High above the streets of Manhattan lays The Rainbow Room. This breathtaking space is on the 65th floor of Rockefeller Center. For decades it was the highest elevated restaurant in the United States. I have no doubt the JD Rockefeller himself would be quite pleased with the grandeur of today’s restaurant. The original restaurant was opened in 1934. Following a decline in business after the financial crisis of 2008, the restaurant closed its doors. It reopened in the fall of 2014 if a full restoration and an overhaul by a new chef and management team.
It has all of the splendor of an old school fine dining establishment. The ceilings are two stories high, the waiters are clothes in proper serving jackets, and all the tables center around a massive revolving dance floor. There is a live band serenading you as you eat. To dine here you are expected to come dressed to impress and you will be greeted with all of the pomp & circumstance one could ever want. This place is fancy shmancy with a hefty price tag to match. For brunch we spent $480 for three diners. I spend most of my brunches in ripped jeans, cloaked in my own hangover, eating $15 eggs. It was quite honestly a welcome change to get dressed up and be pampered by the finest service one can buy. My drinks never went below halfway full, my napkin was promptly folded every time I got up, and my chair was pulled out for me like a true lady.
For brunch there is a prix fix menu at $125. For the price, you have access to unlimited food. Yes, unlimited. There is a massive buffet of fish, hand carved meats, and desserts as far as the eye can see. The menu itself offers every brunch classic dish and I was happily surprised that all were done quite well. For the price tag, I don’t expect anything less. The salmon is cured in house, the benedict is drowning in lobster and caviar, and the carrot cake pancakes are to die for. There are plenty of non-brunch items as well. I would suggest the shrimp & grits or the truffle short rib man n' cheese. This was truly a special occasion and I look forward to returning. Here's what we had:
Smoked salmon platter
