In 2016, the landlord—the Bronfman family’s successor company—refused to renew the lease. The restaurant’s co-owners, Julian Niccolini (the volatile, charming Sicilian) and Alex von Bidder (the urbane Dutchman), fought a public, bitter battle. They lost.
Chefs who passed through the Four Seasons kitchen included , Christian Albin , and Seppi Renggli —men who taught New Yorkers that a vegetable could be the star of a plate. menu four seasons restaurant nyc
: High-end selections included Dover Sole Meunière (market price), Maryland Crabmeat Cakes ($64), and Scottish Smoked Salmon ($42). Chefs who passed through the Four Seasons kitchen
For 57 years, the entrance to the Four Seasons Restaurant was a portal to another era. Just off the soaring, bronze-sculpted lobby of the Seagram Building at 99 East 52nd Street, diners stepped from the Midtown grid into a cathedral of mid-century modernism. The air smelled different inside—a mix of expensive tobacco, fresh flowers, and the particular aroma of deals being sealed. Just off the soaring, bronze-sculpted lobby of the
The final service was a funeral for an era. Niccolini, in tears, ripped a lithograph off the wall and handed it to a guest. Von Bidder stood by the Pool, watching the water drain. Patrons hugged, cried, and stole the ashtrays.