All photos via Isay Weinfeld
On Monday, SL Green’s office tower One Vanderbilt officially opened. The 1,401-foot building is the fourth-tallest in NYC and the tallest in Midtown. In keeping with its grand accolades, the tower will have a restaurant from Michelin-starred Chef Daniel Boulud. Located directly across from Grand Central and with views of the Chrysler Building, Le Pavillon has soaring, 57-foot ceilings and a nature-inspired design by Brazilian architect Isay Weinfeld, all setting the scene for the locally sourced menu.
If the name Le Pavillon sounds familiar that’s because it was a classic New York City restaurant that opened in 1941 at the World’s Fair’s French Pavillion. It was last located in the Ritz Tower Hotel on West 57th Street, and when it closed in 1972, the New York Times said that “at its peak” it was “the finest French restaurant in the United States.”
Chef Boulud decided to use this name not to try to duplicate the original but to draw on inspiration from “a time period when [he] arrived as a new chef in New York City and heard many stories about a restaurant that was named after the French pavilion in The New York World’s Fair,” according to a press release.
“At One Vanderbilt, I have the opportunity to create a dining experience in bustling Midtown Manhattan, combining nature and architecture, that is an escape for New Yorkers and visitors alike. A place that captures the energy and creativity of New York City,” said Chef Daniel Boulud. “With its garden view and original design features, it is our goal to create a retreat-like atmosphere where guests can come, enjoy light, fresh and flavorful cuisine and be reenergized. With restaurants closed or significantly reduced for so long, many people are craving the experience of dining out – safely, with creative cuisine, friendly service and all the thrills that just can’t be recreated at home. We all need that right now.”
The interior design for the 11,000-square-foot space–which is located on the second floor, at the corner of Vanderbilt Avenue and East 42nd Street–was done by architect Isay Weinfeld, known for incorporating nature into his projects. In NYC, he’s behind the Chelsea condo building Jardim, which was designed as a sort of “concrete jungle,” as well as the new incarnation of the Four Seasons. At Le Pavillon, he wanted to mix elements of a classic NYC skyscraper and Central Park. Therefore, he wove “lush greenery, live trees and foliage… throughout the dining room.” The bar area will overlook the new Vanderbilt Plaza, and there will be a special “Garden Table” in the middle of the restaurant that will feature special food and wine experiences.
As for the menu, Chef Boulud will work with local suppliers and farmers on a vegetable- and seafood-forward contemporary French-American menu. Le Pavillon is expected to open during the first quarter of 2021.
RELATED:
- In Midtown, 1,401-foot One Vanderbilt is officially open
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- David Chang, Tom Colicchio, and others propose ‘Safe and Just Reopening Plan’ for restaurants
All photos via Isay Weinfeld
