12 Essential Facts About The Rainbow Room's Return

Iconic New York restaurant The Rainbow Room will reopen on October 6 atop Rockefeller Center. The restaurant has been revamped to include an updated dining room and two new lounge spaces, one of which will be open during the week, reports Bloomberg. In a major, though planned shift, the main dining room will function more as an event space than a regular restaurant, opening itself to the public only two days a week. Rozanne Gold, who was the consulting chef there from 1987 to 1999, explains the significance: "Rainbow belonged to New York, New Yorkers, and everyone else in the world for that matter. It was open seven days a week and not just a place for catered parties. That's what's so sad about the new vision. It is a very limited one."

Landlord Tishman Speyer contracted Elizabeth Blau, whose consulting team works with several restaurants in Vegas, to oversee the space, which will be a marked change from the legendary Joe Baum who ran the restaurant for many years. The opening will get a private kickoff celebration on October 1, and reservations for the sixth and subsequent Mondays are already on OpenTable. Ahead of that, here are the essential things to know about the long-awaited comeback.

1) The main part of the dining room will operate as an event space Tuesday through Saturday, charging around $400 a plate for weddings and other private events.
2) Dinner and dancing will be open to the public on Monday nights.
3) There will be Sunday brunch.
4) The post-prohibition dining room including the ceiling dome, dance floor and staircase will remain largely unchanged, since they are protected by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
5) The space now hosts two new lounges, one called The Gallery, and another called SixtyFive.
6) SixtyFive, which will be open to the public Monday through Friday, will seat 92 and open on to a terrace. "With the terrace, we wanted to create a panoramic view as if from the stern of a ship, and create the feeling of embarking on a voyage," says architect Michael Gabellini.
7) "The idea is to burnish history, to polish and move it into the present day, with an eye on the future," says Gabellini.
8) Curtains made out of actual crystal will refract light to create an actual rainbow effect
9) The space was originally called the Rainbow Room because its organ projected colored lights as it was played.
10) Jonathan Wright, who is new to the New York restaurant scene will be running the kitchen and says his some of modern American menu will "pay homage to the history of the Rainbow Room."
11) The opening menu will include oysters.
12) The team is planning to bring in live music. On the wish list are Christine Ebersole and Lady Gaga.
· The New, Reimagined Rainbow Room Is High Tech, Familiar [Bloomberg]
· The Rainbow Room Finally Reopens October 6 [GS]
· All Coverage of The Rainbow Room [~ENY~]