Michael Goldberg
IDC 1001H
Professor Sheehan-Saldana
18 November 2013
Rack of Lamb With a Side of Baryshnikov
When the best part of my meal was not the veal scaloppini in a marsala wine sauce, I knew I had just experienced something special. Tevere, a kosher restaurant in the upper east side of Manhattan specializing in Roman cuisine, is not just the home for tantalizing Italian delicacies – it’s one of the most aesthetically pleasing establishments in New York City.
When one walks down the steep stairs that lead to Tevere, they get a sense they are about to be removed from the norms of daily life, and that is exactly what happens. Busy streets and bright neon lights turn into a warm brick dining room with dimly lit candles, inviting bottles of red wine, and giant paintings of handsome people enjoying the bustling markets of Rome. When you enjoy a meal at Tevere, it has just as much to do with the decor as the food.
With New York City being one of the most impressive and bold cities in terms of its art and food, it’s no wonder the two elements have combined to treat customers to a fine-dining experience that combines the most daring and delicious cuisine with a complex and nuanced ambiance.
The fact that New York City is a trailblazer in both food and art explains why world famous designers, such as Frenchman Jacques Garcia, have teamed up with some of the most successful restaurants. The Nomad, located in the NoMad Hotel, is one of those restaurants. Garcia’s jaw-dropping implements include a 24-foot long mahogany bar that has carved mahogany elephants situated on it. The high ceilings and precise curved designs in the walls are a few of the artistic qualities of the restaurant.
With New York City’s finest restaurants, it’s not enough to just have a world-class chef preparing their best dishes in a theatrical setting; sometimes the physical location of the restaurant comes into play. For example, Prime at the Bentley, the newest venture of restaurateur Joey Allahan, not only possesses dangling orb chandeliers, titanium chairs, and slanted mirrors, it is situated in the rooftop penthouse of the Bentley Hotel, with floor to ceiling mirrors giving way to views of the East River and Queensboro Bridge.
Another aspect that fine dining establishments in New York City have been practicing is the appearance of their waiters. When you walk into Prime Grill, another one of Mr. Allahan’s four premier restaurants, the waiters are not wearing loose fitting suits or polo shirts with the company name on the left breast. The waiters and waitresses – who are mostly aspiring actors and actresses – are wearing tailored silk shirts, deep blue ties, and crisply fitted vests. There is no pen and paper, all orders are memorized, and perhaps most importantly, they act as if they’re ecstatic that they will be serving you for the evening.
Despite all of the painstaking detail that restaurant owners, designers, chefs, and waiters attend to for the ultimate dining experience, perhaps nothing is more theatrical or enjoyable than live music. Live music during a meal, if executed correctly, can add spice and flavor to even the most bland cuisine.
Live performances in New York City eateries date back to 1831 when Viennese waltzes were played at the historic Delmonico restaurant. Delmonico is a legendary organization for many reasons. It is known as the first restaurant to have a separate wine list, as well as being the first to serve customers a la carte, meaning from a menu with many options of food and prices as opposed to a fixed menu. However, the live entertainment aspect of the venue is the most revolutionary of all their initiatives.
New York City is now filled with live music dining options, which range from Indian rock to Louisiana soul. Blue Water Grill, located at Union Square, has become a New York City hot spot for patrons to “see and be seen”. With its exquisite seafood menu and limitless sushi bar, one would think that they would be content with serving thousands of New Yorkers great fish. However, the live jazz performances, which take place seven nights a week, give the place a warm, almost southern feel.
Quality live music not only gives a restaurant a unique edge over its competition, it can even set the tone for the whole restaurant. Antique Garage, a Mediterranean joint in SoHo, has a rotation of jazz musicians so there is a different vibe every night. Mediterranean food has become increasingly popular, so for a place like Antique Garage to incorporate live music into its experience gives it a distinct advantage over its competition.
It is well known that 90 percent of restaurants fail within their first year of opening. In New York City, a place where the boundaries of every industry – especially music, food, and art – are being pushed again and again, it is critical for new restaurants to have a unique game plan, and for established ones to be willing to adapt.
The upper echelon restaurants have an entirely different challenge. The menu and location, two of the main components of any food vendor, are just the tip of the iceberg. The restaurateur must decide what shade of blue works on the skin tone of the waiting staff, at what degree the embellished chairs should slant, and how the mahogany elephants are going to add to the décor. In other words, they are putting on a show of their own.
The next time you want to grab dinner before the show, try one of New York’s finest dining options. Whether it will be the seafood and jazz by Union Square or the intimate Roman experience on the Upper East Side, sit back and enjoy not just the food, but the theatrical setting as well. Make sure to take it all in, it may be the best performance of the evening.
Works Cited
Prime Hospitality Group. WEB. 19 November 2013. JXT Group.
Blue Water Grill. WEB. 19 November 2013. Ignite Hospitality Consultants.
Antique Garage Restaurant. WEB. 19 November 2013.
