Patroon
New York City
The power dining scene in New York rarely shifts. The Regency
Hotel for breakfast, the Four Seasons restaurant for lunch, The '21'
Club for dinner are as essential dining spots for the upper levels of
business and politics as the Empire State Building and the Statue of
Liberty are tourist meccas. Every so often, a determined restaurateur
takes a stab at joining the venerable institutions. Almost always,
they come up short. But a new restaurant called Patroon, overseen by
the former chairman of the board of '21', Ken Aretzky, is making the
most serious run in years at gaining admission to the inner circle of
power eateries.
Patroon, which refers to landowners during the Dutch colonial era
of New York, occupies the old premises of Christ Cella, a longtime
steak house that went out of business in 1995. The 46th Street
location is within easy limo rides of most of the Midtown banking and
publishing houses and the United Nations. Aretzky and his investors
preserved the feel of Christ Cella, refurbishing the small downstairs
bar and keeping the low ceilings and light fixtures in the dining
rooms. Upstairs, however, has been transformed into an intimate cigar
lounge, with a humidor room filled with 250 private lockers. There are
also rooms for private dinner parties, including the "airplane" room,
which has a mural of fighters from the Second World War.
The food is a far cry from "lite" cuisine; the menu is filled with
robust dishes. For starters, the smoked duck sausage with sage polenta
is outstanding, as well as the foie gras on a pear and bok choy
compote. Steaks are a formidable part of the menu, with a wood-grilled
porterhouse for two selling at $75. A prime sirloin steak comes in at
$35. There are some interesting combinations, too, such as roasted
quail with quinoa. In homage to Aretzky's '21' Club association,
Patroon also serves a $23 hamburger with crisped onions.
The wine list has been put together with the expertise of Glenn
Vogt, who also manages the restaurant and earned his wine stripes at
Crabtree's Kittle House, a Wine Spectator Grand Award-winning
restaurant in Westchester County, New York. The list doesn't offer up
many bargains, but there is a full roster of the top wine producers
from every major region in the world. Check out a Le Montrachet from
Domaine de la Romanee Conti 1970 for $1,600, or a 1961 Château
Latour for $2,075. The "finds" include interesting wines from the
Loire Valley and Alsace, but there's plenty to choose from in New
World regions, especially California Chardonnay and Cabernet
Sauvignon.
What sets Patroon apart from virtually every other restaurant in
America today is its cigar menu. It runs three pages, and includes
such brands as Arturo Fuente, Puros Indios, Partagas, Macanudo, La
Gloria Cubana, Ashton, Avo, Padron and Davidoff. Prices aren't cheap,
but there are cigars you'll have a hard time finding at retail: a La
Gloria Cubana Torpedo No. 1 for $28, an Arturo Fuente Hemingway
Classic for $24, a Padron Aniversario Exclusivo for $30 and an Ashton
Cabinet No. 8 for $21. And, you can sit back in a leather chair with
an entire humidor room staring you in the face.
Aretzky is very excited about how well the restaurant is
doing. He's preparing a rooftop addition, where he'll serve sandwiches
and hamburgers during the warm months, providing yet another place for
people to smoke.
--Gordon Mott
Patroon
160 East 46th Street
Phone: (212) 883-7373
Dinner: About $60 per person, without wine
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