With so many excellent restaurants in New York City, it’s hard to justify dining at your hotel. But, some of the best restaurants can be found in some of the city’s top hotels. What could be more convenient (or luxurious) than dining in a spot just an elevator ride away from your hotel room?
From TriBeCa and SoHo to Midtown and more, here's our list where fine dining is a top hotel amenity.
The Dominick
Soho
F. Scott Fitzgerald may have said that there are no second acts in American life, but we can all think of plenty of exceptions. The Dominick may have had a troubled past, thanks in no small part to the involvement of our nation’s most famously divisive real-estate developer, but the slate has been wiped clean — it’s got some new owners, it’s been given a new name, and now this Soho stunner is ready to be seen for what it is: a stylish, luxurious boutique hotel with a stellar Spring Street location and commanding views of downtown Manhattan and the Hudson River.
Vestry is a foolproof destination for guests craving a quiet evening in an intimate setting. Steering this kitchen's reins is Australian-born Chef Shaun Hergatt, whose admiration for Japanese culinary technique and elements is clear and woven into the seasonal vegetable- and seafood-based menu. Risotto with diced white asparagus is lovely but the diced, seared, glazed eel served on top is a clever embellishment. Tender, flavorful slow-cooked lamb neck with a dark, rich, Bourgogne reduction is another standout dish that speaks to the season. Dessert is particularly winsome; cheesecake fashioned into a dimpled wedge mimics Swiss cheese and is bested by grated apple decorated to look like a mouse. Smooth and rich, it's the ultimate ending.
The New York EDITION
Gramercy Park
Long departed from the hotel group that once went by his name, Ian Schrager has moved on to a relationship with Marriott International — a partnership whose fruits, the Edition hotels, are a little more upscale than the earlier Schrager offerings, and a lot more stylish than the typical Marriott fare. And the latest addition to the Edition family is something of a homecoming, opening on Madison Square Park, in the old Metropolitan Life Tower, otherwise known as That Great Big Clock Tower in the Flatiron District.
There’s an elevated and contemporary British accent to the menu. Their version of fish and chips takes the national treasure to a new level. Beef Wellington may be a classic, but it isn't resting on any laurels here. Roasted Long Island duck is served with a chutney made from plum and shallots alongside woodsy chanterelles, but it's the chocolate torte with Earl Grey ice cream that you'll remember.
11 Howard
Soho
SoHo, formerly home to the artists’ lofts that were New York’s 20th-century Downtown signature, has, since around the turn of the millennium, gone steadily upscale — and steadily more international. Both trends find expression in 11 Howard, where contemporary Scandinavian design meets a more inclusive, less ostentatious version of luxury hospitality. It’s the first independent hotel project for architect Anda Andrei, after decades as the designer behind Ian Schrager’s path-breaking boutique-hotel projects. Produced in collaboration with Danish designers Space Copenhagen, 11 Howard avoids the sort of wall-to-wall bling that’s sometimes synonymous with New York hotels. And this one puts a bit of money where its egalitarian ideals are, as well — they call it “conscious hospitality,” which in concrete terms means passing on a share of revenue to charities like the Global Poverty Project.
The menu at this One MICHELIN Star is unapologetically French, though Chef Daniel Rose infuses his classics with a strong dose of personality. A selection of “gourmandises” showcases such exemplary classics as pike quenelles or sautéed sweetbreads, which achieve prominent flavor when paired with tomato crème. This may be tailed by beef cheek and foie gras terrine in a pitch-perfect sherry vinaigrette. A venerated rabbit dish is presented as three acts: gently braised legs in a clear consommé with vegetables; stuffed saddle with a rustic pan sauce; and the rest matched with delicious mustard-enrobed onions.
The Greenwich Hotel
Tribeca
What do we know about the Greenwich Hotel? It’s got a celebrity owner (none other than Robert DeNiro), a prime Tribeca location, impeccable design credentials courtesy of one of New York’s top firms, Grayling Design, and some truly obsessive construction, having something to do with thousands of very expensive handmade bricks. Now there’s no question that all these things make for great press, but do they mean anything to the guests?
This ever-trendy yet refined Italian ristorante is as much coveted for its gorgeous setting as its lineup of rustic, tasty fare. The ambience is always abuzz and everyone looks beautiful amid low lights, a long bar, and walls adorned with wine bottles.
The Langham, New York, Fifth Avenue
Midtown East
If the towering structure is any guide — that’s meant rhetorically, by the way, of course it’s a guide — then you could safely expect Langham Place, New York, Fifth Avenue to be a pretty big deal. And naturally it is. This sixty-story skyscraper joins the Empire State Building on the Midtown skyline, and the architecture, by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates, is suitably monumental.
Nestled within the Langham Hotel with walls of windows overlooking Fifth Avenue, Ai Fiori is the perfect perch for the expense account crowd. The handsome marble bar and lounge is ideal for a post-work drink; while large florals, leather chairs and square columns lure families into the formal dining room.
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