The original spot for power lunches is shutting down
NEW YORK — New York’s original power lunch restaurant is closing, and everything must go.
Henry Kissinger’s favorite banquette, the chairs that guests sat on when President John F. Kennedy celebrated his 45th birthday, and even the pots and pans will go on the auction block when the Four Seasons closes in July.
The July 26 auction, which was announced this week by Wright, an auction house, will mark the end of an era for a restaurant that has been a favorite of celebrities and business titans ever since it opened in 1959. It continues to draw boldface names.
“Drew Barrymore was in,” Four Seasons coowner Julian Niccolini remarked as he prepared for lunch service last week. “A beautiful woman. She was with another beautiful woman.”
Esquire coined the term “power lunch” in 1979 to describe the scene at the Four Seasons.
Many regulars were outraged when Aby Rosen, the owner of the landmark Seagram Building that houses the Four Seasons, announced last year he was not renewing the lease.
Instead, the space designed by legendary architect Philip Johnson will be leased to chefs Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi and their business partner Jeff Zalaznick, who are known for trendy downtown eateries including Carbone, Parm and Dirty French.
A spokesman for Rosen’s real estate company, RFR Holding, said the company had no update about plans for the new restaurant.
The Four Seasons will reopen at a yet-to-be-announced location nearby, Niccolini said.
“It’s going to be a restaurant designed for the next century,” Niccolini said.