I don't know how many times I have walked up Third Avenue and seen their green and white low slung building standing out among all the skyscrapers.
Let me see what i can find on the internet--this from Zagat ratings
Zagat
2032 reviews
SERVICE
23
COST
$77
Scoring guide
One
part “gruff, manly steakhouse”, one part “NY institution”, this
“classic” Midtown beefery delivers “perfectly marbled slabs” and
“generous drinks” to a “power-broker” crowd; “old-school” waiters
preside over the “noisy, informal” scene, and quickly dispatch the
“corporate cards” at meal’s end.
Whereas Wikipedia has this to say:
Smith & Wollensky is the name of several high-end American steakhouses, with locations in New York, Philadelphia, Houston, Columbus, Las Vegas, Miami, Chicago, Boston and Washington D.C.. The first Smith and Wollensky steakhouse was founded in 1977 by Alan Stillman, best known for creating T.G.I. Friday's, and Ben Benson, who later opened his own steakhouse at 123 West 52nd Street, in a distinctive building on 49th Street & 3rd Avenue (once occupied by Manny Wolf's Steakhouse).[2] Many of the restaurants have a wooden exterior with its trademark green and white colors. The individual Smith and Wollensky restaurants operate using slightly varied menus. In 1997, Ruth Reichl, then-restaurant reviewer for the New York Times, called Smith & Wollensky "A steakhouse to end all arguments.".[3]
In 2007, Nick Valenti, CEO of the Patina Restaurant Group and his partner Joachim Splichal, together with the Boston-based private equity firm Bunker Hill Capital, purchased The Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group.[4]
The New York Smith and Wollensky is used as a meeting place for Christian Bale and Willem Dafoe's characters in the 2000 Film American Psycho.
When Mr. Stillman sold the Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group he retained ownership of the New York restaurant, although all locations share promotional and marketing efforts.
Whereas Wikipedia has this to say:
Smith & Wollensky is the name of several high-end American steakhouses, with locations in New York, Philadelphia, Houston, Columbus, Las Vegas, Miami, Chicago, Boston and Washington D.C.. The first Smith and Wollensky steakhouse was founded in 1977 by Alan Stillman, best known for creating T.G.I. Friday's, and Ben Benson, who later opened his own steakhouse at 123 West 52nd Street, in a distinctive building on 49th Street & 3rd Avenue (once occupied by Manny Wolf's Steakhouse).[2] Many of the restaurants have a wooden exterior with its trademark green and white colors. The individual Smith and Wollensky restaurants operate using slightly varied menus. In 1997, Ruth Reichl, then-restaurant reviewer for the New York Times, called Smith & Wollensky "A steakhouse to end all arguments.".[3]
In 2007, Nick Valenti, CEO of the Patina Restaurant Group and his partner Joachim Splichal, together with the Boston-based private equity firm Bunker Hill Capital, purchased The Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group.[4]
Name
According to Stillman, there was never a Mr. Smith or a Mr. Wollensky involved. He opened the Manhattan phone book twice and randomly pulled out two names, Smith and Wollensky. The announcements for the opening, however, carried the names Charlie Smith and Ralph Wollensky. Stillman later admitted that Charlie and Ralph were the names of his dogs.[5]Locations
New York
Located in midtown Manhattan, the first S&W steakhouse occupies a stand-alone building whose wooden exterior bears the trademark green and white colors (which actually were inherited from Manny Wolf's, which was there from 1949-'77, when it became Smith & Wollensky, they simply changed the "Since 1949" to "Since 1977" but otherwise kept the type of letting used on the outside of Manny Wolf's the same). Also included is Wollensky's Grill, a bar room within the restaurant that has a more bar-type atmosphere and food, and is open later than the dining room. It and its kitchen were used for scenes in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada. It had also been used for the famous 2008 $2.11 million and 2007 $650,100 "Power Lunch with Warren Buffett" charity auction on eBay, with Zhao Danyang and Mohnish Pabrai & Guy Spier, respectively.[6][7]The New York Smith and Wollensky is used as a meeting place for Christian Bale and Willem Dafoe's characters in the 2000 Film American Psycho.
When Mr. Stillman sold the Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group he retained ownership of the New York restaurant, although all locations share promotional and marketing efforts.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave a comment-- or suggestions, particularly of topics and places you'd like to see covered