The Oak Room has been a venerable dining destination for New Yorkers and travelers since its opening in 1905. Despite the baronial setting the food never achieved notice for epicurean splendor and the new owners of the Plaza decided to challenge this old New York tradition by hiring Joël Antunes as chef. The Frenchman had learned his trade at Bangkok’s fabled Oriental Hotel and his high-flying cuisine seemed an apt fit for the palates of New York in 2008. No one took into consideration the sea change in the economy or the ineptitude of the restaurant’s executive staff. None of them were New Yorkers, but I had nothing to do with them as a diamantaire in the Plaza’s Retail Collection.
Joel was a different story. He recognized me from my years as the physionomiste of the Bains-Douches in Paris. “Would you care for something to eat?”
It was a pleasure to sit in the kitchen with the chef.
Lobster salad, onion soup, turbot. Every meal a delight. Strangely something happened on the way from the ovens to the table in the Oak Room. Dinners were less than satisfactory and in the first weeks of February the New York Times and then the New Post lambasted the food and the service. Joel was given his walking papers. He made me a last lunch. Dover sole. It was excellent. As I walked out of the kitchen, I waved goodbye to the staff.
Next up a kosher steak house for the Oak Room.
It’s something the owners know how to do.