The Four Seasons Restaurant has remained its high-level stature is due to one single, candid component: simplicity.
Upon entering New York City’s historic landmark – Four Seasons Restaurant breathes the aura of elite prestige and breezy charm that overtakes any socialite and foodies’ spirit. Most acknowledge the Four Seasons Restaurant for its VIP clientele: Anna Wintour, Ralph Lauren, Henry Kissinger, Woody Johnson (Jets owner,) Martha Stewart, just to name a few.
But the true reason Four Seasons Restaurant has remained its high-level stature is due to one single, candid component: simplicity. “People care about their diet. You see elite regulars in this restaurant daily because we serve food that you can eat everyday.” Co-owner, Julian Niccolini explains, “Nothing here will make you fat, it’s not going to make you sleepy. We have fresh ingredients and we don’t use any cream at all. Just think about that, because every restaurant uses cream. We want to make sure our guests are healthy.”
Julian reminds all diners the rooted essence of a restaurant,
“Classically, it’s a place where you can go to everyday, not just once a month or once a year. The Four Seasons represents just that, a restaurant is a place where you can go on a daily basis, the original idea from the old days.”
Do not confuse the Four Seasons Restaurant with Four Seasons Hotel chain. It’s simply the pioneer of many firsts: it’s one of the first restaurants in America that introduced seasonal menus, the first restaurant in the U.S. to serve American wine, it established the concept of “power lunches,” and it is certainly one of the first destination restaurants to print its menu in English.
So what is the secret ingredient to its longevity? Julian indicates, “Number one, this is an American restaurant. It’s neither Italian, nor is it French. We believe in products that are very local – truly American. It’s all about getting great food here in the shortest possible distance.” For someone who is exceedingly international, there’s a reason why Julian is one of the most significant restauranteurs in America.
Growing up in Lucca, Italy, Julian moved to New York City in 1975 and worked at Hotel de Paris in Monaco. He also worked extensively at the Palace Hotel – one of the most expensive hotspots in New York City during a time when French cuisine overtook the upscale restaurant industry. In 1977, Four Seasons Restaurant became a powerhouse in the scene, so he came with a friend to explore the buzzworthy gem. He was impressed with what he saw, then was hired within six months.
Known as one of the best New American restaurants in the country, if not, in the world; Four Seasons Restaurant aims to please all with simplicity. “We don’t use anything farm raised. We only buy foods that haven’t been yet contaminated by human beings, or so to speak.” Julian notes, “Yes, the basic philosophy may be that every restaurant is French-influenced. But in essence, every chef who works here knows that the most important element of our culture is to keep the basic flavor of a particular item. If we have a spectacular piece of fish, we don’t believe there should be a lot of stuff added to it.”
The Four Seasons Restaurant believes in its purpose: to give its guests the most basic flavor of each dish. If it’s coined as “American cuisine,” then that is simply it. Along with seasonal changes from uniforms, flowers to the menu. This American institution rides on its elegant transformation throughout the year, in its meticulous care for details – a constant reinvention.
“There’s been many changes because people change, we all change. Our tastes change.” Julian continues, “To give you an idea, there was a time when Merlot was the most popular wine in America, but no one drinks Merlot anymore now. There was a time when Chardonnays were the number one seller, but very few people drink that anymore.” His concept is ever-shifting, an in-depth understanding that everyone is consistently moving forward.
Speaking of wine, the James Beard Award winning restaurant captures its jetsetting clientele with a famous, extensive wine collection that carries exclusive bottles from California, France, Italy, New Zealand, Australia and Spain. One can enjoy a wide spectrum of spectacular vino from 1998‘s Dom Pérignon magnum ($1400,) a white French burgundy of 2010‘s Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet, Domaine Faiveley ($550,) a smooth Côtes du Rhône from Châteauneuf du Pape, Pignan,1999 ($350) or an exquisite bottle of bordeaux from Château Latour, Pauillac 1996 ($3000.) Obviously, one can’t go wrong with any of these refined choices.
“From the very beginning, this was the first restaurant in America to carry American wine on the east coast in 1959. No one knew anything about American wine, so we hosted wine events, wine dinners that celebrated American wine.” Julian isn’t merely an insightful wine enthusiast. He is a sagacious wine expert.
A sleek and stylishly genteel host, Julian lives and breathes the movement and the perpetually changing restaurant industry. “People are opening new restaurants in this country more than anywhere else in the world. People really care about restaurants now, more than in France or Italy. The notion started back in the 80s. No question at all, in California.” Julian gives recognition to the iconic Alice Waters and celebrity chef Jeremiah Tower, a distinguished talent who he believes truly invented American cuisine. “Then there was Jonathan Waxman, these are folks who have changed the way American cuisine has been addressed in an innovative way.”
In the restaurant, a gentleman arrives at the Four Seasons everyday for lunch at 11:30am and leaves at 4pm. He will likely return for dinner and the routine has been repeated for years. That is the dedicated appeal of Four Seasons Restaurant. Loyalty, refinement and immense class. As another gentleman texts Julian to plan a wedding for his daughter, there is no doubt that such an American institution will never fade. Although Julian claims that it’s impossible for a restaurant to appeal to everyone, all foodies appreciate history, art and frankly great food.
It’s easy to believe that Four Seasons Restaurant will continue to whisper delicious notes to a newer generation of jetsetters as it always did to the ones before.
