DESIGNER DINING

Ask the sommelier at New York’s The Mark Hotel for a glass of red to go with a ribeye, and they might well open a bottle of Chateau Talbot GCC Saint-Julien 2016. But here, it’s not any old steak. It’s a double-size 28-day dry-aged from DeBragga, the veritable Dior of designer dining.

HOTTEST HANGOUT

By the way, the 135-seat restaurant is full, typically feeding well over 200 a night. It helps, admittedly, that celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten oversees everything. Roughly 85% of eating and drinking customers are Upper East Side locals. They breakfast meet, do ladies-who-lunch, and socialise over dinner. So, regularly, this is their local.

DINING EVOLUTION

The reach of the 153-room hotel has also, since the pandemic, expanded physically outside the 1927-vintage building. Those who want to be seen can eat, open to the elements, at eight linen-dressed tables for two on the E77th pavement. Weather irrelevant, there are also two street-set permanent eating places: the one on Madison is so substantial it has a wooden frame, air-control and a dedicated team – it did a great fondue business winter-long, and now it is switching to plant-based for summer.

ROOFTOP TO RETAIL 

The entire block, retail included, belongs to The Mark’s owners, Alexico Group (they lease out a couple of units, but other retail outlets fall under the remit of the hotel’s management). Alexico bought some blocks to store The Mark’s utilities, previously stored on the 16-floor hotel’s rooftop. This is now a fabulous terrace and event space. Cocktails up there. Cocktails down there at ground level in a theatrical bar – cocktails and art everywhere.

DEFYING GRAVITY

Oh, the art, and arts in general. Above the striking black and white lobby floor, Bridget Riley-style, hangs a Ron Arad open-Catherine-wheel light. This very weekend, the lobby is the venue for extreme fashionistas. The world-famous Met Gala is tomorrow, Monday 6th May, and The Mark is the closest hotel. Red carpets are out; police turn some one-way streets into reverse. The Mark concierges have transport immediately on hand, including vehicles that can move vertical fashionistas, some in sky-high heels - standing upright, as some of those frocks are not flexible.

TRUE SHOWMAN

The Mark’s French GM, Etienne Haro, loves life. He’s fortunately a polymath showman who has always done things differently. A would-be diplomat, he’s the working ambassador for The Mark. He recently headed to Mexico City’s most powerful art event, where he hosted the top 50 Mexican art collectors to a lunch that undoubtedly whetted 50 appetites to rush to New York, or at least to The Mark.