May 20, 2021
Chef Daniel Boulud opens his highly anticipated, sprawling new seafood restaurant in Midtown Manhattan’s One Vanderbilt skyscraper this week. Le Pavillon debuts with a limited number of dinner reservations May 20, followed by a full opening on May 28. The restaurant takes its name from the New York destination that’s widely credited for putting French cuisine on the national stage during its run from 1941 to 1966. “Le Pavillon was synonymous with French dining in New York in the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s,” Boulud told
Wine Spectator. “Bringing back that name here to New York was very important.”
The cuisine focuses on seafood and vegetables, with an emphasis on seasonal and local ingredients. Menu items include roasted beets with sesame, poached halibut and baked lobster with purple potatoes.
Ai Fiori Expands With Its Sky Terrace
An airy restaurant in the Rockaway Hotel, a brick-and-mortar location for King David Tacos, and more restaurant news.
From left, the pastry chef Rachel Pancho and the chef Lauren DeSteno at Sky Terrace at Ai Fiori in Manhattan.Credit.Jeenah Moon for The New York Times
Sky Terrace at Ai Fiori
The Langham, a luxury hotel in Midtown Manhattan, is home to Ai Fiori, a serene Italian restaurant on its second floor. Now, an underused terrace on the 11th floor is being turned into an outdoor dining area, protected by red umbrellas, warmed with heaters and featuring a close-up view of the Empire State Building. It will serve cocktails and offer a dinner menu that’s an abridged version of the menu at Ai Fiori. The chef is Lauren DeSteno, the executive chef for Ai Fiori and a corporate executive chef for the Altamarea Group, where she oversees fine dining for restaurants including Ai Fiori and Marea. The chef Michael White, who was a founding partner
The developers just opened the Moxy Hotel on South Beach two weeks ago. Hochberg says business has far exceeded their expectations.
“The hotels that we have in New York are running 20 to 30% occupancy, and if you look at the hotels in Miami, they are running 90 to 100% occupancy.”
Commercial real estate also appears to be experiencing a boom. Real Estate Broker Felix Bendersky said he shows properties to about a dozen groups a day.
The interest isn’t only coming from New York, he said it s also coming from Canada, Moscow, and Los Angeles. “It’s been the busiest year on record strictly because of the amount of out of state business we are getting,” Bendersky said.
After the Restaurant at Meadowood was largely destroyed in the September 2020 California wildfires, the
Wine Spectator Grand Award winner is popping up at Ojai Valley Inn for a two-month culinary residency. Chef Christopher Kostow and his team will host a dinner series March 3 through April 28 at the resort in Ojai, Calif., which is home to Best of Award of Excellence winner Olivella.
“While planned well before the Glass fire that devastated the Restaurant at Meadowood, our time in Ojai will serve as an opportunity for the team to continue to cook and work together,” Kostow said in a statement shared with