The closing of a beloved restaurant that forms part of the city’s fabric brings mixed emotions—anxiety, anger, even grief. And yet, New Yorkers know that change is inevitable, and sometimes good. This year has seen several shake-ups in the city’s culinary landscape that left restaurant-goers wondering what would become of their favorite places to drink and dine. Perhaps the most controversial change occurred when Aby Rosen decided to oust the longtime team behind the Four Seasons, which has occupied the landmarked Seagram Building for more than 50 years. Danny Meyer’s Union Square Cafe was forced to move, and Hospitality Holdings lost its lease for the Campbell Apartment in Grand Central—two more victims of exorbitant New York real-estate prices. Finally, Alain Ducasse’s Midtown bistro Benoit closed briefly while it received a face-lift. As these New York icons begin to reopen and additional plans are announced, we begin to reassess what defines their DNA and whether their clientele will embrace the changes ahead.
The pool room at the former Four Seasons.
When it was announced that the venerable Four Seasons restaurant lost its lease last July, culture vultures immediately started buzzing about what would become of Philip Johnson’s masterpiece inside Mies van der Rohe’s Seagram Building. Midcentury-modern design aficionados flocked to the auction selling Hans Wegner chairs and other pieces of design history. Understandably, some feathers were ruffled by the news that Major Food Group—the team behind downtown hot spots Carbone, Santina, Dirty French, and Sadelle’s—would be taking over the space, but perhaps people needn’t worry. “We are not redesigning anything—we’re really restoring the great architecture that’s already there,” Jeff Zalaznick, one of the group’s partners, tells AD. Their plans include a renovation by AD100 architect Annabelle Selldorf and a new restaurant by Peter Marino (also an AD100 architect). Meanwhile, the original Four Seasons is moving to 280 Park Avenue. fourseasonsrestaurant.com
The main dining room at the new Union Square Cafe.
Many New Yorkers were likewise devastated by the news that Danny Meyer’s Union Square Cafe lost its lease and would be moving a few blocks north. Now open, the restaurant’s new incarnation is poised to be even better than the original. Meyer tapped longtime collaborator (and AD100 architect) David Rockwell to design the interior, bringing the old restaurant’s DNA to a new space. Forest-green wainscoting lines the walls, which feature art handpicked by Meyer. Booths and tables on the balcony overlook the dining room below. Rockwell even kept a section of the original bar and some of the tiles from the old space. unionsquarecafe.com