After a five year nap and a very pricey facelift, the refreshed Rainbow Room reopened for brunch yesterday. The 80 year old main ballroom still has some of its old world glamour (courtesy of its landmark status), but it’s more modern these days with rainbow-hued lights lining its ceiling and a silvery slate color scheme. Still, the views are as sweeping and stunning as ever, and it's not hard to imagine Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire trotting out onto the dance floor at any moment. Unfortunately, the dining room is open to the public only on Sundays for a prix fixe brunch and for prix fixe dinner on Monday evening, which will cost at least $175 if not more, depending on the "entertainment." Tonight that entertainment is The Roots, who will perform while guests dine on a retro-themed menu complete with oysters Rockefeller, beef Wellington, and baked Alaska.
Down the hall, is the new SixtyFive, a bar that’s open to the public even when the main dining room isn’t. The iridescent ceiling, which bends at odd angles looks like futuristic origami. Down on the floor, the leather bound chairs and banquets seem fitting for a bar where the average cocktail runs in the mid to low 20’s. But for those views, it might just be worth it.
