High-powered clientele. Luxurious atmosphere. Impeccable service. And yes, delicious food. A restaurant can have all of these things and still not make our Power Lunch list. It's the convergence of all of the above, plus certain intangiblesthe buzz in the room, the knowing impishness of the maitre d', just the feeling that big deals are going down, right here, right nowthat make these restaurants our picks for the Top 5.
With an interior designed by Philip Johnson and Mies van der Rohe and featuring artwork by the likes of Pablo Picasso, there’s no doubt that the restaurant (which opened in 1959) was always meant to accommodate the city’s movers and shakers. Madonna, the Dalai Lama and Martha Stewart are among those who’ve lunched there, and the expense account-friendly menu is reliably stocked with power broker classics like caviar, lobster, foie gras and steak. But the true center of power lies with the restaurant’s co-owner and maitre d’, Julian Niccolini, who rules the lunchtime seating chart with flamboyant aplomb. COST: Appetizers are $18 - $42; entrees are $38 - $65.
It may be a dim sum house, but don’t expect the usual rolling carts and no-frills atmosphere: Michelin-starred since 2005, Yauatcha is quiet, chic—the dim, blue-lit space makes you feel like you’re inside a trendy aquarium—and offers tea house classics like har gau, prawn cheung fun and egg custard tarts. But suits and creatives alike also flock to the Soho restaurant for modern variations on the dim sum theme with offerings like Jasmine tea smoked organic ribs, roasted silver cod with lily flower and a vegetarian shark’s fin dumpling untraditionally flecked with gold leaf. COST: $32 - $65 per person.
The unofficial commissary for Hollywood talent agencies CAA and ICM (which have headquarters close by), Tom Colicchio’s West Coast outpost has been a power lunch hotspot since it opened in 2007. Haute takes on comfort food classics abound—the lunch menu features smoked fish pie and hearty pastas, as well as roast chicken and Yukon gold mashed potatoes served family style. And unlike some paparazzi-magnet eateries in L.A. where the food is a mediocre afterthought (cough—The Ivy—cough), Craft’s delicious cuisine deserves to be just as high-profile as its clientele. COST: Appetizers are $10 - $18, entrees are $14 - $33, and sides are $9 - $13.
The old-school vibe and impeccable service—not to mention their signature succulent crustaceans—has made this South Beach institution a go-to for Miami luminaries since 1913. The likes of Will Rogers, Amelia Earhart and Al Capone have dined here, and while tourists tend to show up for dinner today, the power lunch scene is still very much in effect: Local politicians and corporate types crowd the no-reservations restaurant to order expertly mixed cocktails and chow on succulent snow crabs (served with hash browns and creamy mustard sauce) and key lime pie. COST: Appetizers are $5.95 - $15.95; entrees are $18.95 - $49.95 plus market prices.
A sleek, minimalist counterpoint to Chicago’s testosterone-heavy steakhouses, this eatery from restaurateur Paul Kahan (he also owns the popular Avec and The Publican), attracts chic diners lured by dishes like warm sepia noodles, wood-grilled sturgeon and, lest you still have a red meat hankering, a short rib burger and fries. The room is modern, the menu stylishly tasty, and the service friendly, yet unobtrusive. The best part? Prices aren’t over-the-top, especially if you opt for the three-course prix fixe menu. COST: $22 for three-course prix fixe menu (plus tax and tip).
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