My first lunch at Michael’s was in 1995. Playboy magazine flew me to Moscow, where I got an exclusive interview with the late Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who was running for president of Russia at the time.
It felt as if everyone who was anyone was in the room, which was glowing with its minimalist design, stunning floral decorations and dramatic windows overlooking the tranquil garden behind.
In that regard, it seems not much has changed now-legendary siteWhere media moguls, politicians, real estate barons and museum heads all meet to “see and be seen”.
Michael celebrated his 35th birthday on Wednesday night. It’s still a Midtown power lunch scene (the Cobb salad remains a fixture). But it’s also expanded into power breakfasts (coffee, green juice and blueberry crepe pancakes) and dinners (Dover sole).
There’s also a happy hour where chef Kyung Up Lim’s duck confit bao, Korean fried chicken or shrimp and Korean steak lettuce cups are eaten.
71-year-old owner Michael McCarty still presides over his namesake restaurant, 24 W. Wandering from table to table on 55th St.
McCarty, who studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, came to clean California seasonal cooking when it opened in New York in 1989. He also helped introduce New Yorkers to a large collection of Napa wines at a time when Midtown was still ruled by French restaurants.
The decor includes works by his wife, artist Kim McCarty, as well as art by Cy Twombly, David Hockney, Jasper Johns, Frank Stella, Helen Frankenthaler, and Marcel Duchamp. There are reliefs in the Robert Graham lobby and garden – panels from the 1984 Olympics; Dennis Hopper’s photos are in the bathroom.
On Wednesday morning, sipping coffee in a packed room, McCarty pointed to a table in the back, where Jasper Johns liked to sit every day for a month while working on his 1996/1997 retrospective at the nearby Museum of Modern Art. Used to do.
McCarty said, “He would sit in the back with Cy Twombly and plot.”
This is where George Stephanopoulos and President Bill Clinton once made up, McCarthy said, pointing to another table. And Graydon Carter sat “at Table 7 – the last smoking table in New York” – with Fran Lebowitz, Liam Neeson and the late Natasha Richardson.
“They’ll sit there, pouting and talking for hours,” McCarty said.
McCarty said that at the time, smoking was still allowed in New York at bars and at bar tables that were at least eight feet apart from restaurants.
The McCarthys visit from Malibu twice a month. His Michael in Santa Monica recently celebrated its 45th anniversary.
“The restaurants are twin brothers and sisters,” says McCarty. “Hollywood people will come here to meet their agents and they’ll have a place to have lunch.”
One of the secrets to Michael’s success is having a great staff, led by general manager Steve Millington, who greets regulars by name, and maitre d’s L’Oréal Sherman and Joanna Andrade, along with chef Lim. All have been at Michael’s for over 20 years.
And yes, guests’ preferences are noted in the computer system – and discussed with diners every day to ensure their needs are met and the delicate art of seating arrangements is created.
“We have a pre-shift meeting before lunch and dinner to discuss any special arrangements or needs our guests have,” Millington said. “It can be as simple as not eating lemon with Diet Coke or as complex as a gluten allergy or sesame seed allergy. Birthdays are also very important.”
Some of the country’s top chefs also got their start at Michaels, including Nancy Silverton, Jonathan Waxman, Brooke Williamson, Sang Yoon, Miles Thompson and Brian Borneman.
“I think the key [to staying relevant] It means you’re always evolving,” McCarty said. “You have to be aware of what’s happening around you and you have to have your own opinion. Restaurants come and go quickly because they are just an idea. But people go back to the standards. You develop the classics, the Latin of the food world, and you make sure you are fully aware of your customers.
In some cases, this also means “doing their weddings, bar mitzvahs, anniversaries and then doing their memorials!” Five-stop shopping with the same people. It’s all about evolution – not mutation. Don’t change suddenly. Put your soul in it.”
