Eclectic clientele, two fireplaces and a big garden for warmer times.ģ7 E. Lively new Italian with savvy chef Franco Migliorini da Lavagna setting off flavor explosions for its bright, attractive young owner. (between Sixth and Seventh avenues), Manhattan. Sophisticated service of 36 meze-superbly fresh Middle Eastern appetizers-grilled fish, lamb, chicken and more. New York's premier Lebanese restaurant draws diplomats and fans from all nations. (between 50th and 51st streets), Manhattan. George and Helen Studley and chef Naj Zougari are back after two years, with warm, cozy comfort and lots of cassoulet.Ĩ27 Third Ave. It's deja vu all over again at the bistro that lit New York's Provencal fire 20 years ago. (between Lexington and Third avenues), Manhattan. Marlies and Frank Valenza's cozy townhouse is home to one of New York's Great Dining Secrets, with cascades of caviar, floods of foie gras and torrents of truffles.ġ34 E. (between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue), Manhattan. Owner and former undercover policeman Ray Gilmore (Roebling's) has good food news in the News Building.Ģ22 W. "Contemporary American with Tuscan accents" pushes the right flavor buttons in a casually elegant setting. (between 41st and 42nd streets), Manhattan. And a $29 pre-theater steal, with wine.ħ67 Second Ave. Art Deco beauty now run by Le Chantilly's David Ruggerio boasts outstanding contemporary American food by Paul Ingenito, formerly of the Russian Tea Room. The Manor at 40 demands to be seen, and savored.Ħ80 Madison Ave. For all the well-made desserts and baking skill on display, one cold and lonely roll is short of today's norm.Ī captain's chewing out of a waiter within earshot of guests was the only lapse in highly professional formal service. I was surprised to find the only game was a honey-balsamic glazed quail appetizer. Prime steaks and veal rounded out the possibilities. Even chicken breasts are inspired by a portobello mushroom wrap and ginger jus. Main courses of note are impeccably filleted Dover sole with lemon beurre blanc, superb swordfish on curried couscous with roasted garlic sauce, and halibut fillet in potato crust with ragout of asparagus and chanterelles. Shrimp cocktail features a different sauce for each jumbo shrimp. Wild mushroom soup with porcini glaze clicked as a cold weather bracer, and herbed risotto with portobello mushrooms shouts flavor from the rooftops. A tomato, basil and mozzarella salad was the prettiest presentation seen anywhere-round and layered. Beverage options abound from a good beer list to a world-class wine array, including a '61 Petrus for $2,500.Īpart from caviar, pleasing appetizers are $5-$12. Hundreds of lobster lovers attend its all-you-can-eat "festival" each week, and others enjoy the suave pizzazz of dinners where carved ice chests may hold a dab of tomato sorbet over sliced fresh figs.Ĭustomer comfort is paramount in a 120-seat dining room where cushy arm chairs swivel, and pianist Bob Richardson delights with discreet tunes and takes requests. Until one is experienced, its size and grandeur can be off-putting, and reaching the rest rooms can be a hike. The Manor defines awesome and has its own artisans, including a coppersmith and a silversmith. It is perfect for a business lunch.Įven its kitchens, where the redoubtable Alfred "Freddy" Mayer has held sway since 1972, are carpeted. The 1,200-seat Manor, with its 20 acres of sculpted gardens filled with waterfalls, gazebos and statuary and its posh, deeply carpeted halls lined with cabaret, buffet and function rooms and wine cellars, is host to thousands of special events annually and outstanding a la carte dining. Sons Kurt and Wade do much of the heavy lifting today. He met and married the owner's granddaughter, Doris, and bought a three-room restaurant and nightclub on six acres of land in West Orange. Knowles returned from the Army Air Corps service in World War II to become a waiter at the Robin Hood Inn in Clifton. His father, once Montclair's police chief, never let him forget it. predicted he would one day own a restaurant and be a millionaire. There is no worthy local or peer group cause that does not benefit from their active participation and often leadership.Īt age 12, Harry Knowles Jr. And the Manor and the Knowles family have been among the hospitality industry's best corporate citizens. The Manor's founding family has grown it to unique status at the top of America's independent restaurants, while creating other extraordinary and distinctive hospitality venues-Highlawn Pavilion, Ram's Head Inn and Pleasantdale Chateau. Its record of unstinting attention to quality and value is virtually unprecedented in the food service industry. On New Year's Eve, the Manor in West Orange, N.J., will be 40 years old.
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