Four Seasons: A New York Icon
Most restaurants offer a menu that changes with the seasons; few boast an ambiance that physically changes as summer turns to fall, fall to winter, and so on. The Four Seasons in New York does just that, thanks to a canopy of trees located inside the restaurant-just part of the reason the vaunted eatery is a Luxist nominee in the best fine domestic dining category.
When Four Seasons opened in midtown Manhattan in 1959, it delighted patrons with sprawling dining rooms, opulent décor and a delicious menu. Little has changed, from the furnishings-a grand chandelier, works by Picasso and Pollack, a bubbling pool in the middle of one room-to the seasonally-influenced menu. The affluent clientele remains as well.
Helmed by a two-headed executive chef team of Larry Finn and Pecko Zantilaveevan, both of whom have trained at some of New York's finest eateries, Four Seasons still offers a menu that gives guests a true taste of the season. This summer, dishes included Shinnecock fluke carpaccio, Maryland crabmeat cake, and a risotto with prawns, summer corn and chanterelles.
Order dinner à la carte and the tab can easily exceed $100 per person before tax, tip and drinks. Early-bird diners can enjoy a pre-theatre prix fixe dinner for $65 a head; if that's too much, there's a two-course lunch available for $25.
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