The Scene at The Grill’s Day One Lunch

Ghosts of power lunches past gathered round The Grill today, which this afternoon resurrected the iconic see-and-be-seen midday meal at The Four Seasons, one of media moguls, money men and women, and political players. Above all, diehard regulars eagerly awaited the debut of lunch service, with some complaining they had to change their routine to 21 Club in the interim.

The room glittered as sun shone through gilded blinds and tuxedoed servers worked their stations in perfect choreography. Men in suits and women in heels dined on club sandwiches and grilled salmon to a soundtrack of hushed conversation and clinking plates — as was tradition at its predecessor, The Grill’s lunch had no music. For the inaugural lunch service, Jeff Zalaznick oversaw the room, making the rounds to check in on the famously particular regulars.

Gary He

The upper floor was left empty and there was a leisurely pace to table turnovers. But that allowed all the more time for several courses and several drinks, like martinis with fat olives — one diner mistook them for grapes on sight — and iced tea with fresh mint and a lemon wedge. While there were no celebrities to be seen, old money types like Donald Marron held court in booths full of similarly statused men.

Take a look at the food and drink offerings below for The Grill’s lunch from 11:45 a.m. straight through to closing, with a limited bar menu from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Grid View

• A Parker House roll and incredibly glossy butter
• Steak and anchovy tartare
• The tartare is served with lettuce on ice to make — of all things — lettuce wraps
• The Dungeness crab cake, served with a whole mustard sauce, has no binders, save for the shingled potatoes on top
• The marbled, dry-aged NY strip presented pre-sear (with a Manhattan sidekick)
• NY strip, a cheeseburger, honey mustard duck, and grilled asparagus
• The cheeseburger, medium rare
• Cottage fries, ordered separately, and served in a bowl made out of napkin folds
• Every dessert, including grasshopper cake, lemon chiffon cake, German chocolate cake, macerated strawberries with coconut cream, ice cream, and sorbet. There were millennial pink accents throughout the menu and smallware.

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