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Time Warner Center

A Mecca for New York Foodies

Time Warner Center

With the largest supermarket in Manhattan, an accessible location, impressive city views and a variety of restaurants from a who’s who of the country's top toques, the Time Warner Center (TWC) at Columbus Circle has established itself as an important foodie destination.  In spring 2007, Landmarc opened, filling the last space earmarked for membership in the Restaurant Collection at this vertical mall.

The luxurious Mandarin Oriental, New York hotel, housed on floors 35-54 of the TWC's second building, opened in November 2003. The property quickly took advantage of the impressive views of Central Park and the New York skyline from its 35th floor, by opening a trio of happening eateries: Asiate, MObar, and The Lobby Lounge.

Elegant Asiate (212-805-8881) serves the Asian-inspired contemporary cuisine of chef Brandon Kida in a Tony Chi-designed space featuring sixteen-foot, floor-to-ceiling windows. The restaurant is complemented by MObar, a lively cocktail bar, and The Lobby Lounge, a comfortable area for enjoying breathtaking views, afternoon tea, light fare and late-night cocktails and desserts.

The fourth floor of the TWC's shopping area is the epicenter of designer-chef restaurants with Per Se (Thomas Keller), Masa/Bar Masa (Masa Takayama), and Porter House New York (Michael Lomonaco). Rande and Scott Gerber’s Stone Rose Lounge is also on this floor. Down one flight are Landmarc at the Time Warner Center (Mark Murphy) and Bouchon Bakery (Thomas Keller).

Asiate
Asiate

Thomas Keller's (The French Laundry, Yountville, CA) Per Se (212-823-9335) has been one of the city’s hottest tickets since it opened.  Reservations are taken up to two months in advance, and callers spend considerable amounts of time trying to shore up a precious table.  The chef’s tasting menu and a vegetable tasting are nine courses each and are priced at $275 per person. A five-course pix-fixe lunch menu is also available for $175. The Adam Tihany-designed restaurant is the largest in the complex, but much of the space has been reserved for the enormous kitchen. The main dining room seats 64, and there is also one ten-person private dining room, along with a bar, wine cellar and spacious lounge.

In contrast, Masa and Bar Masa (212-823-9800) offer intimate dining spaces, each with its own Asian minimalist appeal.  Masa, where Chef-owner Masa Takayama’s (Ginza Sushi-Ko, Los Angeles) Omakase menu is set at $450 per person, has a centerpiece sushi bar with several tables to the side.  The markedly less expensive Bar Masa has an à la carte menu in a long sleek with a full bar and tables set against the wall.  Asian fusion dishes are offered at both.

MObar
MObar

Stone Rose Lounge (212-823-9769) is a no-cover bar and lounge that is well-situated for the building's after-work crowd.  The lounge serves an eclectic menu of international tapas.

Porter House New York (212-823-9500), opened in the corner space formerly occupied by Jean-Georges Vongerichten's V Steakhouse.  Overseen by charming Chef Michael Lomonaco (Windows on the World, 21), Porter House presents a cozy yet formal version of a steakhouse and offers all the trimmings with an extensive seafood menu as well.

The Lobby Lounge

The unpretentious Landmarc [at the Time Warner Center] (212-823-6123) opened in April 2007.  Three times the size of its downtown TriBeCa sibling, the restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner in an expansive, urban setting.  Children are welcome here and have their own colorful menu choices.

Down the corridor are Bouchon Bakery, (212-823-9366) a retail bakery that also offers catering and a sit-down restaurant with striking views of Columbus Circle and Central Park.  The bakery offers take-away sandwiches, soups, salads, pastries, and other treats.  Fresh salads and sandwiches are offered at the café and its coffee bar.

For those who plan to skip the big-name restaurants and dine at home, Whole Foods Market should not be missed. The huge gourmet supermarket takes up an entire underground level, concourse 1, and has a 248-seat café, a sushi bar, a Jamba Juice, and, of course, wide aisles.

Add to all this the three fabulous jazz venues and exciting programming from Jazz at Lincoln Center on two floors of the building and you’ll find the restaurants buzzing pretty much all day long, filled with music lovers, shoppers, neighborhood folks, and, of course, the many tourists who understand what shopping in a mall is about, sometimes better than those that live in this city.

by Meryl D. Pearlstein



(Updated: 09/22/10 NW)




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