sc

  • Search

Private dining in New York

1 to 8 of 8

  1.  
  1.  

    Can anyone recommend a top restaurant in New York that has an excellent space for private dining? The dinner will probably be for between 2 and 6 people -- depending on the cost. It does have to be a very highly rated restaurant however.

    I have heard that some restaurants have "chef's tables" where you have close proximity to the chef. That would be a plus, but it is by no means a requirement. Low noise level would also be desirable.

    And a great space is key. Thanks.

  2.  

    The legendary La Grenouille on E 52nd street, just off of Fifth Ave, has a beautiful private room upstairs. The room was once the home of artist Bernard Lamotte and Antoine de St. Exupéry — author of Le Petit Prince. Really a very special treat to dine there as it feels as though you are a guest in their home. Here's a photo of it from our last visit a few years back.

    la-grenouille.jpg

    I'd say that most people who dine at La Grenouille—and the entire restaurant is a glamourous place to eat mind you—have no idea about the private room upstairs is even there.

    On most nights you can just request it when you make a reservation if you know to ask. They usually set a few tables up there each evening when there isn't a private party being held up there.

    When you arrive, they walk you back out into the foyer, up the nondescript staircase and open the solid thick door to the upstairs apartment. It's like another world. Or at least a whole other restaurant.

    The downstairs is bold and bustling with noise and jubilant atmosphere, but the upstairs is very subdued, quiet and romantic. And they tend to keep seating very sparse up there. Perfect for a very special occasion or a place to have dinner where you can really talk and enjoy the food.

    Do not go home without trying the Grand Marnier souffle! You have to order it when you order your entrée. You won't regret it.

  3.  

    Restaurant Daniel on East 65th street has a private "skybox" that lets you look over the kitchen, but I think it is by invitation only if I remember hearing correctly.

    The food at Daniel in general is excellent, no doubt. However, personally I've found Daniel to be very pretentious when I was there a few times years ago.

    I haven't ever dined in the Skybox. It only sits a handful of people, but the cost is astronomical. I can't imagine it's worth it.

    If you're really curious, someone actually snuck into the skybox and took a short movie of it (sans food).

  4.  

    I have been researching this very question for my own event. In my research, I have heard wonderful things about Barbetta, which has several smallish private rooms, and the wine cellar at "21". My party has grown too large for either space, so I cannot offer a personal review, unfortunately. But Barbetta comes recommended on Chowhound, where foodies give great critical reviews, and you can;t beet the "21" experience. Good Luck!

  5.  

    I looked into this once, so I have some good tips.

    The Park Avenue Cafe has a soundproof room that is in the middle of the kitchen that sits up to 10. I've eaten at the Park Avenue Cafe many times, but never eaten in the room, but I've seen it. As always, it's a beautiful restaurant with superb cuisine.

    Alain Ducasse at the Essex House has a private room for up to 10 that overlooks his elaborate kitchen with his priceless Molenti stove, and it's filled with a library of stuff from his private collection. I looked into it once, and they had all sorts of extra minimums you had to fulfill regardless of how much you consumed. It sounded like a huge waste of money in my opinion.

    Blue Hill (the one downtown, not the farm) has a private room you can rent out, but they also have a lot of minimums that make it expensive for what it is. However, their minimums were completely understandable because they end up losing money on the private room since they have to shut down the restaurant to accommodate the party.

    It turns out that if you have a party of about 10 people, one of the best deals for a private room is actually at Per Se. I know it sounds crazy but you just pay a flat fee for the room no matter how many people you have and that's pretty much it. Since there are no minimums, no hidden fees, and no service charge the cost ends up being much more manageable. And once you take all of those extra costs into consideration at the other places around the City, Per Se ends up being a cheaper in many cases. Places like Alain Ducase and Blue Hill were actually more expensive for a party of that size (though, Blue Hill could have also accommodated more people in their private room at that higher price). And the planning at Per Se is very simple. You call a few months in advance and pick the East Room or the West Room (the East Room has a view, the West Room is more cozy) and you pay a flat fee plus the cost of wine.

    The cost of wine is where you can lose your shirt at Per Se. The trick is that they email you a PDF of their current wine list so you can pick some options in advance. If you do your research, you can definitely find some good wines that aren't grossly overpriced.

  6.  

    Il Buco has a wine cellar that could more than comfortably accomodate a party of 6. It's not on the "upscale and trendy" radar, but the food and wine are excellent and the space is beautiful, in a rustic and careless kind of way. It feels like having dinner with a friend who has invited you into his beloved wine cellar - no pretension, all enjoyment.

  7.  

    You couldn't find a higher-rated restaurant that offers private dining services than Eleven Madison Park, which just last week became one of the very few restaurants in New York City to be awarded a four star rating by The New York Times:

    http://events.nytimes.com/2009/08/12/dining/reviews/12rest.html?scp=1&sq=Eleven%20Madison%20Park&st=cse

    In his review of the restaurant, the Times' food critic, Frank Bruni, stated that "Eleven Madison Park, which opened in 1998, now ranks among the most alluring and impressive restaurants in New York. It has reached this pinnacle because its principal owner, the indefatigable Danny Meyer, made a key move in 2006, bringing aboard the chef Daniel Humm, and because together they decided — out of pride, it seems to me, more than any commercial calculation — that this restaurant could and should shine as brightly as any other."

    If you visit their website: http://www.elevenmadisonpark.com and click on "Private Dining" they provide details of the various private dining services they offer:

    "Eleven Madison Park is a stunning location for private occasions of all sizes. Our two magnificent balcony-level private dining rooms overlook the main dining room and offer spectacular views of Madison Square Park through 20-foot windows. The smaller room seats 18, the larger room up to 32; or for larger parties, the rooms can be combined to accommodate up to 50 people. The entire restaurant is also available for private functions 150 seated guests or 300 standing."

    We dined at Eleven Madison Park when it was a three-star restaurant and it was very good, albeit with some deficiencies. Now that it has received its fourth star, I hear it's great. Having a private dinner party there would be hard to beat.

  8.  

    The Compass Restaurant at 70th Street on the west side has a delightful room for private dining that I have used a number of times:

    http://www.compassrestaurant.com/gallery_3.php

1 to 8 of 8

  1.  

Add your comments

  • Formatting Tips
 
Back to Discussions Top of Page
 
tr