[NYguy]

Like a new Windows on the World...



https://www.architecturaldigest.com/...nyc-restaurant

Inside Danny Meyer’s New Sky-High NYC Restaurant
Located at the top of an iconic midcentury tower, Manhatta is a fresh recipe of domestic-design cues and breathtaking views





July 16, 2018
by David Foxley
Photography by Max Burkhalter

Meyer has made a name for himself by bringing an alchemic mix of exceptional food, exceedingly gracious staff, and finely tuned atmosphere to a number of unexpected locations: Citi Field, Madison Square Park, JFK airport, the Saratoga racetrack. So when an opportunity arose to open a 30,000-square-foot restaurant and bar (Manhatta) and private-event space (the Bay Room) on the 60th floor of 28 Liberty Street, the iconic Skidmore, Owings & Merrill–designed tower in Downtown Manhattan, Meyer didn’t balk. The author of industry bible Setting the Table and founder of Union Square Hospitality Group, Meyer says the unfortunate tendency for "high-altitude" eateries at the top of skyscrapers is to make them too formal, such that the space and service compete with the dramatic panorama.

To be sure, the views at Manhatta (whose name was inspired by the Walt Whitman poem "Manahatta," his ode to New York City) are magnificent, but they're just one ingredient in a complex recipe. Guests arrive via private elevators from a separate lobby at street level, near the 1961 International Style building's famous plaza, which is anchored by Jean Dubuffet's black-and-white sculpture Group of Four Trees. Upon entering the restaurant, one is greeted by a 40-foot walnut-and-granite bar in front of a wall of windows facing east over the tops of neighboring towers, the East River, and Brooklyn beyond. It's a distinct vantage that Meyer knew was special on his very first visit. "It feels like a gift to have lived in this city for over 30 years and to have a fresh perspective on my home for the first time," he says, "and I love that the back bar is Manhattan rather than a bunch of bottles of booze."