Before sending a new server out on the floor of the dining room at the Four Seasons in midtown Manhattan, managing partner Alex von Bidder always imparts three words of advice: “Don’t be intimidated.”
Easier said than done at the tony restaurant, which packs more power on any lunch hour than Con Edison throughout the entire month of August.
Leave The Pool Room to lovebirds and tourists. The Four Seasons' wood-paneled Grill Room is for captains of industry, everyone from Michael Eisner to Sony CEO Howard Stringer to Cathleen Black, who heads Hearst publications, to cosmetic king Leonard Lauder.
Eighteen months away from the presidential election and, already, each of the candidates has held a fund-raiser or two here, says von Bidder.
What makes this such a magnet for the rich and powerful? The food of course, says von Bidder, but, more importantly, the personal attention lavished on regulars whose loyalty is rewarded generously.
“Institutional memory is very important in a place like this,” says von Bidder, who insists that staff remember details, like who has switched from three martinis to mineral water and who prefers their salad sans dressing. The loyalty works both ways.
“When Howard Stringer was temporarily out of a job,” says von Bidder, “he was treated no differently than when he became Sony’s CEO.”
gOf course, Manhattan boasts other more “hip” spots for wowing clients--chief among them is Michael’s, Mecca for anyone and everyone in publishing; The Lever House, around the corner from the Four Seasons, is positioning itself as a serious contender, but is still too green to compete with its gravitas.
Supreme Spots
Every major league city has its magnetic restaurants that influential people (be they bankers, producers or fashion designers) use to impress, cajole or intimidate others in their field.
In Los Angeles, for example, the hot new place for power dining is a scrappy pizzeria on Highland Avenue. Yes, it’s run by Mario Batali and Nancy Silverton, but Pizzeria Mozza is still a pizza joint. Silverton bakes off her pizzas in a 700-degree oven and that’ s about how hot this place has been among Hollywood honchos since it opened last November. When Steven Spielberg calls to order takeout, you know you’re in the money.
In Beijing, the lead power dining spot has yet to solidify itself what with so many restaurants and hotels opening in advance of the 2008 Olympic Games. Current favorites are the tres imperial China Club, which also has a branch in Hong Kong, the 64,000-square-foot Lan Club and haute Italian Cepe (that’s French for porcini) in the Four Seasons hotel in Beijing’s bustling central business district--perfect for those times when you can’t be distracted by the food or how to get it in your mouth.
Proximity to the main power source is often key as in Washington, D.C., where The Oval Room is just steps from the White House, making it hard for Condoleezza Rice and Karl Rove to justify eating at their desks.
General manager Rob Almaraz says the staff is so used to waiting on Beltway bigwigs they’ve become somewhat inured to the weighty table topics they overhear.
“I think people are more nervous waiting on a real foodie, like the late [New York Times reporter] Johnny Apple," he says, "than a high level cabinet member."
In fact, politicos often get so engrossed in their issues while dining, the restaurant staff, and chef Tony Conte, in particular, get excited whenever talk turns to the food at hand.
Not so in Paris, where the concept of “power dining” goes against the grain (the French don’t really like to bring up business until the coffee is served) the culinary experience counts more than location or convenience. That said, a great setting doesn’t hurt , which is why high-level bankers and fashion-industry leaders flock to Maison Blanche, with its sublime views of the Seine, and conveniently address on the Avenue Montaigne catwalk.
Of course, it’s hard to beat the convenience of a great hotel restaurant especially if that hotel is the ultra-swank Leela Palace in Bangalore, the third-largest city in India quickly emerging as the Silicone Valley of the Far East.
Bill Gates and other global industry moguls like to talk tech at Leela’s very elegant Jamavar restaurant specializing in Northern Indian cuisine--also popular with preening Bollywood stars.
Impressive for a city that, until recently, had no need for a power restaurant.
