The Major Food Group Takeover Of The Four Seasons Restaurant Will Be Expensive And Showy
Last year, the culinary community collectively gasped when the iconic Four Seasons restaurant — inventor of the power lunch — announced that it would be closing, to be replaced by a restaurant from the collective imagination of Rich Torrisi, Jeff Zalaznick, and Mario Carbone of Major Food Group (Parm, Dirty French). Since the Four Seasons space is landmarked, much of the exterior and interior (including the famous Pool Room) will remain the same, but everything else will get a shocking makeover.
The space will transform into two restaurants (supposedly representing the male and female Yin and Yang of the esoteric dining experience): The Grill, set to open in April, and The Pool, which will open in the fall. Together, the paired restaurants will be known as Landmark. Until a recent interview with Grub Street, details of the major operation have been hush-hush.
One thing is for sure: The trio of successful restaurateurs is making the Four Seasons into a destination, albeit an expensive one at around $150 per plate. Many wonder if this signals the death knell of the "indulgent power lunch," due to the pumped-up price tag. The hallmark of The Grill's menu will be a beef stroganoff made with rare truffle, along with other "manly" meat dishes like "Amish ham steak pineapple chow chow." The group hired one-time restaurant critic Mimi Sheraton as consultant and considered naming a salad after her.