Image by James McDonald, Courtesy of Martin Brudnizki Design Studio”. At The Pierre, New York City
Address: 795 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10065
Telephone number: + 1 212 940 8195
Location: Upper East Side (Central Park at Fifth Avenue). Le Caprice’s entrance is on Fifth Avenue opposite Central Park (Fifth Avenue and 61st Street)
The Pierre: Part of the Taj Hotel Group, owned by Indian company TATA and has just undergone a $100 million renovation. The hotel re-opened to the public on 1 June 2009
Covers: 90 (ie 74 seated and 16 at the bar on bar stools)
Services: Breakfast, lunch and dinner / 7 days a week
Opening times: Breakfast: 7am to 10.30am
Lunch: 12 noon to 3pm
Dinner: 5.30pm to 11:30pm
Sunday brunch: 11.30am to 4pm
Opening date: 26 October 2009 (Reservations open 15 October 2009)
Designer: Martin Brudnizki / www.mbds.net (previous work includes Wentworth Grill, The Club at The Ivy, Rivington Dubai, J Sheekey Oyster Bar)
Senior Restaurant Director: Marco Fazzina (previously General Manager at Daphne’s London)
Executive Restaurant Chef: Michael Hartnell (previously Head Chef at Daphne’s London)
Maitre d’: Allan Basaran
Art work: David Bailey series of Jean Shrimpton photos / www.davidbaileyphotography.com
Menu: Similar to the London alma mater, but reflective of the NY market. It will include classics like Thai-baked sea bass, dressed Dorset crab with celeriac rémoulade, Scandinavian iced berries with hot white chocolate sauce…
Caprice London: Originally opened in London in 1947 by Mario Gallati a former Maitre d’ of The Ivy and was reopened in 1981 in its modern day guise
Le Caprice New York brings the classic London brasserie to the heart of Manhattan.
Le Caprice New York is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days a week with bar dining available from midday. Sunday brunch is a specialty.
At The Pierre, New York City
Image by James McDonald, Courtesy of Martin Brudnizki Design Studio”. At The Pierre, New York City
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Over the course of the past 62 years, Le Caprice has established itself as a social institution in London with its effortless style, coveted cuisine and well-heeled crowd. Generations of diners have enjoyed the unique atmosphere and unsurpassed service of the avant-garde eatery, making it a firm favorite among a discerning international clientele. Le Caprice is delighted to announce the opening of its first New York restaurant in October 2009, in a prime location at The Pierre, one of the City’s landmark hotels.
Of all the captivating cities in the world, New York was the natural choice for Le Caprice’s first foray outside London due to the City’s classic style, charisma and distinguishing taste. The opening is also in homage to the many New Yorkers who have become regular visitors of the London restaurant over the past 30 years.
Located at the iconic Pierre Hotel with an entrance on Fifth Avenue, overlooking Central Park, Le Caprice New York captures the simple elegance of the London original, serving long-standing modern European favorites within a specially designed New York menu.
The dining room captures the monochromatic spirit of the original, with a series of photographs of iconic sixties model Jean Shrimpton by legendary British photographer, David Bailey. The seating is spacious, with crisp white napkins and tables set with glorious flowers. Le Caprice New York is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days a week with bar dining available from midday. Sunday brunch is a specialty, but we’ll have to report on that next time.
Over the course of the past 62 years, Le Caprice has established itself as a social institution in London with its effortless style, coveted cuisine and well-heeled crowd. Long-standing favorites from the London restaurant such as Thai-baked sea bass, salmon fishcake with buttered spinach and sorrel sauce, dressed Dorset crab and 
Scandinavian iced berries with hot white chocolate sauce (Pictured Above) appear beside the newly designed New York menu which offers remarkable Nantucket Bay scallops, served in the shell on a bed of sunchoke puree and trompettes (one of the best dishes I’ve had in New York in recent memory), a lovely Smoked haddock and poached quail egg tart would have been perfect if it were a tad less salty, (both appetizers). Salad lovers will enjoy a composed salad of mixed beets with goat’s cheese and walnuts. (Below).
Recommended entrees include juicy steak house quality prime NY strip steak that melts in your mouth. Aged 28 days, the flavor was extraordinary. And let’s not neglect the best fish and chips in the world, here beer battered cod,on an amazing chunky puree of fresh peas and mint..
Rice pudding with a dollop of berry jam in the center is delightful finish. The macaroons are noteworthy as are the excellent service and well chosen wine list. (carafes offer especially good value) and superb cappuccino.
Le Caprice, 795 Fifth Avenue at 61st Street offers one of NY’s most civilized dining experiences and the ideal melding of well executed London and Manhattan contemporary cuisine.
Copyright 2010 By Punch In International. All Rights Reserved
Notes
Le Caprice was originally opened in London in 1947 by Mario Gallati, a former Maitre d’ of The Ivy. It was then reopened in 1981 in its modern-day guise. With its contemporary black and white décor, David Bailey photographs and long bar, the style was deliberately fashioned to break the mold of established restaurants and offer flexibility in the menu, but with a high level of quality and service. "For nearly two decades a table at Le Caprice has been the stock exchange for the arts”… AA Gill (Sunday Times Restaurant Critic).
Le Caprice, now part of Richard Caring’s Group (including The Ivy, Annabel’s and Wentworth Club, among others), and The Pierre, which has just undergone extensive renovations, have joined forces to recreate the restaurant within this iconic hotel, capturing the atmosphere and setting made famous by Le Caprice over the past decades.
The Pierre, on Fifth Avenue overlooking New York’s Central Park, was acquired by Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces as the luxury chain’s U.S flagship in 2005. With its distinctive design, superb location and outstanding service, The Pierre is regarded as one of the world’s finest luxury hotels. Located just steps away from the famous Fifth and Madison Avenues, the hotel is a stroll from the most fabled attractions of New York. The Pierre offers exceptional personal service, accompanied with the charm and comfort of a European residence.
Martin Brudnizki, who can list Scott’s, Wentworth Grill, J Sheekey Oyster Bar and The Club at The Ivy among his considerable achievements, has been brought in to design the restaurant. Brudnizki has exhibited a special talent for giving a contemporary perspective to a traditional model, while at the same time reflecting a feeling of luxury. The main body of the dining room will stretch along 61st Street and will hold 80 guests; a long bar, specifically designed for up to 14 diners, will run down the side of the restaurant. Mirroring the London restaurant and maintaining its deep-seated commitment to the art world, Le Caprice New York will house a series of photographs of iconic sixties model Jean Shrimpton by legendary British photographer, David Bailey.
he restaurant’s philosophy will always be to focus on the customer’s needs. The chef is continuously striving to reinvent classics with interesting new combinations that both delight and excite the guests. Long-standing favorites from the London restaurant such as Thai-baked sea bass, salmon fishcake with buttered spinach and sorrel sauce, dressed Dorset crab with celeriac rémoulade and Scandinavian iced berries with hot white chocolate sauce will continue to appear within the newly designed New York menu.
Dinner Menu
Appetizers
Watercress soup with Cheddar straw
15.00 Endive salad with fennel, pear and Stilton
16.00 Smoked haddock and poached quail egg tart
17.00 Mixed beets with goat’s cheese and walnuts
19.00 Crispy duck and watercress salad
24.00 Nantucket Bay scallops, sunchoke puree and trompettes
19.00 Dressed crab
with celeriac
Sautéed foie gras with caramelised apples
9.00 / 14.00 Eggs Benedict
12.00 / 18.00 Risotto nero
16.00 / 24.00 Steak tartare
17.00 / 26.00 Pappardelle with wild boar ragù
18.00 / 27.00 Grilled tiger prawns with lemon, chili and garlic
Entrees
Caprice burger
with tomato relish and fries
21.00 Char-grilled onglet steak
with Bluefoot mushrooms and Tuscan kale
25.00 Grilled octopus
with chorizo, peppers and fingerling potatoes
26.00Chicken alla Milanese
with parsley, lemon and garlic
28.00 Fish and chips
with minted pea puree and tartare sauce
28.00 Fillet of steelhead trout
with roasted radiccio and balsamic
32.00
Thai-baked sea bass
with fragrant rice
40.00Rack of lamb
with Welsh onion cake and buttered greens
44.00 Prime New York strip
28 day aged, with fries
45.00Grilled veal chop
with sautéed chanterelles and cipollini
Desserts
Cheeseboard:
Shropshire Blue, Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire, Ticklemore
14.00 American Cheeseboard:
Penterman Farm Gouda, Bon Bouche, Old Chatham Blue
10.00 Rice pudding
with blood orange jam
10.00 Treacle tart
10.00 Brooklyn ricotta cheesecake with citrus compote
10.00 Bakewell pudding
10.00Honeycomb ice cream with hot chocolate
Apple pie with vanilla ice cream
12.00 Chocolate fondant
with pistachio ice cream
14.00Scandinavian iced berries with white chocolate
Chef, John Greeley
(Philip W. Pratt), one of New York’s most user friendly sommeliers
