Olana: The internets are doomed to failure unless someone invents a way to click on a photo at the end of a wet, snowy day and be immediately teleported to the desired location – like those plush chairs clustered around the bar, where one of Olana’s specialty cocktails would be presented at once.
A recent visitor to the new upscale restaurant and bar had kind words for a drink called the Corpse Reviver: a “smooth” mix of Lillet, Tanqueray, Cointreau, simple syrup and fresh lemon juice in an absinthe-tempered glass. The warm, refined dining room, accented with cherry-wood, red-shaded chandeliers and artwork in the Hudson River School style, sets the stage for French-trained Italian chef Al Di Meglio to serve modern American dishes like Grilled Grass Fed Filet of Beef with bone marrow dumplings, braised root vegetables, celery root puree and baby spinach. A Grilled Whole Turbo (for two) comes with seasonal vegetables and clams; pastas include Risotto with sea urchin, king crab, black truffle and truffle cream. [Photo via Thrillist, who has the menu.] 72 Madison Ave., (212)725-4900.
Eighty One: Ed Brown, former executive chef of the Sea Grill in Rockefeller Center, elevates ingredient sourcing to the next level with his new restaurant, located in the Excelsior Hotel on the Upper West Side. According to promotional materials, Eighty One promises “artisanal varieties of vegetables, meats, seafood, custom-grown lettuces, heirloom legumes, exotic white soy sauce and hand-selected peppercorns.”
