Manhattan is jumping with various new restaurants popping up all over town. One of my current favorites, The Clock Tower is a beautifully appointed restaurant at the New York Edition Hotel, which my friend and fellow foodie Carol Papper invited me to for lunch - great choice! World renowned boutique hotel entrepreneur, Ian Schrager has reimagined the iconic Metropolitan Life building, situated on Madison Park in the FlatIron district into a sleek, contemporary light-filled environment of bleached oak wood finishes, floor to ceiling sheer window treatments, clear crystal chandeliers and artistically placed glass accessories. Interior designer Christian Liaigre's furniture and lighting are used throughout the lobby, bar areas and guest-rooms, emphasizing a cool, sophisticated, international vibe. You can refer to my June 10th post "What I'm Reading Right Now" for more details on the Christian Liaigre interior design aesthetic.
The Clock Tower restaurant, situated on the second floor is headed by Michelin starred Executive Chef, Jason Atherton who has created a menu of updated interpretations of classic British dishes. As sleek and contemporary as the hotel is, the restaurant laid out in the former chairman of Metropolitan Life's suite of offices is a space nothing short of baronial in scale and polar opposite to the hotel's interior design. Here in a series of interconnected rooms are 3 dining rooms each with distinct color schemes of rose, blue and jade; a billiard table topped with an eye-popping purple fabric and matching chandelier takes up the middle of the room in one bar, while a solid gold counter is the centerpiece of the second bar.
The interior design elements that pull all these rooms together are the herringbone patterned wood floors stained deep walnut, to complement the wall-panelling throughout and framed original black & white photos of celebrities past and present covering every wall. The vibe here is traditional, clubby and intimate with leather backed chairs and deep sumptuous banquettes you could easily settle into for the evening. To top it all off, in the rose dining room is a stone fireplace that is surely going to make this a favorite destination during the winter months - my advice is get to know the Maître-d' now!
Blue Room