At Manhattan's recently redone Royalton Hotel, the clubby lobby is filled with velvet and suede and après-work crowds making the most of their expense accounts. But rather than check out the models sipping cosmopolitans, happy-hour revelers now look down the corridor toward Brasserie 44.
The latest creation of John McDonald (the brains behind the Lever House and Lure Fishbar restaurants), the glowing new eatery focuses on seasonal fresh foods, such as a not-to-be-missed entrée of wild striped bass in a cauliflower-asparagus vinaigrette. With its seats of teak and cream-colored leather, placed under arches of woven rope, the bistro is the ideal spot for dinner before catching a show on the Great White Way. 44 West 44th Street; 212-944-8844; royaltonhotel.com.
