"I'll have a Martini with a side of Dunhills."
Maybe it’s the impending arrival of July. Or perhaps it’s the recent arrival of a hard-won set of vintage Toots Shor’s glasses that showed up at my home yesterday. I can’t quite tell, but both leave me missing Mad Men. Television’s most stylish show typically returns each July, but, as we all know, negotiations between creator Matthew Weiner and the suits at AMC have stalled the season 5 premiere until 2012. Grrr!
Until then, get your summer Mad Men fix on with a look at the real restaurants that have been plot points and settings on the show. And, let us know which long-running New York City restaurants you think are ready for their sixties-era close ups in the coming season. 21 Club? Frankie & Johnnie’s? Delmonico’s? Fraunces Tavern? Le Perigord? Monkey Bar? Old Homestead? Or, Tout Va Bien? Weigh in below in the comments!
Restaurant: AJ Maxwell’s (aka The Forum of the Twelve Caesars)
Location: 57 West 48th Street, New York, New York
Episode: “The Suitcase,” season 4, episode 7
The Dish: I’m fudging here a bit as AJ Maxwell’s wasn’t exactly featured on Mad Men — but its location was. In this will-she-stay-or-will-she-go Peggy Olsen-centric ep, the devoted-to-Don-Draper working girl misses her big birthday dinner at The Forum of the Twelve Caesars, much to the great chagrin of her family and boring beau Mark. Steakhouse AJ Maxwell’s opened in the same space as the opulent The Forum of the Twelve Caesars, which closed in 1975, but some of The Forum’s over-the-top charms remain.
Insider’s Tip: Order the classic Caesar salad and look around for The Forum’s original murals in the restaurant.
Book it!
Restaurant: Barbetta
Location: 321 West 46th Street, New York, New York
Episode: “The Summer Man,” season 4, episode 8
The Dish: This theater-district Italian restaurant holds several distinctions outside of its Mad Men appearance. It is the oldest restaurant in New York that is still owned by the family that founded it, the oldest Italian restaurant in New York, and the oldest restaurant in New York’s Theater District. On top of all that, a newly single Don Draper squires the sassy Bethany to Barbetta, only to run into Betty Draper and new father husband Henry Francis in “The Summer Man.”
Insider’s Tip: Don’t miss dining in one of the city’s best gardens.
Book it!
Restaurant: Benihana
Location: 47 West 56th Street, New York, New York
Episode: “The Chrysanthemum and the Sword,” season 4, episode 5
The Dish: Don Draper kicks off his short-lived romance with Bethany at Benihana’s flagship Manhattan location in this episode. There to research Japanese culture (Because restaurants have better booze than libraries?), Don’s supper isn’t nearly as memorable as Bethany’s scene-stealing black dress.
Insider’s tip: Skip the sushi and head straight for the show that is the teppanyaki that made restaurateur Rocky Aoki famous.
Book it!
Restaurant: The Four Seasons
Location: 99 East 52nd Street, New York, New York
Episode: “The Ladies Room,” season 1, episode 2
The Dish: This ironically titled episode takes place at Toots Shor’s long-shuttered, eponymous restaurant (ironic, because, apparently, Toots wasn’t the biggest fan of his female patrons). Betty Draper is impressed with the place – and Roger Sterling’s generosity. Don says of Sterling, “Toots Shor means he likes me. When he gets us to The Four Seasons, then we’ll know he trusts me.” A longtime power spot for lunch and dinner, The Four Seasons and its cool mid-century-yet-current vibe will transport you straight back to the days of Sterling Cooper. Plus, the food’s way better than Shor’s. Sorry, Toots!
Insider’s tip: If you’re power lunching, book a table in the Grill Room. (A lunchtime seat in the Pool Room prompted LA agent Michael Ovitz to “threaten” co-owner Julian Niccolini with legal action.)
Book it!
Restaurant: Grand Central Oyster Bar
Location: 89 East 42nd Street at Grand Central Terminal, New York, New York
Episode: “Red in the Face,” season 1, episode 7
The Dish: In this instant-classic, first-season episode, Don and Roger engage in a marathon session of oysters and Martinis [Ed note: Something tells me I could shame both of them.] at what is inferred to be the Grand Central Oyster Bar. A commuter and city-dweller institution since 1913, this feather in Grand Central’s dining cap carries 16 or 17 varieties of oysters every day.
Insider’s tip: Order the pan-roasted oysters. And, don’t take the stairs afterward.
Book it!
(more…)
Eat Pray Love opens this Friday, August 13, and OpenTable has teamed up with the friendly folks at Fandango to give away four free passes to ‘Eat Pray Love’ plus 10,000 OpenTable Dining Rewards Points (kinda like dinner and a movie!). Entering is easy. Just 
