Hey, you! How was your summer? Did you spend a lot of time eating outside in picnic-tabled backyards and charming, bike-lane patios? I hope you got it out of your system, because now it’s time to say goodbye to all that. It’s fully, decidedly October now, and we’re about to hit crispy weather, wear Lenny Kravitz-style chunky scarves and transfer subways three times to avoid walking outside.
While it’s a bummer to bid adieu to sunlight past 7 p.m., I’m looking for the positives, the restaurants that make us excited to be indoors again: grand dining rooms, quirked-up décor and uniquely New York-y spaces.
My favorite seat in the whole city
I don’t even know if “room” is the best way to describe the Grand Central Oyster Bar, a cavernous, imposing space with massive arched ceilings lit with twinkle lights. I’ve been dozens of times, but still find myself getting lost in the terminal trying to find the bar — which makes it even more of a joyful respite to sit down on a vinyl stool at one of four U-shaped counters. Go past those counters and you’ll find the Saloon room, a moodier, darker barroom in total contrast the airiness of main the dining room, but equally charming in its own way. To eat: clams casino with chunks of bacon, a creamy oyster pan roast, standard-but-delightful shrimp cocktail and a very, very big martini.
Not all great rooms have mood lighting
Kisa is actually a perfect example of a room that, in photos, may look unremarkable. The walls are white, with some red tile detailing, sparse artwork and a tiny television in one of the ceiling corners. But when it’s full (always, it seems), the room bubbles over with energy. It’s named for kisa sikdang, a style of South Korean diner that caters to taxi drivers, and the food is served in that style. Everyone gets a silver platter with seven dishes of banchan and one main (bulgogi, pork, squid or bibimbap) for $32, plus a bowl of kimchi stew and a bowl of rice. The food matches the vibe of the room: lively and buzzing with enthusiasm.
This is how I imagine a members’ club feels
One of the most zeitgeisty openings of the fall has been Le Veau D’Or, an Upper East Side room that’s been around since 1937 and was recently reopened by the team behind Frenchette and Le Rock after a five-year closure. The space remains largely the same as ever, with low ceilings, wood-paneled walls and checkered tablecloths. (Yes, the painting of the sleeping calf, “le veau dort,” remains.) The food couldn’t be more classically French: an egg suspended in savory, stock-y gelatin, cold poached lobster with perfectly diced vegetables, salad served before dessert, and delightfully old-school île flottante (a slivered almond-studded meringue floating in a shallow puddle of crème anglaise). The scene is something to behold: Half of the diners seem to recognize each other, and the maître d’hôtel who floats around the space happens to be the grandson of the original owner. He told me that my friend was sitting in Jackie Onassis’s favorite seat in the house. Doesn’t get much better, does it?
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