Since I spend most of my work trips to NYC surviving on corporate lunch bowls (no shade to Cava) and whatever on-set craft services I can slide in my purse, dinner is always the indulgent punctuation I need to break up the hustle and bustle. My motto has always been “go big and go home,” and the dinner reservations I had last week certainly fell under the “going big” category. Having grown up on Gossip Girl and Mad Men, I internalized the idea that the bars and restaurants of Manhattan’s finest hotels are playgrounds for cosmopolitan blue bloods to hobnob and close deals.
As for where to partake in what Kristen Bell describes as “the scandalous lives of Manhattan’s elite”? Next time you’re in New York and you’re looking for a walk on the decadent side, here’s what I would recommend:
Caviar Kaspia at The Mark
The Mark Hotel
992 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10075
"The tagliolini with king crab, and of course, the famous caviar baked potato."
I’ve only been to Monte Carlo once, and Caviar Kaspia at the Mark had a similar feel–well-mannered “loud” luxury with price tags that will make you blush. As the progeny of the titular Parisian restaurant that opened in 1927, the interior has an old New York feel with blue tablecloths, wood-paneled walls, and green banquettes. It has a timeless decadence that feels just as suited to contemporary New York as it does a scene in Mad Men–down to the complimentary loose cigarettes and Caviar Kaspia-branded lighters offered at the host stand.
My friend and I ordered the bean salad, a smoked-salmon blini, the tagliolini with king crab, and of course, the famous caviar baked potato (allegedly a favorite of Martha Stewart). I naively thought I’d had decent caviar in the past, but this dinner put those experiences to shame. The caviar at Kaspia (of which there are several price-tiered options) simply melts in your mouth like a briny cotton candy. If you’re going to visit, this is not the night to “have the crème fraîche on the side”; this is the night to feast like a Russian oligarch on a shopping spree. Vodka shots, glasses of Sancerre, bottomless blinis, and generous spoonfuls of caviar–spend like a “new money” heiress with a heavy Amex.
The Mark Bar
The Mark Hotel
Madison Avenue at 77th St, New York, NY 10075
While we’re on the subject of Caviar Kaspia, I’d like to quickly mention The Mark Bar just next door. During Fashion Week, Coveteur’s Style Editor Camille and I had an hour to kill uptown and decided to stop in for a few glasses of wine. Similar to Kaspia, the interior evokes an old-world luxury with a vaguely Parisian flair. The staff is incredibly attentive, and the ambiance is tranquil. It’s a great place to escape the frantic energy of the city. If you’re taking your mom to the Met, walk her over to the Mark Hotel Bar afterward for a stiff cocktail and a break from the crowds.
El Quijote
Chelsea Hotel
226 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10011
"I highly recommend the pan con tomate, along with a side order of anchovies and boquerones to put on top."
If you, like me, learned almost everything you know about New York from celebrity memoirs and high school-era Tumblr, the Chelsea Hotel is synonymous with the city’s lore. If you’re looking to cosplay living at the Chelsea in the ’60s, dining at El Quijote is a must. The restaurant opened in 1930, complete with Don Quixote-inspired murals, tile floors, and a waitstaff sporting scarlet-red blazers. In the ’60s, it became a hot spot for celebrities and musicians such as Patti Smith, Janis Joplin, and many in Warhol’s milieu. At the time, it was a bit debaucherous, known for its social scene more than its food (sloppy vats of paella and cheap, over-sweet sangria). Since reopening in 2022 after a four-year closure, it’s maintained all of its signature aesthetics but revamped the menu under the leadership of a chef whose resumé boasts many years as the executive chef of the US Embassy in Madrid.
Today, the sangria, along with all the cocktails on the menu (of which I had a few), is refreshing and complex. The paella portions are generous and now cooked with finesse and bold flavors. Although deceptively simple, I highly recommend the pan con tomate, along with a side order of anchovies and boquerones to put on top. Since my friend and I did not quite have the gastric bandwidth to share the full seafood paella, we ordered the veggie version with a side of head-on prawns instead. The seafood was fresh, the waitstaff attentive, and you could live your 1960s dilettante fantasy without forfeiting a good meal. Through some mix-up I did not bother to correct, my Basque cheesecake arrived with a lit candle and a song from the staff. I would certainly recommend dessert, birthday or not.
Fouquet’s Titsou Bar
Fouquet’s New York
456 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013
While I often find “speakeasy” bars to be a relic of the “mustache finger tattoo” era, Fouquet’s Titsou Bar manages to pull off a hidden-door entrance with an understated panache. The interior boasts the same carpeted warmth of classic NYC hotel bars, but the backlit titanium-and-marble bar has a sleek modern flair. This was by far my favorite cocktail-hour experience of my latest trip to New York—the servers are knowledgeable and enthusiastic, the cocktails creative, and the oysters buttery-fresh and springy. I particularly appreciated their attention to detail, serving a Negroni with a maraschino ice cube that sweetens the drink as it melts.
Scarpetta
The James Hotel
88 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016
Translated directly to “little shoe,” Scarpetta is named after the leftover wedges of bread you use to sop up the sauce on your plate. At this slick modern Italian joint, that’s precisely what I was doing after polishing off the braised short rib agnolotti. The menu is robust right down to the bread basket that, alongside your typical foccacia and slices of baguette, offered generous portions of Stromboli. The dinner crowd ranged from celebratory family dinners to business drinks to models such as Meredith Duxbury dining with friends during New York Fashion Week.
Coveteur’s social editor Sarah and I split a meal of yellowtail, roast chicken, agnolotti, chicory salad, and chocolate cake. Despite our over-ordering, we both left the meal as card-carrying members of the “clean-plate club.” Both the traditional Negroni and nonalcoholic no-groni we ordered were kicky and well-balanced. In Scarpetta’s palatial dining area on the ground floor of the James Hotel, there’s enough space in each banquette to spread out and catch your breath—a welcome change from the tightly-packed tables and noisy din of typical NYC restaurants.
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