Last night we headed to the city to join a friend for dinner. Charles
has been in the City Opera orchestra for 30 years, and is one of
Betsy's favorites to play with. He generously had offered to take us
and another friend of his to the Four Seasons for dinner. We joined him
on his terrace for a while, then drove to midtown (I knew the evening
was a success for me when I found nearby free parking). We walked 2
(sweltering)blocks and met Charles' other guest at the restaurant
door, In and up into the restaurant, and then to our table. From a
visual standpoint, the Pool Room really lived up to it's reputation.
Stunning piece of modernism, and what other restaurant leads you past
an immense Picasso curtain?

The waiter seemed to have a hearing problem when we asked for tap
water, after the 3rd time we assured him that we didn't need sparkling
water we got some cold water. Not a big drinking crowd, but we all
thought a nice dry ros=E9 would be nice (it was horrendously hot
outside). Surprisingly, there were no ros=E9s on the wine list. Didn't
anyone tell them Pink Is In?

The wine list surprisingly was only marked up about 2-2.5X retail
(there were a few 3Xs), on the moderate side for a NYC high end place.
I was handed the list. It's always a bit awkward being the wine guy
when with some winelovingbutnotgeek types. It's even more awkward if
someone else is paying (bad enough when splitting check). I scanned for
the few things in the non-3-figure range, considered a '99 Trimbach CFE
($70) and a Mastrobernardino Greco ($45) , but decided that a M=E2con
might be a safer choice, not too idiosyncratic. The 2002 Auvigue
Pouilly-Fuiss=E9 "Solutr=E9" ($42) ended up a popular choice.

Just a touch of oak, there's a bit of tropical fruit, but the major
impact is from the citrus. Plenty of fruit ripeness but no lack of
acidity. Somewhat minerally on the finish, I'm relieved everyone seems
to like. Charles orders a second bottle (as a geek, I usually order
something different, but was happy he was happy here!). Goes well with
the fish dishes most of us order. B+

As to the food, while everything was tasty, only one dish was truly
stunning, and that was the least expensive appetizer ($15) on the menu.
That was Betsy's starter- a tasty (though not stunning) yogurt crabmeat
salad, surrounded by some outrageously good corn bisque. We always
share, but I was reluctant to give her plate back. My fluke carpaccio
was good, and Charles liked his oyster selection. I do think Charles
was delighted with his Dover sole, and Sharon liked her halibut.
Betsy's rosemary veal was merely nice (though she said a mushroom side,
which I didn't try, was up there with bisque), my monkfish was a tad
dry and not very exciting. I think the others liked their desserts.

I think it's worth going to the restaurant once if you're a fan of
modernist architecture (I had been to the Grill Room bar once years
ago, but this was my first time in the pool room). I do think from a
pure food standpoint there are better places for the average $25-30
appetizer cost and $40-60 main courses. In this case, however, I was
happy to be there, and not because Charles was treating. It was a nice
meal with nice people, and it turned out apparently it was Charles'
birthday (he never would actually confirm it, but implied it was a
milestone- his 80th?). We felt privileged to join him for a nice night
of conversation (ranging from Ouspensky to nature films to garage
bands) and food.

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't
drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no
promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency

In article .com>,
DaleW > wrote:
>
[snip!]
>
>Stunning piece of modernism, and what other restaurant leads you past
>an immense Picasso curtain?


What is a "Picasso curtain"? Fabric painted by Picasso? As you probably
know there is a restaurant in the Bellagio in Las Vegas called "Picasso"
is which a good number of the painter's works are displayed. However, this
"curtain" idea seems odd.


Dimitri

http://www.toprestaurants.com/ny/fourseasons.htm

"The Four Seasons housed a remarkable collection of modern art.
The Picasso pictured here is a stage curtain designed for the 1920
Paris production of The Three Cornered Hat.
Today it is displayed in the corridor that joins the Grill Room with
the Pool Room."

Dolor got it right. Picasso was involved with quite a few
theater/dance efforts, with Jean Cocteau, Stravinsky, etc.

Funnily enough, on the way from the car (2nd Ave) to restaurant we
passed a gallery famous for Dali prints and drawings. While discussing
Dali, conversation drifted to Picasso. And I told my favorite Picasso
quote, on touring an exhibtion of schoolkids's drawings: =93When I was as
old as these children, I could draw like Raphael, but it took me a
lifetime to learn to draw like them=94,