Here’s Where to Find New York’s Most Iconic Power Lunches
This feature was produced in collaboration between Vox Creative and Lexus. Vox Media editorial staff was not involved in the creation or production of this content.
In the heyday of power lunching, business and media elites went to the Grill Room at the Four Seasons: It was the dining room where the term "power lunch" was coined, by Esquire in 1979, to describe the bigwigs holding exclusive meetings over their midday meal. That legendary restaurant is now closing, and as tastes change, the power lunch is transforming.
Meghan Markle, who plays paralegal Rachel Zane on USA's Suits, knows something about dining. Markle runs her own food-obsessed blog, The Tig, and for our series Power Lunch with Meghan Markle, she visited some of New York's top restaurants to check out their lunch scenes. Inspired by her explorations, and from the history of New York dining, here are five dishes that define the term "power lunch," and where to find the best version of each.
Steak Frites
Steak frites are a dime a dozen in New York City, but a good version is hard to find. The meat is often tough and bland, and the fries taste more frozen than fresh. But at Lafayette, the classic is done right for the new generation of power lunchers. It’s a strip loin cut (rather than sirloin or hanger) grilled to perfection to get those crisscrossing grill marks, and it’s paired with thinly cut bistro-style frites. Like the bright, bustling, airy restaurant itself — a far cry from the New York French restaurants that opened in the ’80s — the dish feels revived and fresh. (Another restaurant to find a stellar steak frites? Balthazar.)
Lafayette, 380 Lafayette Street
Cobb Salad
Michael’s is more known for a powerhouse crowd than a powerhouse menu, but the media cafeteria knows how to do a Cobb salad right. (Calvin Klein is reportedly a fan.) It’s a feast of avocado, bacon, blue cheese — you get the picture. It’s massive, it’s classic, and it put Michael’s on the map for power lunches. If you listen carefully, you'll hear book deals being made and media mergers coming together over the Cobbs at the mogul-filled tables all around you.
Michael's, 24 West 55th Street
Roast Chicken
The roast chicken at The NoMad is perhaps the most talked-about chicken dish in all of New York. The chicken for two comes in an iron cocotte, a fricassee simmering in a mushroom and shallot mixture. The sauce alone would make it a noteworthy dish, except this roast chicken is made even more decadent after being stuffed with a mixture of foie gras, brioche, and black truffles, along with lemon and some fresh rosemary and other herbs on the side. Even the dark meat on the legs is gently sautéed, after the chicken is cooked through, with more chicken stock, butter, shallots, and mushrooms. The whole thing is as decadent and luxurious as the space itself, located off the lobby of the Flatiron district's luxe NoMad Hotel. The result: the kind of droolworthy lunch you’ll remember long after the deals have been made.
The NoMad, 1170 Broadway
Hamburger
Sure, you can order a crispy skin chicken breast a la plancha, or a hanger steak, but The Lambs Club is known for its burger. The sirloin patty is topped with Cabot cheddar cheese and shallots on a toasted challah bun, and is served with house-cut fries. Linger a bit and savor the Old Hollywood-meets-new-New York setting with a cocktail or two.
The Lamb's Club, 132 West 44th Street
French Dip
A French dip feels quintessential to a lunch menu, and no one does it better than Keith McNally’s clubby Minetta Tavern. This is a French dip a notch above the others: Roasted culotte steak is cut to order and served on a fluffy, toasted butter-and-garlic roll with a huge serving of au jus. It’s only available for brunch and lunch, so you have no excuse not to get out of the office to try it.
Minetta Tavern, 113 MacDougal Street
This feature was produced in collaboration between Vox Creative and Lexus. Vox Media editorial staff was not involved in the creation or production of this content.