fare that’s big on flavor, in a
warm, earth-toned 90-seat main dining room designed by
David Rockwell. The 40-seat private wine room, located
above the restaurant, showcases the wine collection. (201
Park Ave. South, 212.353.8345)
ONE IF BY LAND, TWO IF BY SEA
Located in an 18th-century carriage house in the West
Village and known as one of the city’s most romantic restaurants, this intimate spot has working fireplaces and live
piano music. One if by Land offers the 36-seat Constitution
Room and 50-seat mezzanine room for private events. (17
Barrow St., 212.228.0822)
ONE LITTLE WEST 12TH
One Little West 12th’s bilevel space has four distinct areas.
Low tables and banquette seating fill the dining area; the
75-seat main lounge faces the bar; a cozy 55-seat private
area features a brick wall with recesses to hold candles; and
the lower level’s 60-seat dellar lounge contrasts rustic wood
columns with sleek leather seating. (1 Little West 12th St.,
212.255.9717)
NEW ONE91
In March, this lovely restaurant and lounge replaced Café
Lika on the Lower East Side. The eatery retained some of
Lika’s European-inspired decor, like the impressive fountain
in the garden and black and white tiled floors, and added
some riveted brown leather banquettes to the 50-seat dining room. The entire space holds 250 for receptions. (191
Orchard St., 212.982.4770)
NEW ONERA
Chef Michael Psilakis focuses on Greek accents on his
upscale American menu at this Upper West Side restaurant.
The townhouse space, named for the Greek term for
“dreams,” has a blue and white color scheme, Steven Richter
photographs on the walls, and a series of skylights. The main
dining room seats 60, and the bar and lounge seat 20. (22
West 79th St., 212.873.0200)
NEW ONO
Jeffrey Chodorow’s Japanese restaurant in Hotel Gansevoort
includes a gold-colored dining room with two large tables
painted with fish mosaics. Large murals and silkscreen banners decorate the three semiprivate tatami rooms; there is a
floor-to-ceiling window in the mezzanine lounge, and also an
outdoor garden. The tatami rooms each seat six, and the
lounge seats 70. (18 Ninth Ave., 212.660.6766)
OPIA
In the budget Habitat Hotel in Midtown, this 200-seat restaurant from Frederick Lesort and Antoine Bleck has 4,000
square feet of space, arched windows, and 11-foot ceilings,
and holds 500 for receptions. Opia’s private room seats 150
or holds 200 for receptions. (130 East 57th St., 212.688.3939)
ORSAY
This is a classic French brasserie on the Upper East Side, with
antique mirrors, brass railings, mosaic tile floors, and a zinctopped oak bar. Orsay has a 140-seat main dining room and
a 70-seat second-floor private room with mahogany-paneled
walls that holds 120 for receptions. There is also a 35-seat
sidewalk terrace. (1057 Lexington Ave., 212.517.6400)
OSTERIA DEL CIRCO
Osteria del Circo, run by the prodigious sons of Le Cirque
founder Sirio Maccioni, has a festive design by Adam Tihany
with orange and yellow circuslike banners hung from the ceiling, comical brass sculptures, and a rope ladder over the bar.
Serving classic Italian fare, the dining room seats 125, and a
private room seats 20 or holds 40 for receptions. (120 West
55th St., 212.265.3636)
OSTERIA STELLA
This Midtown restaurant serves Northern Italian cuisine from
executive chef Salvatore Calisi and showcases authentic
decor imported from Italy. The space has butternut squashcolored walls, a 70-foot marble bar, hand-painted antique
tiles, still life oil paintings, and brown leather banquettes. The
main dining room seats 250 or holds 300 for receptions. A
100-seat private dining room has a separate entrance. (135
West 50th St., 212.957.5050)
OTTO ENOTECA
Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich’s West Village pizza joint packs
diners in nightly for gourmet pies and pasta. While Otto lacks
a private space, groups of 12 or more can book space in the
cavernous 200-seat dining room. The site also hosts wine tastings for groups of 20. (1 Fifth Ave., 212.995.9559)
OUEST
Lauded as an Upper West Side culinary oasis, Tom Valenti and
Godfrey Polistina’s contemporary American bistro is a casual
but elegant 140-seat space. The dining room is furnished with
semiprivate circular booths upholstered in red leather and
decorated with red lanterns and lamps. (2315 Broadway,
212.580.8700)
PACE
TriBeCa’s Pace, the fourth project from Jimmy Bradley and
Danny Abrams, offers Italian cuisine in a dining room
designed by Jim Walrod (Park restaurant). Unlike the owners’
other restaurants, the Harrison, Red Cat, and Mermaid Inn,
this rustic Italian restaurant is not a small neighborhood
bistro, but a bustling trattoria with a 118-seat main dining
room, a 40-seat private dining room, and an outdoor area
that seats 60. (121 Hudson St., 212.965.9500)
PALM
Steak, lobsters, and an Italian-American menu are what you’ll
get at the Palm restaurants. The original location offers a 40seat private room, and Palm Too’s private space seats 55 or
holds 75 for receptions, and features private restrooms. Palm
West has four private dining rooms: an 18-seat boardroom, and
three rooms that seat 85 when combined. (837 Second Ave.,
212.557.2689; Palm Too: 840 Second Ave., 212.557.2689;
West: 250 West 50th St., 212.333.3335)
PAMPANO
Co-owned by Placido Domingo, Pampano is a posh Midtown
restaurant that serves modern Mexican seafood from chef
Richard Sandoval. In addition to the stark white 25-seat dining room with textured beige patterns of palm trees adorning
the walls, an upstairs room seats 65, and an outdoor terrace
seats an additional 50. (209 East 49th St., 212.751.4545)
PARADOU
A sunny French bistro in the meatpacking district, Paradou
has a simple look, with whitewashed walls, high ceilings,
and blond wood accents. In the 32-seat dining room, the
bar and tabletops are made from vintage French wine
crates. A small, leafy, secluded garden sits at the rear. (8
Little West 12th St., 212.463.8345)
NEW PARIS MATCH
Phillippe Kayadjanian’s French bistro and sushi bar has
replaced Upper East Side restaurant Ferrier. On the menu
are bistro dishes and sushi from 212 Restaurant and Bar’s
executive chef Nestor Yumiguano and sushi chef Shigeki
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RESTAURANTS
residential building, the restaurant’s highly rated Frenchinfluenced contemporary cuisine is more budget-friendly
than the caviar. The Art Deco space seats 80, and a semiprivate section seats 30. (182 West 58th St., 212.767.1041)
PICHOLINE
Still one of the Upper West Side’s finest restaurants, chef
Terrance Brennan’s Picholine is a bustling eatery serving a
French-Mediterranean menu. For private dining, Picholine
has two options: a small room seats eight, and a larger
room can seat 24 or hold 32 for receptions. (35 West 64th
St., 212.724.8585)
NEW PIOLA
Brothers Stefano and Dante Carniato brought their popular
chain of pizza restaurants to New York in May. The Union
Square outpost has a wood-burning oven as well as Murano
glass lanterns and bold-colored walls hung with art and
photographs. The 1,800-square-foot space seats 100. (48 East
12th St., 212.777.7781)
PIPA
A tapas bar in ABC Carpet & Home, Pipa seats 85 in a dark,
candlelit space decorated with Bohemian-inspired decor like
mismatched chandeliers, embroidered cushions, and antique
tables. The restaurant has a semiprivate space in the rear of the
dining room that seats 30. (38 East 19th St., 212.677.2233)
PLANET HOLLYWOOD
In Times Square, Planet Hollywood offers a 35,000-squarefoot, multilevel facility with four dining areas, two bars, a
lounge, and a private area. The restaurant also houses a private screening room with velvet-cushioned seating. Decor features memorabilia from feature films, Broadway shows, sports
legends, and music icons. (1540 Broadway, 212.265.2404)
PLANTAIN
Plantain’s festive dining room has bright colors, burlap and
bamboo accents, and live music—good for a lively event,
not so good for a quiet tête-à-tête. A private dining room
seats 35. The Midtown restaurant serves chef-owner
Raymond Mohan’s South American cuisine and is closed
Saturdays and Sundays. (20 West 38th St., 212.869.8601)
NEW PLATE NYC
Owned by Phil Pepperdine and Luis Dene of the Dene
Group, this Latin-Asian fusion restaurant and lounge
opened in February. The venue’s 1,700 square feet hold
150 for receptions and house a raw bar, a bar and lounge,
and a dining room. The 500-square-foot outdoor garden is
open year-round and holds 150 for receptions. (264
Elizabeth St., 212.219.9212)
NEW POETESSA
This East Village trattoria, opened in January in the space
once occupied by East Post, features a creative regional
Italian menu from Pippa Calland (former chef of Le Madri)
and walls decorated with lines of verse. The entire space
seats 70. (92 Second Ave., 212.387.0065)
NEW PORCUPINE
Opposite NoLIta’s famed Café Habana since November 2004
is Porcupine, owner Jacques Ouari’s replacement for his shortlived fusion restaurant Mix-It. Running the kitchen is Matthew
Weingarten, former chef at Tuscan, with a tavern-style
Mediterranean menu. Decor accents include French doors, a
pressed tin ceiling, red banquettes, a carved wooden bar, and
saffron-colored walls. (20 Prince St., 212.966.8886)
POST HOUSE
On the first floor of the Lowell Hotel, this steak house offers a
warm atmosphere with parquet floors, cream-colored walls,
and wooden wainscoting. Like the other Smith & Wollensky
restaurants, the 165-seat Post House is a familiar spot for business lunches and steak-lovers. (28 East 63rd St., 212.935.2888)
NEW PREM-ON THAI
This Thai restaurant, from chef and owner Prakit Prem-on,
debuted in April and has four dining areas. The main dining
room has a wide gold leaf stripe running along the walls and
banquettes upholstered in red Thai silk. The restaurant seats
85, and there is outdoor seating for 10. (138 West Houston
St., 212.353.2338)
PRIMAVERA RISTORANTE
This Upper East Side restaurant serves Northern Italian cuisine in a 65-seat dining room decorated with framed paintings, wood paneling, and marble columns. The private dining room seats 50—Primavera requires a minimum of 20
guests to use this area. (1578 First Ave., 212.861.8608)
PRIME GRILL
This Midtown kosher steak house also serves seafood and
sushi. The interior is simple, with wood paneling, warm
lighting, and unadorned chairs. The main dining room
seats 230 guests, the fountain room seats 55, and an 18seat private room has a plasma TV for presentations. (60
East 49th St., 212.692.9292)
PROVENCE
Warm and inviting, this French bistro in SoHo has maintained its popularity since it opened in 1986. Reminiscent of
rural Gallic cafés, the 140-seat space has country furniture,
sunny yellow walls, and an abundance of fresh flowers. The
front room seats 50 or holds 80 for receptions, the back
room seats 50 or holds 70 for receptions, and the pretty 40seat garden in the rear holds 50 for receptions. (38
MacDougal St., 212.475.7500)
NEW PROVIDENCE
With a coastal European menu from chef Margherita Aloi, this
restaurant replaced Le Bar Bat in April. Highlighting the
venue’s original function as the Manhattan Baptist Church, the
redesigned space has original wooden beams and marble
accents. Providence can hold 750 guests in its 13,500 square
feet on three levels. (311 West 57th St., 212.307.0062)
NEW PS 450
This 4,000-square-foot restaurant and lounge, owned by
Matt Wagman, George Ruotolo, and Dan Lynch, debuted in
Murray Hill in March and offers New American cuisine. The
space is decorated with dark mahogany touches, antique
red glass lamps, and plasma screen TVs. (450 Park Ave.
South, 212.532.7474)
PUBLIC
Design firm AvroKO won James Beard Foundation awards in
2004 for best restaurant design and best restaurant graphics
for their work on this NoLIta space. Inspired by public spaces
like libraries and municipal buildings, Public is decorated
with antique furnishings and serves an eclectic menu from
head chef Brad Farmerie and New Zealand chefs Peter
Gordon and Anna Hansen. The semiprivate wine room seats
20, and a lounge in the rear holds 150 for receptions. (210
Elizabeth St., 212.343.7011)
NEW PUKK
Pukk (the Thai word for vegetable) is an East Village restaurant that opened in January serving Thai vegetarian cuisine.
The sleek, narrow 700-square-foot space seats 36 and has
minimalist decor, grass green accents, and walls with white
round tiles. (71 First Ave., 212.253.2740)
PURE FOOD & WINE
In the former Verbena space is Pure Food & Wine, New York’s
first upscale outpost serving the popular raw food diet trend—
organic produce prepared in blenders and dehydrators but not
heated above 118 degrees—from chefs Matthew Kenney and
Sarma Melngailis. The minimalist, pretty 70-seat restaurant has
low lighting and orange-colored walls, and attracts the curious
and the health-conscious. An outdoor garden seats 50, and a
private dining room seats 20. (54 Irving Place, 212.477.1010)
RAINBOW ROOM
Regularly used for events, this famous restaurant operated
by the Cipriani Group serves Northern Italian cuisine in its Art
Deco space on the 65th floor of a Rockefeller Center building. The venue offers a 360-degree view of Manhattan and
beyond from its three rooms: the Pavilion, Rainbow and
Stars, and the Rainbow Room, with its famed revolving
dance floor. On the 64th floor, the 300-seat Pegasus, 40-seat
Empire, and 100-seat Radio suites offer smaller, more private
spaces. (30 Rockefeller Plaza, 64th Floor, 212.632.5000)
RAIN WEST
Owned by the same restaurant group that owns Django and
Calle Ocho, this Upper West Side eatery offers Asian cuisine
in a minimalist space. Contrasting the simple wood floors
and warm-colored walls are Asian artifacts and palm trees. A
semiprivate alcove seats 30 and the private red room seats
60. The entire 200-seat restaurant holds 350 guests for
receptions. (100 West 82nd St., 212.501.0776)
RED CAT
Standing on a relatively lonely stretch of 10th Avenue in
Chelsea, Red Cat features seasonal American fare from
chef de cuisine Jeff Gerace. Opened in 1999, the restaurant was designed by Mark Zeff with red and white interior
accents, 1950’s-style wood furniture, and oversized
lanterns. The dining room seats 97, and the bar seats 13.
(227 Tenth Ave., 212.242.1122)
REDEYE GRILL
Shelly Fireman’s Redeye Grill offers seafood from both coasts
on a grill-style menu. There are four private rooms, including
the 12-seat, glass-enclosed sky room, which overlooks the
entire restaurant. The larger Pacific and Santa Barbara rooms
seat 100 or hold 150 for a reception when combined. (890
Seventh Ave., 212.265.0100)
REMI
Venice was the inspiration behind designer Adam Tihany’s
decor. Remi offers four event spaces, but the loveliest is the
80-seat Rialto Room—decorated with Venetian chandeliers
suspended from high ceilings—which holds 150 for receptions. The atrium garden, an outdoor greenhouselike room
open from May through October, seats 400 or holds 1,000
for receptions. The main dining room seats 140. (145 West
53rd St., 212.757.7610)
RE SETTE
Named for the Italian card game Seven Kings, Re Sette offers
southern Mediterranean cuisine in a two-story Midtown
restaurant. The second floor seats 40 or holds 60 for receptions, and features jewel-tone velvet and tapestry-covered
seats and a wine collection on display behind a beautiful,
ornate brass gate. (7 West 45th St., 212.221.7530)
RESTAURANT CHARLOTTE
New American cuisine is served at this Midtown spot at
lobby-level inside the Millennium Broadway Hotel. The main
dining room holds 150 for receptions and is elegantly decorated with wood and marble walls. Within the hotel are eight
floors of banquet space that hold 650 for a reception. (145
West 44th St., 212.789.7508)
NEW RIBOT
Opened in June, this elegant bilevel Midtown restaurant,
named for the Italian version of Seabiscuit, is owned by
Mario Vesciari and features a Mediterranean menu from
executive chef Patrick Woodside. The equestrian-inspired
interior, designed by DeKar Corporation, seats 60 and has
leather and wood accents in dark brown, copper, and gold.
The outdoor space seats 50. (780 Third Ave., 212.355.3700)
RIINGO
The Alex Hotel’s in-house restaurant serves JapaneseAmerican fusion fare from chef Marcus Samuelsson.
Designed by Glen Coben, the interior contrasts red walls,
dark woods, bamboo floors, and a marble staircase. The
venue has a 40-seat dining room, a 30-seat bar and lounge,
PHOTO: ERIC LAIGNEL
Aquavit
Tanaka. The decor includes a zinc bar imported from France,
tiled floors, cherry wood paneling, and red banquettes. (29
East 65th St., 212.772.9000)
THE PARK
Created in a former taxi garage, this 10,000-square-foot
restaurant has seven distinct dining areas. Decorated with
items salvaged from various corners of the country, the 153seat main dining room has a 30-foot tree, Indonesian lanterns,
and a fireplace. Other areas include a 40-seat glass-enclosed
atrium that holds 60 for receptions and the 125-seat red room
with Asian-inspired decor. (118 10th Ave., 212.352.3313)
PARK AVALON
This trilevel restaurant—with tiled columns, high ceilings, and
sizable mirrors on the walls—is just north of the hustle of
Union Square. Two semiprivate separate elevated areas at
the rear of the main dining room seat 65. The entire space
holds 250 guests for receptions with dancing. (225 Park Ave.
South, 212.533.2500)
PARK AVENUE CAFÉ
The Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group’s Park Avenue Café
serves New American fare from executive chef Neil Murphy
in a brightly lit and colorful setting. Private dining options
include the 1,436-square-foot flag room that seats 90 or
holds 120 for receptions, and the 600-square-foot café town
house, which seats 50 or holds 60 for receptions. (100 East
63rd St., 212.360.0438)
NEW PARTAGE
The meatpacking district’s French bistro Paradou has a new
sister restaurant in the West Village, opened in April.
Partage’s decor was inspired by French farmhouses, and
includes exposed wooden beams. The entire space is 1,400
square feet; the main dining room seats 65, and there is sidewalk seating for 36. An area of the dining room can be sectioned off for private events for 10 guests. (92 Seventh Ave.
South, 212.242.2207)
PASTIS
With the classic bistro look (pale yellow walls, dark wood, red
awnings), Pastis remains a meatpacking district favorite. A
communal table seats 20, or the entire restaurant seats 175.
The outdoor café—which offers prime people-watching—
divides into two sections, seating 40 on one side and 20 on
the other. (9 Ninth Ave., 212.929.4844)
PATROON
Despite the scrapping of the cigar bar, Patroon remains a
power lunch spot for Midtowners. Private banquet rooms
offer space for 300 for receptions, including a wine room, a
chef’s table—an eight-seater with a view of chef John Villa at
work—and the humidor room. The entire restaurant holds
400 for receptions, and an outdoor space offers seating for
50. (160 East 46th St., 212.883.7373)
PATSY’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT
The famed Midtown Italian restaurant has been owned and
operated by the same family since 1944. This favorite of Frank
Sinatra, Tony Bennett, theatergoers, and New Yorkers serves
traditional Neopolitan food, and the decor is a tribute to the
era in which it was founded. A private room seats 85 or holds
100 for receptions. (236 West 56th St., 212.247.3491)
PAYARD PATISSERIE & BISTRO
You won’t need decor at an event here, because guests will
be busy salivating over the delectable pastries that fill the
two pastry cases flanking the entrance of François Payard’s
celebrated Upper East Side bistro. The semiprivate 50-seat
mezzanine overlooks the space, and the dining room seats
120. (1032 Lexington Ave., 212.717.5252)
PERIYALI
Periyali is a Greek restaurant in the Flatiron district with bold
arrangements of fresh flowers contrasting the simple white
stucco walls. The restaurant features a 13-seat indoor garden
with a glass ceiling as well as two private rooms—one seats
16, the other, 45. The entire space seats 100. (35 West 20th
St., 212.463.7890)
NEW PERRY STREET
Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s newest restaurant opened in
late June in Perry Street’s Richard Meier-designed towers.
The space was designed by Thomas Juul-Hansen and has a
menu from Vongerichten and chef de cuisine Greg Brainin.
The 60-seat venue has white leather banquettes, gray sofas,
and a black resin bar. (176 Perry St., 212.352.1900)
PER SE
Getting a seat at one of the 16 tables in the Adam Tihanydesigned, four-star restaurant of French Laundry chef
Thomas Keller may require making reservations two months
in advance, but the anticipation is part of the experience. For
private entertaining, the 990-square-foot west room (which
can be divided into two) seats 60, and smaller east room
seats 12 and has views of Central Park and the East Side. (10
PETER LUGER STEAKHOUSE
This famed, cash-only steak house began as a café, billiards,
and bowling alley in 1876. Its legendary porterhouse steaks still
pull in the masses from Manhattan—especially the suits from
Wall Street—to its Williamsburg locale. The restaurant’s interior
look is masculine, with no-frills woodwork, simple furnishings,
and bright lighting. The second floor seats 45 for private
events. (178 Broadway, Brooklyn, 718.387.7400)
PETROSINO
Moderately priced Southern Italian fare and seating for 65
can be found at this Lower East Side hideaway. The charming and discreet restaurant’s chic interior includes floor-toceiling windows, a concrete bar, and an eye-catching back-lit
rear wall. Canapa, Petrosino’s more casual sister restaurant,
sits next door. (190 Norfolk St., 212.673.3773)
PETROSSIAN
It’s opulent swank at its finest at Petrossian, where the caviar
flows like water if you’re willing to splurge. In the Alwyn Court
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and a 40-seat semiprivate mezzanine. An eight-seat sushi bar
offers views into the kitchen. (205 East 45th St., 212.867.4200)
NEW ROBERTO PASSON
Puttanesca and Le Zie’s former chef Roberto Passon opened
this eponymous Hell’s Kitchen restaurant in March. Serving
Venetian cuisine, the venue from Passon, Enrico Malta, and
Tom Bifulco (of New York City Restaurant Group) offers 800
square feet, seating 64 (plus four at the bar) or holding 100
for receptions—and a minimalist design with a white color
scheme. (741 Ninth Ave., 212.582.5599)
ROCK CENTER CAFÉ
In its prominent location across the Rockefeller Center ice
rink from the Sea Grill, Rock Center Café doesn’t need much
more than the view to fill its dining room, which serves Italianinfluenced American cuisine. A private dining room can seat
10; the main dining room seats 175 or holds 450 for receptions. (20 West 50th St., 212.332.7620)
ROSA MEXICANO
The most striking design element at Rosa Mexicano’s West
Side outpost is a giant water wall flowing through small plaster models of divers on sapphire blue tiles. The L-shaped
space features a private room that seats 32 and a semiprivate
space that seats 80, or the entire restaurant seats 250. The
East Side venue seats 125 and has no private dining room.
In late September a 10,000-square-foot Union Square location will open in the former America space. (61 Columbus
Ave., 212.977.7700; 1063 First Ave., 212.753.7407; 9 East
18th St., 212.977.7700 ext. 14)
ROSIE O’GRADY’S
The Midtown steak and seafood restaurant has a polished
wooden bar at street level, and a basement lounge with fireplaces, mahogany-paneled walls, and a private bar. Also on
the premises is the Manhattan Club, a catering facility that
can be used for receptions for 275 guests. Rosie’s Times
Square offers a 35-seat private room and a 160-seat main
dining room. (800 Seventh Ave., 212.489.9595; Times
Square: 149 West 46th St., 212.869.0600)
ROY’S NEW YORK
One of chef Roy Yamaguchi’s international chain of restaurants, this eatery a few blocks south of the World Trade
Center site serves Hawaiian fusion cuisine. The restaurant’s
U-shaped dining room can be enclosed for semiprivate dining for 80, or the entire dining room seats 190. A lowerlevel café area seats an additional 20 guests. (130
Washington St., 212.266.6412)
RUBY FOO’S
Both Ruby Foo’s outposts offer kitschy Asian theme park
decor to go with a mélange of Asian cuisines. The 10,000square-foot David Rockwell-designed uptown location seats
400—which includes seating for 80 in its private third-level
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Asian Den. The 300-seat Times Square location has a 20-seat
sushi bar and semiprivate alcoves within its colorful space.
(Upper West Side: 2182 Broadway, 212.724.6700; Times
Square: 1626 Broadway, 212.489.5600)
RUE 57
This 7,000-square-foot Parisian-style brasserie and sushi bar
serves French classics and Japanese hors d’oeuvres from
chef Sam Hazen. With dark wood accents, tiled flooring, red
leather banquettes, and simple café-style furniture, Rue 57
attracts a lively crowd of diners, especially at lunch. (100 West
57th St., 212.307.5656)
RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE
This famous national steak house chain’s Manhattan location
has mahogany-paneled walls and three private rooms. The
private dining areas range in capacity from the 90-seat
boardroom (which holds 150 for receptions) to the 45-seat
library, to the 30-seat Taft Room. A semiprivate anteroom
seats 20. (148 West 51st St., 212.246.3925)
SALA
A beautiful Spanish villa was the inspiration behind the
design of Sala, a tapas restaurant on the Bowery. Sunny yellow walls are lined with purple banquettes in the dining
room, which seats 60 or holds 125 for receptions. Sapphireblue walls accented with glowing sconces and bench seating
fill the 60-seat downstairs lounge. Sala 19 opened in
October 2004 and has a 75-seat dining room. (344 Bowery,
212.979.6606; Sala 19: 35 West 19th St., 212. 229.2300)
SALUTE
From restaurateur Gennaro Sbarro—of food court favorite
Sbarro’s—this bilevel Murray Hill eatery serving Italian fare has
a 1,500-square-foot dining area and a 900-square-foot
lounge. Salute’s 200-seat dining room, designed by Julius
Baum, has Mediterranean-inspired mosaic tile floors, floor-toceiling windows, and a selection of art curated by Leah Poller
of the Art Alliance of Soho. (270 Madison Ave., 212.213.3440)
NEW SANDIA
In January, Sandia (Spanish for watermelon) replaced the
Flatiron district’s Snackbar. Chef Roberto Pagan’s menu
mixes Latin and Japanese cuisines. The long, narrow space is
brightly decorated in yellows and pinks, and features large
floral cutouts on the walls. (111 West 17th St., 212.627.3700)
SAN DOMENICO NY
The Adam Tihany-designed interior of San Domenico’s 150seat main dining room is simple—the experience is about
the food—with soft lighting and warm colors. A private
room in the rear of the restaurant can seat 35, but gentlemen won’t be seated at all without a jacket. (240 Central
Park South, 212.265.5959)
NEW SAPA
Designed by AvroKO (the award-winning designer-owners of
Public), Sapa, which opened in November, features clean
lines and Vietnamese-inspired decor. Serving a blend of
French and Vietnamese cuisines, the entire space seats 350.
A private room seats 80 or holds 150 for receptions. (43 West
24th St., 212.929.1800)
NEW SARABETH’S CENTRAL PARK SOUTH
The newest addition to Sarabeth Levine’s lineup of eateries
is this outpost on Central Park South, opened in April. The
200-seat restaurant features sidewalk seating facing the park,
a glass-enclosed boxwood garden, a skylight, painted ceilings in the rear dining area, and chocolate-colored zebraprint banquettes. (40 Central Park South, 212.826.5959)
NEW SARAVANAAS
Veena Ramaiah, the sister of Bombay Talkie owner Sunitha
Ramaiah, opened this Gramercy Park restaurant in July.
Named after a Hindu goddess, this 45-seat venue serves
South Indian vegetarian fare. Its minimalist decor reminiscent
of a Target commercial—bright orange and pink fabric-covered wall panels studded with faux gerbera daisies—is by
Los Angeles-based designer John Nyomarkay. (81 Lexington
Ave., 212.679.0204)
SARDI’S RESTAURANT
Broadway stars are always hanging out in the form of caricatures on the walls at Sardi’s, if they’re not actually there in person. The third-floor, 80-seat Belasco Room, named after
famed Broadway producer David Belasco and decorated
with theater mementos, holds 120 for receptions. The larger
200-seat Eugenia Room (named after Sardi’s cofounder
Eugenia Sardi) on the fourth floor holds 250 for receptions.
(234 West 44th St., 212.221.8440)
OPENING SOON SASCHA
Sascha Lyon, who worked in the kitchens of Balthazar,
Daniel, and Pastis, will open a 10,000-square-foot, multilevel restaurant in the meatpacking district. Designed by
Lyon, Andy Jacobson, and Glen Coben, the venue will feature a casual dining room, a more formal dining room on the
upper level, and a private space overlooking the wine cellar.
Sascha is scheduled to open in October 2005. (55
SAVANNAH STEAK
This three-story modern Midtown steak house has a 60-seat
main dining room and a bustling after-work bar scene.
Savannah Steak has one private room and two semiprivate
rooms for special events: the 30-seat semiprivate mezzanine;
the 25-seat semiprivate café; and the private 60-seat oak
room, which features a 42-inch plasma screen for meetings.
(7 East 48th St., 212.935.2500)
SAVOY
On the corner of Prince and Crosby streets, this tiny gem of a
restaurant underwent an interior redesign in September 2002.
The slightly sleeker new space still retains some intimacy with
the 45-seat upstairs dining room with an open fireplace.
Owner and chef Peter Hoffman serves a seasonal and creative
American menu—made with sustainable fish and farmers market produce. (70 Prince St., 212.219.8570)
SCHILLER’S LIQUOR BAR
Keith McNally’s Lower East Side restaurant—a popular place
for cocktails and lively groups—has a slightly institutional
take on a bistro with black and white tile floors, antique mirrors, wire glass details, and steel fixtures. Schiller’s serves an
eclectic budget-friendly menu of European-influenced
American fare in a dining room that seats 100 or holds 150
for a reception. (131 Rivington St., 212.965.0115)
SEA GRILL
During winter, the Sea Grill’s white and ice blue dining room
is accompanied by the entertainment of ice skaters wobbling
and skidding across the Rock Center ice rink. A private room
seats 12, or the whole space seats 150 or holds 225 for a
reception. (19 West 49th St., 212.332.7610)
SEAPORT CAFÉ
Within the South Street Seaport on Pier 17 is the Seaport Café,
an outdoor eatery that seats 80 and offers views of Brooklyn
and the East River. The bustling waterfront space has casual
dining furniture and large umbrellas, and serves seafood (naturally). (89 South Street Seaport, Pier 17, 212.964.1120)
NEW SECRETES
This 50-seat East Village eatery opened in May, and is decorated with dark woods and red lamps, with an outdoor deck
and an open kitchen. Chef Jordy Lavanderos’ menu mixes
the influences of Italy, Mexico, France, and Spain. Tapas-style
plates include red grapes filled with smoked oyster puree,
and duck confit on baby watercress with candied orange
dust, radish, smoked shallot puree, and ginger orange vinaigrette. (513 East 6th St., 212.228.2775)
SEPPI’S
The in-house restaurant at Le Parker Meridien hotel, Seppi’s
offers European bistro fare from chef–owner Claude Solliard
in a contemporary dining room with black and white banquettes, an adjacent bar, and a 40-seat outdoor patio. The
entire space seats 100 or holds 180 for a reception. (118
West 57th St., 212.245.5000)
SEQUOIA
This seafood restaurant with maritime-inspired decor on Pier
17 in the South Street Seaport has views of the East River, the
Brooklyn Bridge, and the Statue of Liberty. An outdoor terrace seats 70, and three private rooms can be combined to
seat 180 or hold 450 for receptions. (South Street Seaport,
212.732.9090)
NEW SHABURI
Shaburi, a chain of shabu shabu (the Japanese tradition in
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RESTAURANTS
be comfortable with—the Southeast Asian street food is
served family-style. (403 West 13th St., 212.675.2322)
NEW SPIGOLO
Another husband-and-wife team joined the restaurant scene
in February—chefs Scott and Heather Fratangelo, with this
Upper East Side restaurant. Decorated with exposed brick
and warm yellow-painted walls, a cork floor, and a pressed
tin copper-colored ceiling, Spigolo serves modern Italian
fare. (1561 Second Ave., 212.744.1100)
NEW STANTON SOCIAL
This Lower East Side space replaced Barrio in April. The
neighborhood’s early-20th-century roots as a district for tailors and clothiers inspired AvroKO’s design for the trilevel
space. The shape of the lower level’s backlit wine wall emulates the herringbone fabric of a man’s suit, and in the
upstairs lounge is a wall made of 44 patterned fabric shutters, resembling a dressing room privacy screen. (99
Stanton St., 212.995.0099)
STEAKHOUSE AT MONKEY BAR
Located in the Hôtel Elysée, the restaurant formerly known
as the Monkey Bar now serves classic steak house fare from
chef Julian Clauss-Ehlers. The 140-seat classic spot has
been restored to its original 1938 splendor, with an Art Deco
style with whimsical monkey murals on the walls. (60 East
54th St., 212.838.2600)
STRIP HOUSE
The Strip House is the Glazier Group’s East Village steak
house with French-influenced American fare. Designed by
David Rockwell, the restaurant features a bordello-red color
scheme and vintage pictures of strippers on the wallpaper
and napkins. The venue seats 125 or holds 250 for receptions. (13 East 12th St., 212.328.0000)
SUBA
Housed in a 1909 Lower East Side tenement building, this
Andre Kikoski-designed restaurant has a raw, yet refined
interior (exposed brick walls, polished steel railings and stairs,
wood tables, and moss-green upholstery) and serves executive chef Alex Urena’s contemporary Spanish cuisine. The
highlight of the space is the 52-seat grotto room—a concrete
island surrounded by water and submerged lights that shimmer against the walls. (109 Ludlow St., 212.982.5714)
SUSHI SAMBA
Sushi and ceviche are on the menu at both Sushi Sambas,
the South American-influenced sushi restaurants. The original Park Avenue South location is the smaller of the two, with
a 95-seat dining room, a 12-seat sushi bar, and a 10-seat bar.
The Seventh Avenue outpost has 28-seat lounge, a 40-seat
outdoor patio, and a beautiful Japanese roof garden that
seats 100, in addition to its main dining room and sushi bar.
(245 Park Ave. South, 212.475.9377; Sushi Samba 7: 87
Seventh Ave. South, 212.691.7885)
SWIFTY’S
Originally known as Mortimer’s, this Upper East Side restaurant serves American cuisine in a dining room designed by
Mario Buatta. The back room can seat 44 or hold 60 for
receptions; the entire restaurant seats 75 or holds 120 for
receptions. (1012 Lexington Ave., 212.535.6000)
TABLA
Danny Meyer’s crowd-pleasing Indian fusion restaurant
across from Madison Square Park is adjacent to another of
his restaurants—Eleven Madison Park. Tabla has dark woods,
warm colors, and curved walls. The venue offers two semiprivate spaces: the upstairs dining room seats 150, and Bread
Bar downstairs seats 65. During the warmer months, the 72seat outdoor street-level patio is bustling with diners. (11
Madison Ave., 212.889.0667)
NEW TABLE XII
After a $3 million renovation, John Scotto’s Etoile reopened
in April with a new identity—Table XII, a restaurant with a 45seat bar, 95-seat main dining room, an upstairs reception
room for 460, and a 100-seat private room on the lower
level. On the menu is traditional Italian fare from executive
chef Sandro Fioriti. (109 East 56th St., 212.750.5656)
TAJ
This Indian fusion restaurant in the Flatiron district features
sandstone statues of Hindu deities along the walls. Burnt red
and orange fabrics cover the U-shaped booths, and tall, dramatic lampshades hang above the tables. It’s comfortable and
appealing without being kitschy. The entire space seats 120 or
holds 299 for cocktails. (48 West 21st St., 212.620.3033)
TAMARIND
Tamarind serves regional Indian cuisine in a modern, elegant space in the Flatiron district. While the upscale restaurant has no private event space, the 16-seat Tamarind Tea
Room next door serves sandwiches on Indian bread and 14
different kinds of tea, and can be rented for events. (41-43
West 22nd St., 212.674.7400)
TAO
Tao remains a favorite among event planners not only for its
impressive size (12,000 square feet), but also for its convenient Midtown location and fun Asian fusion menu. The 27seat private skybox overlooks the main dining room with its
own private restrooms, but often, the whole place is rented
for big corporate bashes: the entire space can seat 300 or
hold 1,000 for receptions. (42 East 58th St., 212.399.6000)
TASTE
Eli Zabar’s Taste, a self-serve café by day and a full-service
restaurant by night, is adjacent to his famed gourmet market
on the Upper East Side. With a 30-foot bar, the elegant
space has a private room that seats 50 and an upstairs dining room that seats 90. The entire restaurant seats 120. (1413
Third Ave., 212.717.9798)
TAVERN ON THE GREEN
A New York institution and tourist favorite, Tavern on the
Green remains one of the city’s dining legends. The 27,000-
Nobu 57
square-foot space on Central Park’s west side seats 1,500
guests among six private dining rooms. Overlooking Central
Park, the restaurant features a total of 45 chandeliers—
including 16 stained glass pieces designed by former owner
Warner LeRoy. (Central Park West at 67th St., 212.873.4111)
OPENING SOON TELEPAN
Bill Telepan (former chef of the Judson Grill) is to replace the
Sante Fe Grill with this new eponymous restaurant in
November. Telepan, designed by architect Larry Bogdanow,
will serve seasonal New American cuisine in a 110-seat main
dining room, a 12-seat lounge, and an eight-seat bar. (72
West 69th St., 212.580.4300)
TENEMENT
This stone and brick Lower East Side spot is patterned after
an old-country eatery; the venue has a cozy fireplace and a
vintage lamppost stands at the base of the staircase. The
lounge has a capacity of 150. (157 Ludlow St., 212.598.2130)
TERRACE IN THE SKY
Above Columbia University’s Butler Hall, Terrace in the Sky’s
huge windows offer views of Manhattan from its main dining
room. The penthouse space has two private rooms that seat
75 and 120, and the outdoor space seats 150. The
Greenhouse, a glass-enclosed space on the roof, seats 80.
(400 West 119th St., 212.666.9490)
THALASSA
Sweeping white sails hovering below the 18-foot ceiling,
an icy white marble bar backlit with blue lights, exposed
brickwork, a 70-seat private wine cellar, and the 140-seat
Gallery Loft make Thalassa one of the most event-friendly
restaurants in TriBeCa. The restaurant serves authentic
Greek cuisine in its 120-seat main dining room. (179
Franklin St., 212.941.7661)
THALIA
A large, sprawling restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen, Thalia has
soaring ceilings and striking red, white, and green walls
accented with large, framed vintage posters. A portion of the
main dining room can be curtained off for a semiprivate
event that seats 60, or the entire main dining room seats 140
or holds 300 for receptions. (828 Eighth Ave., 212.399.4625)
OPENING SOON THOR
The restaurant on the ground floor of the Hotel on Rivington
will serve eclectic seasonal cuisine from chef Kurt
Gutenbrunner (Monkey Bar, Wallsé, Café Sabarsky). The 100seat dining room, designed by Marcel Wanders, features a
22-foot glass atrium. Scheduled to open in September 2005.
(107 Rivington St., 212.475.2600, ext. 262)
OPENING SOON TOCQUEVILLE
Jo-Ann Makovitzky and Marco Moreira’s Italian eatery relocates to larger space just two doors down from its original
location in November. In its new digs, Tocqueville will offer a
75-seat dining room, a 20-seat bar, and a 30-seat mezzaninelevel private room. The original location will become a private event space. (1 East 15th St., 212.647.1515)
TOP OF THE TOWER
Located on the 26th floor of the Beekman Tower Hotel, this
1,300-square-foot restaurant combines Art Deco design
with views of Manhattan from its wraparound terrace and
live piano entertainment. The Top of the Tower’s dining
room seats 100 or holds 125 for a reception. (3 Mitchell
Place, 212.980.4796)
TOWN
Inside the Chambers Hotel is Town, a bilevel, elegant restaurant with 24-foot ceilings with rich wooden walls, glowing
lights, and backlit wooden panels. The mezzanine holds 150
for receptions; the balcony, which overlooks the main dining
room, seats 55; and the main dining room seats 110. (15
West 56th St., 212.582.4445)
TRATTORIA DELL’ARTE
The Fireman Hospitality Group’s Trattoria Dell’Arte has tiled
floors, fireplaces, half-finished paintings, and sculptures
throughout the dining space, modeled after a Tuscan artist’s
studio. It offers several private rooms, including the 17-seat
wine room, the 44-seat Bomorza Room, and the 80-seat Il
Naso Room. (900 Seventh Ave., 212.265.0100)
TRATTORIA DOPO TEATRO
Its location draws a pretheater crowd, but this restaurant’s
intricately decorated private spaces are available especially
for events. In addition to its 100-seat main dining room,
Dopo Teatro offers its 35-seat theatre room, 30-seat
American Room, 100-seat wine cellar, 12-seat grappa library,
and the ornate 60-seat secret garden for events. The entire
restaurant seats 300, or holds 500 for receptions. (125 West
44th St., 212.869.2849)
NEW TRE DICI
Giuseppe Fanelli (Rao’s) opened Tre Dici, a new Italian
restaurant in Chelsea, in May. Designed by MJ Macaluso &
Associates, the intimate space features curved terra-cottacolored walls, onyx cocktail tables, and silver leather banquettes. On the menu are paper-thin brick oven pizzas with
creative toppings like braised duck with caramelized onion
and robiola cheese. (128 West 26th St., 212.243.8183)
TRIBECA GRILL
Co-owned by Robert De Niro, the Tribeca Grill opened in
1990 on the ground floor of the old Martinson Coffee Building
as part of the Tribeca Film Center. The banquet loft seats 120
or holds 200 for receptions. The private skylight room seats 40
or holds 50 for receptions. (375 Greenwich St., 212.941.3905)
TRIOMPHE
Tucked inside the ground floor of the theater district’s
Iroquois Hotel is Triomphe, the boutique hotel’s 38-seat inhouse restaurant. Le Petit Triomphe, the restaurant’s 30-seat
private dining room, features a red and white marble floor, its
own bar, and a 42-inch flat-screen TV for presentations. (49
West 44th St., 212.453.4211)
TROPICA
Framed art, wicker chairs, and potted plants dot this
Restaurant Associates-owned venue, which has a white dining room, and a modern, open square bar lined with steel
chairs. Tropica’s dining room seats 70 and the dining lounge
holds 50 for receptions; the entire space seats 160 or holds
200 for receptions. (200 Park Ave., 212.949.8248)
TSE YANG
Chinese cuisine is served in an elegant and formal setting
with coffered ceilings, delicate antiques, silk cushions, and
high-backed chairs. Named for an area of China’s Forbidden
City, the atmosphere here is peaceful, perfect for quiet meetings. Tse Yang’s three small private rooms seat 20 guests
each, and can be combined. The entire restaurant seats 120.
(34 East 51st St., 212.688.5447)
TUPELO GRILL
Across the street from Madison Square Garden, the 140-seat
Tupelo Grill is surrounded by large windows and has simple
decor. There are two private dining rooms: the tap room
seats 35 or holds 40 for receptions; and the board room
seats 40 or holds 60 for receptions. The entire restaurant
holds 500 for receptions. (1 Penn Plaza, 212.760.2700)
TUSCAN SQUARE
In Rockefeller Center, the 12,000-square-foot Tuscan Square
is part restaurant, part marketplace. The marketplace offers
cooking classes and sells espresso, focaccia, and homemade
mozzarella, among other products. The 250-seat dining
space upstairs features murals of the Italian countryside and
offers a 30- and 60-seat private dining rooms. (16 West 51st
St., 212.977.7777)
PHOTO: NILS PRESTON-SCHLEBUSCH
which diners cook pieces of raw meat and vegetables in a
pot of boiling broth at the table) restaurants that started in
Taiwan, opened its first American outpost in Midtown in
February. The space is filled with crimson upholstered seats,
white stone walls, and dark brown wood tables and chairs. A
private room seats eight. (125 East 39th St., 212.867.6999)
SHEEP MEADOW CAFÉ
On the northern edge of Central Park’s 15-acre Sheep
Meadow, this summer favorite is a snack bar during the day
and an upscale outdoor grill at night. Specializing in food
grilled over a charcoal fire, the café seats 250 or holds 500 for
receptions. (69th St. and Central Park West, 212.396.4100
SHELLY’S NEW YORK
A block north of Carnegie Hall, Shelly’s offers classic Art
Deco decor in a massive four-story space. The steak and
seafood restaurant has five private event spaces: the largest,
the fourth-floor, 180-seat penthouse ballroom, holds 225 for
receptions; the 40-seat celebration room holds 60 for receptions; a terrace seats 60; and the Deco Room seats 27. (104
West 57th St., 212.245.2422)
SHULA’S STEAKHOUSE
Former Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula’s steak house is
one of the Westin Times Square’s in-house restaurants.
The basement space is dedicated to the Dolphins’ 1972
undefeated season, featuring photographs of games lining the warm brown and gold walls and menus painted on
official NFL pigskins. The steak house also has a 60-seat
private room and the No Name Lounge. (270 West 43rd
St., 212.201.2758)
SHUN LEE PALACE
Shun Lee Palace is a novelty: It’s a Chinese restaurant that
actually attempts to provide aesthetically pleasing surroundings for its delectable cuisine. Designed by Adam Tihany, it
offers two semiprivate dining rooms: one seats 20, and the
second seats 30. (155 East 55th St., 212.371.8844)
NEW SILVERLEAF TAVERN
Opened in October 2004, the in-house restaurant at the 70
Park Avenue Hotel has a New American menu from executive chef Kevin Reilly (Zoë, Union Square Café). Designed by
Bob Puccini of the San Francisco-based Puccini Restaurant
Group, the dining room seats 76, and the lounge seats an
additional 49. A 16-seat outdoor patio with views of Park
Avenue South is available in the warmer months. (43 East
38th St., 212.973.2550)
66
There isn’t much that hasn’t been written about 66, JeanGeorges Vongerichten’s Chinese restaurant in TriBeCa—
Richard Meier’s design makes the nearby Chinatown restaurants pale in comparison, and after Mercer Kitchen’s success,
critics were poised for another victory from the restaurateur.
There’s no private room in the 6,500-square-foot space, but it
does seat 106 in the dining room, 40 at the dim sum and noodle bar, and 40 in the lounge. (241 Church St., 212.925.0202)
SMITH & WOLLENSKY
Possibly as famous for its wines as its sirloins and filet
mignons, Smith & Wollensky is a traditional steak house, with
dark wooden furnishings and brass accents. Four private
rooms with skylights on the second floor can be used separately or combined. The entire space seats 390. (797 Third
Ave., 212.753.1530)
NEW SMOKED
The East Village space once occupied by Ike was replaced in
April by Smoked, a new barbecue restaurant from Michael
Satsky, Bruce Bronster, and Tennessee Titan linebacker Keith
Bulluck. Executive chef Kenneth Collins has devised an
upscale take on classic barbecue for the joint, which has a
Southern Pride smoker, a wood-paneled ceiling, graffiti on the
walls, and old barn doors. (103 Second Ave., 212.388.0388)
NEW SOGO NY
This new Asian fusion restaurant, owned by Sunny Lee
(Green Tea Café, Galaxy 45), opened in SoHo in January.
Forgoing the wooden accents found in most sushi and sake
bars, the 50-seat space is sleek and modern, has an ultraviolet glow, and includes a fountain on the back wall. (337B
West Broadway, 212.966.2113)
SOLO
This 140-seat kosher restaurant inside Midtown’s Sony Atrium
has three private dining options: the 25-seat chef’s table and
two 20-seat private rooms separated from the main dining
room by a sliding glass door. Cork floors, ostrich-leather seating, and a wall lined with bottles of olive oil are among Solo’s
design highlights. (550 Madison Ave., 212.833.7800)
SOUTHWEST NY
SouthWest NY serves contemporary American southwest
fare in its 13,000 square feet on the waterfront. A retail space
provides catering and takeout options, an area of the restaurant can be cordoned off for meetings for 100, and in the
summer, tables are available outdoors. The entire space,
including the outdoor area, can seat 700. (225 Liberty St., 2
World Financial Center, 212.945.0538)
SPARKS STEAK HOUSE
This straightforward steak house’s decor matches the no-fuss
fare. A former Mob hangout, Sparks was established in 1966
and today offers five private rooms with dark wood furnishings and red carpeting that can seat 175 guests. The main
dining room seats 750. (210 East 46th St., 212.687.4806)
SPICE MARKET
This cavernous market-style restaurant has diners captivated
in a meatpacking district Aladdin fantasy world. Reservations
are hard to get, but the front of house is first-rate. A long, chic
bar keeps a few diners on hold, but most 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
9/7/05
21 CLUB
Born during Prohibition, the 21 Club offers traditional
American cuisine from chef John Greeley. The four-story
space offers 10 private dining rooms. Upstairs at 21 is a 32seat dining room with four wall murals painted by Brooklyn
artist Wynne Evans depicting New York landmarks in the
1930’s. The more intimate, 300-square-foot room in the wine
cellar seats 22. (21 West 52nd St., 212.582.1400)
212 RESTAURANT & BAR
Offering chef Nestor Yumiguano’s New American cuisine
on the Upper East Side, this restaurant can seat 80 in the
first-floor dining room and 14 in the outdoor terrace.
Upstairs is a private room that seats 60 or holds 80 for
receptions, equipped with an audiovisual projection system, Internet access, and digital surround sound. (133 East
65th St., 212.249.6565)
UNCLE JACK’S STEAKHOUSE
The decor at this 200-seat steak house includes dark woods,
banquette seating, and red velvet drapes. There are two private party rooms, the 14-seat library and the 65-seat El
Presidente. The smaller 80-seat Bayside location offers a 20seat private dining room on the lower level. (440 Ninth Ave.,
212.244.0005; 39-40 Bell Blvd., Queens, 718.229.1100)
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 like crazy for a spot at the bar, and
some folks take clients here again and again and again. (21
East 16th St., 212.243.4020)
UPTOWN RESTAURANT & LOUNGE
On the Upper East Side, Uptown offers 3,300 square feet
of dining space with large brown banquettes in the rear of
the restaurant, low ceilings, and four levels that can be used
for semiprivate dining. Each tier can seat 40, or the entire
space can seat 120 or hold 250 for receptions. (1576 Third
Ave., 212.828.1388)
VELA
A Japanese menu with Brazilian touches awaits diners at
Vela, a pretty, 120-seat restaurant in the Flatiron district.
The entry has a dramatic waterfall, while the dining room
has dark woods and tables with hydraulic systems that can
raise the table height from 22 inches to 30 inches. The
entire space can hold 350 for receptions. (55 West 21st St.,
212.675.8007)
VENTO
Vento is B. R. Guest’s casual Italian restaurant counterpart
to the fine Italian at Fiamma—they share the same chef,
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Michael White. The sprawling trilevel space in the meatpacking district has two floors for dining (seating 75 on the
main level and 110 on the second), a basement lounge
called Level V with a capacity for 200, and an outdoor café
that seats 150. (675 Hudson St., 212.699.2400)
VERITAS
Small and simply decorated, this 65-seat hidden gem has
gained a reputation for its extensive and impressive wine list
(more than 3,000 varieties). Chef Scott Bryan’s eclectic New
American fare is adventurous and creative—proof of the skills
he learned from his stints at Bouley, Le Bernardin, Lespinasse,
and Gotham Bar & Grill. (43 East 20th St., 212.353.3700)
VICEVERSA
This is Etcetera Etcetera’s sister restaurant, an understated
venue with clean lines, a stainless steel bar, dark wood
floors, and shelves showcasing terracotta vases.
Contemporary Italian dishes are served in the 70-seat dining room, with an adjacent bar that seats 45. For ambience,
a 25-seat outdoor garden provides a natural, pleasant view.
(325 West 51st St., 212.399.9291)
NEW VIET CAFÉ/GALLERY VIET NAM
In December 2004, owner and chef Lan Tran Cao brought
authentic cuisine from her native country to this warm
TriBeCa venue, decorated with Vietnamese art, lamps,
tables, stools, and silk lanterns. Sundays at Viet Café are
devoted to Lan’s cooking classes, which include lectures on
the history and culture of her homeland. Adjoining the
restaurant is a gallery displaying art and antiques from
Southeast Asia. (345 Greenwich St., 212.431.5888)
NEW THE VIEW
This revolving restaurant on the 47th floor of the Marriott
Marquis underwent a $4 million renovation and reopened in
October 2004. The space now features modern decor, and
the updated menu emphasizes New York State ingredients
and wines. The restaurant has 200 seats, and the lounge has
220. (1535 Broadway, 47th Floor, 212.704.8900)
VILLAGE
Chef and owner Stephen Lyle’s French-American bistro in
the West Village has a restored 1920’s skylight, maroon banquettes, and a mahogany bar. There’s no private room, but
Village has a semiprivate mezzanine that overlooks the 80seat main dining room. The entire space seats 150. (62 West
9th St., 212.505.3355)
VONG
In Philip Johnson’s famed Lipstick Building, Jean-Georges
Vongerichten’s Vong offers Asian-inspired cuisine in a dining
room with an eyeful of colors, fabrics, and decorative touches like a Buddha altar and Thai silk-covered pillows. The
entire space seats 143, and the Thai Room seats 13. (200
East 54th St., 212.486.9592)
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V STEAKHOUSE
Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s steak house in the Time
Warner Center is a decadent dining room filled with lush
red fabrics, gold and dark wood accents, and mirrors on the
walls. It’s not subtle, but it’s a far cry from most steak houses’ masculine, clubby decor. A semiprivate space curtained
from the 200-seat main dining room seats 30. (10
WATER CLUB
On the East River at 33rd Street, the Water Club is a spectacular restaurant and event venue with shimmering views of
Queens and Brooklyn. Banquet rooms are available on the
upper and lower levels. The 5,000-square-foot lower-level
barge can seat 460 or hold 1,075 for a reception. (FDR Drive
and the East River, 212.545.1155)
WATER STREET RESTAURANT & LOUNGE
This bilevel restaurant and lounge in Brooklyn’s Dumbo
neighborhood has three separate spaces in its 8,000 square
feet. The upstairs 3,000-square-foot restaurant holds 225 for
receptions and has brick walls and a 60-foot bar. The Roebling
Carriage Room holds 75 for receptions in 700 square feet of
space. The 2,600-square-foot Underwater Lounge has 20foot ceilings and steel columns, and holds 175 for receptions.
(66 Water St., Brooklyn, 718.625.9352)
NEW WAVERLY AT IFC CENTER
Catering company Great Performances operates this 55-seat
café, part of the Independent Film Channel’s newly opened
theater venue. Serving organic pub food—an upscale take
on casual dishes—the space features clean lines, exposed
brick, and a gray and purple color scheme. For private receptions, the café can hold 190 when combined with a tented
outdoor area. (323 Ave. of Americas, 212.727.2424)
WD-50
It’s twice the size of his old place, 71 Clinton Fresh Food, and
chef Wylie Dufresne packs them in for his inventive New
American cuisine. The main dining room seats 65 or holds
100 for a reception. The private wine cellar seats 14 guests.
(50 Clinton St., 212.477.2900)
WEST BANK CAFÉ
This theater district restaurant serves American fare from chef
John Lichtenberger; its main dining room seats 80 or holds
130 for receptions. Downstairs is the 80-seat Laurie
Beechman Theatre with a 20-foot mahogany bar, grand
piano, and dance floor. The downstairs also doubles as a
cabaret theater. (407 West 42nd St., 212.695.6909)
NEW WILDFLOWER
Owner and executive chef Jay Jadeja’s Greenwich Village
restaurant, which opened in January, serves eclectic
American cuisine. The venue has a 45-seat dining room
and an outdoor space that seats 15. The decor includes
fresh seasonal flowers, candles, and floral photographs.
(192 Bleecker St., 212.475.2355)
WILD LILY TEA ROOM
This Chelsea teahouse serving contemporary Asian cuisine
is a quiet spot for entertaining. The single room—with a
sunken carp pond filled with floating lilies and chrysanthemums—is suitable for small receptions of 32. The teahouse
also offers sake and tea tasting classes. (511-A West 22nd
St., 212.691.2258)
WOLFGANG’S STEAKHOUSE
After 41 years as a headwaiter at Brooklyn’s Peter Luger
Steak House, Wolfgang Zwiener opened this 120-seat dining
room, which features an original blue- and white-tiled
Guastavino vaulted ceiling. The restaurant sits beneath what
used to be the Vanderbilt Hotel. A private dining room seats
20. (4 Park Ave., 212.889.3369)
YUJIN
Yujin offers South American-influenced Japanese cuisine
from chef-owner Eiji Takase (formerly of Sushi Samba).
Designed by Theo Samurovich, the modern space has
29,500 wooden chopsticks vertically suspended above the
bar. The restaurant seats 120 or holds 200 for receptions. (24
East 12th St., 212.924.4283)
NEW YUMCHA
The decor and menu of this 1,400-square-foot Chinese
restaurant, which opened in March, blends modern style and
the traditional aesthetics of the Ming dynasty. Designed by
Glen Coben, Yumcha is a 55-seat space decorated with
deep reds, fuchsias, dark woods, and bamboo. The brightly
lit, open kitchen allows diners to watch and interact with the
chefs. (29 Bedford St., 212.524.6800)
ZANZIBAR
Part Mediterranean restaurant, part bar and lounge, Zanzibar
caters to post-theater diners. Owned by Emilio Barletta (owner
of Trattoria Dopo Teatro and Cascina), the space mixes industrial accents—poured concrete floors and a circular open-pit
fireplace—with a sleek backlit bar and a large projection TV.
Four dining rooms can be combined to seat 168 or hold 250
for receptions. (645 Ninth Ave., 212.957.9197)
ZARELA
Following the success of her televised cooking show and
cookbooks, Zarela Martinez opened a brightly colored
eatery in Murray Hill serving regional Mexican food familystyle in a homey environment. The upstairs dining room
can be closed for seated events for 85. (953 Second Ave.,
212.644.6740)
go to BiZBash.com
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RETAIL VENUES
The Townhouse @ Amuse
A
bove Amuse's critically acclaimed restaurant are four private dining rooms,
all of which are located within the multi-level landmark townhouse built
at the turn of the century.
For a unique "downtown" décor, head to The Lounge known for its pink &
silver palette, cozy banquettes & gothic lighting. Just next door is The Apartment,
a perfect setting for those who want to entertain in a Park Avenue Fashion.
Enjoy antique furniture arranged in a living room style complete with a baby
grand piano. The upstairs Matisse Loft has beautifully restored mahogany
bars, hardwood floors, sculpted wainscotting & high tin ceilings which capture
the elegance of "Old New York". Original Matisse prints adorn both the East &
West Wings, which may be used separately or together.
Each room has its own private entrance, elevator access, restrooms, coat check,
built-in sound system, audiovisual & internet capabilities. We can arrange for
any number of services, from event design & floral arrangements to music &
entertainment. The possibilities are limitless…
Amuse, 110 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011
Private Events: 212-929-3512, www.amusenyc.com
AMERICAN GIRL PLACE
This store holds 1,000 for receptions and has a 149-seat
café and a 133-seat theater. These spaces can be rented
individually or as a unit, during store hours and after it closes. In the café, on-site catering is provided by the Levy
Restaurant Association. (609 Fifth Ave., 877.247.5223)
ANDREW MARTIN GALLERY
This 6,000-square-foot furniture and accessories showroom
offers two floors of event space. The Midtown gallery features
Asian- and African-inspired decor adorned with an assortment of antique and tribal pieces. The windowless venue
holds 400 for a reception. (22 East 59th St., 212.688.4498)
NEW AN EARNEST CUT & SEW
High-end denim brand Earnest Sewn opened a 2,500square-foot retail location in the meatpacking district in
April. The space, available for events, holds 300. Design
accents include a copper-colored tin ceiling, exposed brick
walls, wood floors, and early-20th-century light fixtures.
(821 Washington St., 212.242.3414)
BANCHET FLOWERS
This meatpacking distict floral atelier owned by designer
Banchet Jaigla doubles as an event space—with existing
flowers serving as decor. The 1,000-square-foot space will
expand by roughly 800 square feet with the opening of
Flower Bar—a bar and lounge scheduled to open in
September 2005. The two spaces will hold 125 for receptions when combined. (809 Washington St., 212.989.1088)
NEW BUILD-A-BEAR WORKSHOP STORE
The St. Louis-based international teddy bear retailer
opened its first permanent New York location in July with a
22,000-square-foot flagship store in Midtown. Along with
bear-making stations and retail space, the venue has a dining area and three private event spaces that hold 20 guests
each. (565 Fifth Ave., 877.789.2327)
DIANE VON FURSTENBERG STUDIO
This private studio, positioned in the back of the fashion
designer’s West Village retail store, holds 150 for a seated
event or 300 for a reception. Both the retail space and the
private studio space are available for events on weekends.
(389 West 12th St., 212.741.6607)
DUNHILL
This bilevel clothing and tobacco emporium has 5,500 square
feet of store space that holds 250 guests for receptions or 20
for seated events on the second level. The Midtown space
features an automotive-inspired masculine interior with car
parts—such as fenders, grills, and hood ornaments—decorating the walls. (711 Fifth Ave., 212.753.9292)
DYLAN’S CANDY BAR
This Upper East Side candy store offers 10,000 square feet
of space with two event rooms: one seats 60, the other
seats 150 or holds 225 for a reception. The entire venue
seats 200 or holds 450 for a reception, and features flatscreen TVs. Dylan’s also has an outdoor space for 30
guests. (1011 Third Ave., 646.735.0078)
HOUSING WORKS USED BOOK CAFÉ
AIDS nonprofit Housing Works operates this used bookstore in SoHo. It has 4,000 square feet of space, 20-foot
ceilings, and a classic library look with mahogany paneling
and a balcony accessed by spiral staircases. The store holds
120 for seated events or 275 for receptions. (126 Crosby
St., 212.966.0466 ext. 1104)
NEW JACQUES TORRES CHOCOLATE HAVEN
Chocolatier Jacques Torres’ Manhattan facility, opened in
November 2004, is a 2,500-square-foot space encased in
glass walls that overlooks the 8,000-square-foot chocolate
factory. The venue can hold 400. Arrangements can be
made for Torres to give private demonstrations. (350 Hudson
St., 212.414.2462)
L’OLIVIER DOWNTOWN
Floral designer Olivier Giugni’s Chelsea retail operation has
1,500 square feet of space that holds 100 for receptions.
The loft has large windows, a stationary block often used as
a bar, and artwork. The venue also has a garden. (213 West
14th St., 212.255.2828)
LOUNGE
This clothing store has a total of 16,000 square feet on two
floors available for events. The venue overlooks Broadway,
with the largest space capable of holding 1,000 for a reception. A stationary bar and a DJ station are on the ground
level. (593 Broadway, 212.226.7585)
NBA STORE
This 35,000-square-foot retail space has two floors available
for events. On one floor is a half-court that allows guests to
test their shooting skills. The upper level holds store merchandise, but can also be booked for events. The bilevel space
holds 1,000 for receptions, and guests can use the store’s
broadcast studio and giant video board on the lower level.
(666 Fifth Ave., 212.515.6221)
TOYS “R” US TIMES SQUARE
The entire store is not available for events, but it offers two
private rooms. The 1,150-square-foot skybox glass conference room overlooks the store, and holds 75 for receptions
or seats 60, while the 1,800-square-foot pavilion holds 175
for receptions or seats 100. (1514 Broadway, 646.366.8800)
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SPAS & RELAXATION PLACES
NEW ATHENA SPA
This Greek-themed facility opened in Murray Hill in May.
Athena is a 7,000-square-foot therapeutic spa that features
separate floors for women and men, as well as a hwangto
igloo (that’s a unisex dry sauna). It also has a small bar for
refreshments. (32 East 31st St., 212.683.4484)
AVON SALON & SPA
The posh look and feel of Avon Salon & Spa befits its Trump
Tower location. It closed one of its two meeting rooms in
June; the remaining room holds 50. Avon also offers beauty
treatments in its full-service spa facility. (Trump Tower, 725
Fifth Ave., 212.310.6327)
BLISS SPA
Avid fans of the Bliss spas have a new location to enjoy: Bliss
49, in the W New York hotel, is Marcia Kilgore’s third spa,
offering a full range of treatments, including a hangoverhealing facial and haircuts and blowouts. It also sells products from lines like the ultra-high-end La Mer, as well as its
own. (19 East 57th St., 3rd Floor; 568 Broadway, 2nd Floor;
W New York, 541 Lexington Ave., 212.931.6383, ext.1409)
CLAY
Clay is a 20,000-square-foot health club that features a
coed lounge with a fireplace. Events at the facility can use
a roof deck open March through September, with seating
where guests can dine on selections from all-organic caterer Fancy Girl. There are individual saunas and massage
rooms, and a spa offering three new services this year:
microdermabrasion, microdermabrasion with oxygen treatment, and a firm-and-tone treatment. (25 West 14th St.,
212.206.9200)
NEW CORNELIA DAY RESORT
This 20,000-square-foot luxury spa opened in January in the
Salvatore Ferragamo flagship. It has 11 private treatment
rooms, a library with chaise lounges, the city’s only “watsu”
pool (which combines shiatsu massage and warm water), a
rooftop area, and an outdoor bar and lounge. Cornelia also
has a conference room, and its exclusive caterer, Abigail
Kirsch, operates the 35-seat outdoor café. (663 Fifth Ave.,
8th Floor, 212.871.3050)
FAINA DAY SPA
European-style Faina—opened by a former practicing
M.D.—has been in Midtown since 1989. The spa uses salt
from Hungary, mud from Italy, and fragrances from France.
The space has six treatment rooms, and can host groups of
eight. (157 West 57th St., 212.245.6557)
FOUR SEASONS HOTEL SPA
This luxe spa was renovated in 2003 and features nine treatment rooms. The atmosphere is as posh as the hotel that
houses it—and relaxation treatments include specialty services for men. For groups staying at the hotel, treatments can be
arranged in guests’ rooms. (57 East 57th St., 212.758.5700)
GREAT JONES SPA
Great Jones is a day spa on a massive scale: in its 15,000
square feet, it features multiple levels, three-story waterfalls, 20
treatment rooms, a café, and a huge river-rock sauna. The
space can be booked for events of 200 people, with or without use of the spa facilities. (29 Great Jones St., 212.505.3185)
GREENHOUSE SPA
This Midtown spa—part of a chain that began in Texas—has
a modern design in a spacious setting on multiple levels.
Greenhouse can host events that integrate spa services with
consulting from an in-house dermatologist, and offerings
include special treatments for men. Corporate reward packages are also available. (127 East 57th St., 212.644.4449)
HEAVEN DAY SPA AT THE MANNING
INSTITUTE
Dr. Lance Manning practiced medicine for 20 years before
opening Heaven Day Spa, a downtown facility focused on
healthy living through detoxification. The airy, light spa is
housed in a former printing press, and features Hudson River
views. The institute also has a café. (47 West St.,
212.785.0440)
HILTON FITNESS CLUB & SPA
After a meeting in the Hilton Hotel—or even before—take
guests to this 8,000-square-foot fitness center, which offers
steam rooms, saunas, cardiovascular machines, and
strength-training equipment. The spa facility has nine rooms
and Caribbean decor, including bamboo, printed throws,
chaise lounges, and incense. (1335 Ave. of the Americas,
212.261.5903)
JOHN ALLAN’S
The idea behind John Allan’s properties is a retro focus on
male grooming in a clublike environment. The full-service
salons feature billiard tables, leather chairs, wooden ceiling
fans, and jazz—a cool choice for a crowd of, say, men’s magazine editors. (46 East 46th St., 212.922.0361; 95 Trinity
Place, 212.406.3000)
LA CASA DAY SPA/INSPARATION
La Casa director and owner Jane Goldberg has a Ph.D. in
mind and body health; she offers treatments based on the
principle that the elements of earth, sky, water, and fire have
healing properties. Insparation is La Casa’s sister spa in the
92nd Street Y. (La Casa: 41 East 20th St., 212.673.2272;
Insparation: 1395 Lexington Ave., 212.415.5795)
LA PRAIRIE
Located at the Ritz-Carlton at Central Park, La Prairie features
six treatment rooms including one wet room, a women's
lounge, and steam rooms for both men and women. Clients
can choose their own music to play during treatments. (50
Central Park South, 212.521.6135)
NEW L’INSTITUT SOTHYS PARIS—NEW YORK
Indulge clients with spa treatments at the first U.S. spa from
Cornelia Day Resort
Serenity Spa
the luxury French skin-care company. The institute has 10
treatment rooms and a hydrotherapy room, plus a shop and
reception area that can serve as event space for 75. The
curved staircase would be a stylish alternative to a runway for
fashion shows. A small café can serve as a food or wine station. (37 West 57th St., 212.688.9400)
MAXIMUS
This 6,000-square-foot salon and spa, housed in a turn-ofthe-century building, blends a chic SoHo look with a New
Age, high-tech approach to beauty. It has a hair salon
upstairs, and a stylish, curving hair color table with hookups
for computers. The venue features a two-story sculpture,
beaded metal curtains, and leather banquettes. (15 Mercer
St., 212.431.3333)
NICKEL SPA FOR MEN
The 4,500-square-foot men-only Nickel Spa has seven treatment rooms on two stories, as well as manicure and pedicure
stations and a lounge. The spa’s design was intended to
mimic the look of a submarine, with chrome walls and cobalt
lighting. (77 Eighth Ave., 212.242.3203)
OPENING SOON OAKEANOS
Oakeanos is a 4,500-square-foot spa scheduled to open in
Midtown this fall with seven treatment rooms. It will feature
traditional Russian treatments—steam and sauna followed
by an ice-cold plunge—in a cedar room. The treatment
rooms feature Tuscan stone tiles, and a lounge is built in the
style of 1930’s ocean liners. (211 East 51st St. For more information, call LSZ Communications: 917.693.8602)
OASIS DAY SPA
Oasis Day Spa now has three Manhattan locations, as
well as a facility in the JetBlue terminal at Kennedy
Airport. The Park Avenue location offers a full-service hair
and nail salon, and there are studio classes, like yoga and
Pilates, at the Park and Affinia Dumont locations. (Affinia
Dumont Hotel: 150 East 34th St.; 108 East 16th St.; 1
Park Ave.; JetBlue Terminal; all: 212.254.7722)
OC 61 SALON & SPA
Louise O'Connor's spa has two garden terraces. Signature
treatments include an acupuncture facial and a super-luxe
pedicure that includes a foot soak using rose petals, milk,
and honey; an herbal exfoliation and masque; a massage;
and polish. The spa also offers brunch packages that include
food and treatments. (33 East 61st St., 212.935.6261)
PENINSULA NEW YORK HEALTH CLUB & SPA
This 35,000-square-foot health club and spa atop the
Peninsula Hotel features an indoor pool overlooking Fifth
Avenue (from 21 floors up) and a sundeck. The facility
also offers a full-service spa, steam and wet saunas, and
exercise equipment—and a view guests can brag about
to colleagues. (700 Fifth Ave., 212.903.3910)
SERENITY SPA
The year-old Serenity Spa in the flower district has peach-colored decor and soft music. Its owners are unusual massage
purveyors: Glenn and Maria Hardy, a criminal defense lawyer
and an architect, respectively. Serenity offers body treatments, massages, facials, nail care, and waxing. The spa
hosts groups of 10. (776 Sixth Ave., 212.481.7898)
SIMPLY SPA
This spa books appointments by time, not by service. This
allows guests to wait until the day of their appointment to
choose treatments. The decor is pared down, and the space
has four treatment rooms and enough noise insulation that
its location above busy crosstown thoroughfare West 14th is
not a distraction. (104 West 14th St., 212.647.8919)
SKINCARELAB
The look of this SoHo venue founded by dermatologist Brad
Katchem is modern and minimalist, with light wood flooring
and stainless steel walls. The spa—which caters mostly to men,
although women are welcome—offers each client an individual treatment room for privacy and comfort. Treatments
include chemical peels, microdermabrasion, Botox, and laser
hair removal. (568 Broadway, Suite 403, 212.334.3142)
SOHO SANCTUARY
The Soho Sanctuary day spa for women features skin-care,
facial, and massage treatments, as well as instruction in yoga,
Pilates, and Gyrotonics. It also has a revolving menu of seasonappropriate treatments, like sunless tanning and body polishing in the summer. (119 Mercer St., 212.334.5550)
SPA AT CHELSEA PIERS
Located in a corner of the gym in the Chelsea Piers recreation complex, this spa offers treatment rooms for all the
therapeutic standards: massage, manicure, pedicure, reflexology, waxing, skin care, and aromatherapy. For real pampering, packages for up to five hours of services are available.
(Pier 60, 23rd St. at the Hudson River, 212.336.6780)
To search our comprehensive directory of
more than 8,000 event vendors, go to
BiZBash.com.
173
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PHOTO: GREGORY CROFT
STADIUMS & ARENAS
ARTHUR ASHE STADIUM/USTA NATIONAL
TENNIS CENTER
Home of the U.S. Open, the four-level Arthur Ashe Stadium
in Queens, designed by Rossetti Associates Architects, features state-of-the-art broadcast and audio systems, 90 luxury suites, five restaurants, a bilevel players’ lounge, and
seating for 22,547. The USTA Center also includes the
Louis Armstrong Stadium, the Grandstand courts, and 42
additional indoor and outdoor courts. (Flushing MeadowsCorona Park, 718.760.6280)
BELMONT PARK
Belmont is a 430-acre racetrack in Elmont, New York. The
park offers restaurants and event spaces for entertaining,
including the Garden Terrace, a full-service trackside
restaurant. The track is the home of the Belmont Stakes
horse race, and can hold 90,000 people, with trackside dining for 1,800 and stadium seating for 32,941. (2150
Hempstead Tpk., Elmont, N.Y., 888.285.5961)
CONTINENTAL AIRLINES ARENA
Part of the Meadowlands Sports Complex, Continental
Airlines Arena is home to the New Jersey Nets and the
New Jersey Devils, as well as nonsporting events. The
arena holds about 20,000, and luxury suites and the
Winners Club restaurant are available for corporate events.
(50 State Route 120, East Rutherford, N.J., 800.601.3804)
GIANTS STADIUM
This facility in the Meadowlands Sports Complex is the
only stadium in the country to house two NFL teams, the
New York Jets and the New York Giants. It has a total
capacity of more than 80,000, and offers suites for corporate entertaining. (50 State Route 120, East Rutherford,
N.J., 800.601.3804)
NEW ICAHN STADIUM
The $42 million Icahn Stadium opened with a big ceremony
in April as part of the Randall’s Island Sports Foundation’s
plans to restore and develop Randall’s Island Park. The stadium seats 5,000 in the covered section, with total seating for
10,000. The venue can only be used for track-and-fieldrelated events. RCano is the exclusive caterer. (20 Randall’s
Island, 212.830.7722)
KEYSPAN PARK
This ballpark, which houses the minor league Brooklyn
Cyclones, was built in 2001 and can be rented for groups
to play baseball. It has a capacity of 8,000. There is a designated area available for rental on a nightly basis, and
suites are available on single-night or yearly basis. (1904
Surf Ave., Brooklyn, 718.449.8497)
Icahn Stadium
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
Home to the New York Knicks and Rangers, this multipurpose facility holds 20,000 people, with a theater that seats
5,600 for events. In addition to the arena and theater, the
Garden also features an expo center, a restaurant, and nearly 100 private boxes. (4 Penn Plaza, 212.465.6710)
MEADOWLANDS RACETRACK
This Meadowlands complex holds 40,000 guests in its
racetrack and betting facilities. Aramark caters the
President's Room, which holds 40 for receptions, and the
terrace suite dining room, which holds 60 for receptions.
(50 State Route 120, East Rutherford, N.J., 201.460.4043)
RICHMOND COUNTRY BANK BALLPARK AT
ST. GEORGE
The Staten Island Yankees (the New York Yankees’ minor
league affiliate) play at this stadium overlooking New York
Harbor. The park is right next to the Staten Island Ferry terminal, and its more than 6,000 seats offer great views of the
city skyline. (75 Richmond Terr., Staten Island, 718.720.9265)
SHEA STADIUM
Home to the Mets, the park holds more than 54,000, and
features luxury boxes and a picnic area for 1,400. The stadium also has private rooms for groups, and catering by
Aramark available before and after games. The facility has
Glatt Kosher concessions by caterer Glatt Strikly Kosher.
(123-01 Roosevelt Ave., Queens, 718.565.4348)
YANKEE STADIUM
Yankee Stadium holds nearly 58,000. For events, it offers a
luxury suite, a Hall of Fame suite for 30 people, or the Great
Moments Room for a pregame event. The new Yankees
stadium will go up adjacent to the existing park in
Macombs Dam Park. Construction of the new 51,000-seat
stadium is expected to begin in 2006, and should be finished for the 2009 season. (161st St. at the Harlem River,
Bronx, 718.579.4431)
./4 ALL 2ESTAURANTS ARE 4HE 3AME
$JANGO WHERE THE &RENCH 2IVIERA MEETS -IDTOWN -ANHATTAN
7HETHER HOSTING INTIMATE DINNERS IN OUR 0RIVATE $INING 2OOM OR UTILIZING THE
WHOLE "ILEVEL RESTAURANT FOR 'ALA %VENTS UP TO SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Having an event in Toronto?
We’ve got
you
covered...
D&D Florals
Liberty Entertainment Group
253 Summerlea Road, Unit 17
Brampton, Ontario, Canada L6T 5T8
905.789.0911
www.floraldesigns.ca
D&D Florals’ unequalled creativity and committed service have added a touch of beauty and
magic to special events since 1998.
25 British Columbia Road, Exhibition Place
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6K 3C3
416.542.3789
www.libertygroup.com
Liberty Entertainment Group has created many of
Toronto’s landmark restaurants and entertainment
venues, including the Liberty Grand, Rosewater
Supper Club, and Courthouse Market Grille.
Ginger Island Cuisine
Mississauga Convention Centre
2635 Eglinton West
York, Ontario, Canada M6M 1T6
416.657.7957
www.gingerisland.ca
Our cutting-edge cuisine, stylish presentation
and attentive staff will add a new dimension to
your next catered affair.
75 Derry Road West
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5W 1G3
905.564.1920
www.mississaugaconvention.com
The Mississauga Convention Centre boasts
more than 30,000 square feet of unobstructed
convention and meeting space. Our venue can
accommodate corporate and social events of as
many as 2,000 attendees.
IceMan
National Trade Centre
782 Adelaide St. West
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6J 1E4
416.504.6615
www.the-iceman.com
A leader in specialty decor, the IceMan team
creates innovative, dynamic, and creative ice
sculptures. Our goal is to exceed our clients’
expectations with every project.
100 Princes Blvd., Exhibition Place
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6K 3C3
416.263.3000
www.ntc.on.ca
With more than one million square feet, the
National Trade Centre is Canada's largest exhibition and convention facility.
Incredible Novelties Inc.
Premier Coach
155 West Beaver Creek Road, Unit 9
Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada L4B 1E1
905.881.9900
www.incrediblenovelties.com
Incredible Novelties is a one-stop party shop.
We specialize in entertainment promotional
items, trendy party favors and LED products. If
you can't find a product, call us, we will.
20 Grampian Ave.
Maple, Ontario, Canada L6A 2A3
905.303.1307
www.premiercoach.ca
Premier Coach is a full-service ground transportation company based in Toronto. We provide
a full range of vehicles that can accommodate
any size conference or meeting. A highly experienced and well-trained staff will ensure that
all of your needs are met.
Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate Winery
Under Wraps
2145 Regional Road 55
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada L0S 1J0
866.589.4637
www.jacksontriggswinery.com
Imagine hosting your guests at the exclusive
Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate Winery, where
world-class wines are surpassed only by our
service. Host your next corporate event at our
state-of-the-art winery.
8611 Weston Road, Units 26 and 27
Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada L4L 1P1
905.265.9928
www.underwrapsdecor.com
Beyond the realm of an ordinary rental company,
Under Wraps will become your “architects of
style.” With over 30 styles of chair covers to
choose from and hundreds of exquisite table
linens, Under Wraps is your only source!
$JANGO WAS DESIGNED FOR %VENT FLEXIBILITY
0RIVATE "REAKFASTS s ,UNCH s $INNER s #OCKTAIL 2ECEPTIONS
0REMIERES s 0RODUCT ,AUNCHES s 7EDDINGS s "AR"AT -ITZVAHS
0LEASE #ONTACT 4HE 3PECIAL %VENTS $EPARTMENT
AT OR EMAIL US AT EVENTS MSRPGROUPCOM
Contact us:
Kyle Hosick
phone: 416.425.6380x220
email: [email protected]
P 176 Ted.jb.FINAL
9/2/05
2:19 PM
Page 176
TED KRUCKEL
And the Winner,
I Mean Loser, Is...
Herewith, the nominations for the Event Mishap Hall of Fame.
BEST USE OF THE CALL OUT “TIMBER!” Years ago at an elegant
luncheon in the Four Seasons Pool Room, guests had just taken their seats
to watch a presentation by Advertising Age debuting a much-needed (yet,
sadly, disappointing) redesign. But someone forgot those sand bag things
that anchor the ladder units upon which the elaborate presentation projectors sat. Do you remember the scene from The Poseidon Adventure,
when Gene Hackman finally loses grasp of the giant Christmas tree, sending it spectacularly into the drink, maiming and dismembering all in its
path? This was better.
WAR OF THE WAITING LINES: BEST EVENING DELAY DRAMA
Fearful that one of the invited guests would use their Motorola to bootleg/broadcast a copy of its Spielberg-helmed masterpiece, Paramount
banned all cellular and PDA devices, not to mention all women’s purses,
from the premiere of War of the Worlds. But they were either too dumb
or too cheap to spring for the extra coat check staff needed to handle a surrendered item from virtually every attending guest. Print reporters were
also banned, but it’s my guess this was because wee Tommy Cruise realized that his butt and thighs looked awful big (and girly) in the final cut.
Off to the liposuctioner, methinks.
IT’S UPSIDE DOWN AND BACKWARD, RIGHT?: THE CLUELESS
AWARD Do you remember when the Andy awards, which saluted the
year’s best commercials, were kind of a big deal? One year they even had a
prime-time network broadcast. But they lost some steam another year
when the organizer apparently had some sort of, well, problem. Guests
arrived to find no seating lists or corporate reserved tables but amazingly
the crowd somehow assembled to await the awards. (Be honest, if you were
nominated, you’d have stuck it out too, right?)
Well, after 45 minutes and thunderous clap-clapping, Mr. Impresario
arrived clutching some slide trays and muttering about being “almost finished” with his preparations. Nominees took matters into their own hands,
rushed the stage in a Madison Avenue version of Day of the Locust and
wrestled for the statuettes. The event videographer, grumpy at not being
paid, had already decamped, so no footage remains of this extraordinary
happenstance. Sigh.
IN MOROCCO, NO ONE CAN HEAR YOU SCREAM: WORST
OFF-SITE EVER? Going back in time, nothing was more looked forward
to than a party hosted by magnate/biker queen Malcolm Forbes. To be the
recipient of his largesse once guaranteed you’d accept again and again.
176
And upon tarmac arrival prior to the private plane liftoff for his Moroccan
birthday party, a boxed lunch from Le Cirque was all the reassurance you
needed to board.
Ha! Fooled ya!
While Malcolm couldn’t be blamed for the heat wave, his choice of
non-air-conditioned hotels had guests sleeping poolside upon chaises to
escape the heat. Add two days of bad food and even worse service, and the
result was some pretty frazzled nerves for the final soiree. So when the
entertainment, a regiment of turbaned cavalry, concluded their confusing
performance by firing their weapons in the direction of the banquet, guests
literally ran for the hills. Being informed later that the rounds were blanks
did not stop the sniping, and within days gossip columns were hinting that
the amour between Mr. Forbes and La Liz Taylor was a Tom/Katie kind of
thing, and that the easy availability of Moroccan call boys was the real raison d’être of the birthday locale. Oh dear.
Phones were fine on the red
carpet, but not inside the War
of the Worlds premiere.
IT WAS HARD WHEN WE STARTED: FAILED ERECTION AWARD
A recent Snapple publicity stunt aimed to draw attention by erecting a 40foot ice pop would be recorded for eternity by the Guinness World
Records scribes, who were on hand.
Despite the presumably ice-knowledgeable vendor, Art Below Zero,
the tower lost its backbone in Union Square Park well before it reached its
intended girth. Instead, this giant pink ice-popper gushed all over the
streets. Pedestrians and cyclists splished and splashed their way to the hospital, while Snapple red-facers promised a donation to help clean up.
I love a parade.
DO I LOOK GOOD IN NUTRIA?: BEST SELF-HELP COSTUMING
In the 80’s there was an annual Euro-trash holiday benefit called the Red ball
that was run by some tall French guy. I think his name was Marc. Everybody
used to go. This is not to be confused with the event now run by producer
Marty Richards for the Children’s Advocacy Center, which is legit.
Anyway, one year, young ladies impatient to get to the Au Bar after-
party (remember Au Bar?) couldn’t handle the coat check delay another
minute, and thus began hiking their long, bias-cut satin red gowns and
jumping the divider. Then, frustrated upon not finding their garments
amid the hangers, one girl called out, “I’m just taking this one.”
Have you ever seen young socialites given the green light to grab the
best fur in the room? Let me tell you, the girls can move. A warning to you
outer-garment grabbers: Since I never wear an overcoat, I was free to carefully take notes, and I remember who many of you are. I smile fondly
when I see your pictures in WWD now, but don’t cross me.
Columnist Ted Kruckel is an experienced and opinionated former event and
PR pro who ran events for 20 years for high-profile clients like Vanity Fair,
Elle Decor, Christian Dior, and Carolina Herrera. He shuttered his firm,
Ted Inc., in 2003. You can email him at [email protected].
For Ted’s take on the latest events, read his column on BiZBash.com
Simple Recipes
for Event
Disasters
Running out of ice
Running out of cups
Being smart-mouthed to
fire department
Printing wrong date on
invitation
Inviting Courtney Love
Lending Courtney Love
jewelry
Same goes for Al Sharpton
PHOTO: KATHLEEN VOEGE/GETTY IMAGES
I ALWAYS SAY IF YOU REALLY WANT TO KILL A PARTY, HAND
out awards. Why I’m risking that the same holds true for columns, I have
no idea. But, as I’ve said before, if I have nothing nice to say, then people
will read my column.
So I’m pleased to anoint the first inductees into the Event Mishap Hall
of Fame. Some of these misadventures were the result of real dum-dum
planning. Others were unintentional, though just as tasty. Congrats (and
condolences) to all.
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8:53 PM
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Transcription

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