Perhaps no place embodies all the glamour and glory of New York dining than The Grill, once the home of the fabled Four Seasons restaurant. During its heyday, the Four Seasons was the ne plus ultra of fine dining. Philip Johnson’s sleek homage to International Design was a culinary temple where the world’s most powerful, stylish, and famous came to rub elbows with other VIPS. It gave rise to the Midtown power lunch. When the Major Food Group took it over in 2017, they made sure to maintain the ethos of “dinner as theater.” They polished the famous chain metal curtains and doubled down on the nostalgia: the waiters wear white jackets; there are silver trolleys; and there is tableside service. Order the classics like prime rib, lobster Newberg and crab Louis (now topped with avocado) and enjoy dining in one of the most spectacular dining rooms in the world. Since 2004 En Japanese Brasserie has attracted a high wattage crowd who come to dine on Japanese homestyle cooking. The giant room offers plenty of seating options. You can sit at the sleek wood counters that wrap around the space, dine in private booths or duck into the private Meiji-era inspired rooms where you take your shoes off. The menu options are just as varied: there are kaiseki dinners, rice bowls, sushi, and freshly made tofu. There’s a groovy soundtrack and something to suit everyone’s taste. Come for the silky tofu, stay for the DJ’s spinning at the music bar late into the night.
Part design shop (courtesy of the interiors company Roman and Williams Guild) and part French cafe, La Mercerie is a stylish spot for the downtown ladies who lunch. Slide into the plush mohair banquettes and bathe in the warm light that pours through the windows. After a lovely Gallic-inspired lunch of Croque Madame or Breton crepes, you can browse the shelves for artisanal woven baskets, delicate stemware, or even pick a bouquet of sunflowers at the in-house florist.
