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The Top Power Lunch Restaurants
Where’s the best place to talk business and eat well at the same time? Here are 10 of the finest new business lunch spots in the country.
By Emily DeNitto
01. NEW YORK | The Lambs Club 132 West 44th Street
The Lambs Club sees its share of celebrities: Cindy Crawford and Bono were there in recent weeks. But the restaurant really isn’t about rubbernecking; it’s more a comfortable, old-world spot. Housed in the Chatwal Hotel’s Stanford White-designed landmark building, The Lambs Club is an escape from chaotic 44th Street and nearby Times Square. And the modern American menu from chef Geoffrey Zakarian—creator of well-regarded restaurants Patroon and Town—ranges expansively from cod en papillote to crispy duck confit salad to a turkey club with avocado and sprouts.
The Classics: Le Bernardin, Michael’s, The Four Seasons
Contact: 212.997.5262 thelambsclub.com
Cost: $16 to $28 for entrees
02. LOS ANGELES | Wolfgang Puck at Hotel Bel-Air 701 Stone Canyon Road
Hotel Bel-Air reopened last year after a $100 million renovation, and its new restaurant, created by Wolfgang Puck, has been generating buzz. Its power lunch crowd includes old guard stalwarts like Nancy Reagan and Larry King, but younger producers, directors, agents, A-list actors and media types are also frequently seen in one of the three dining areas: the main room, the Spanish courtyard-style terrace and—for those rare Hollywood occasions when you actually don’t want to be seen—the private dining room. Puck has overextended himself in recent years, but he’s showing a return to form here, using local farmer’s markets to source his California-meets-Mediterranean menu.
The Classics: Craft Los Angeles, Spago Beverly Hills, The Grill on the Alley (Beverly Hills)
Contact: 310.909.1644 hotelbelair.com/ wolfgang-puck-bel-air
Cost: $16 to $52 for entrees
03. Chicago | Chicago Cut Steakhouse 300 North LaSalle Street
There’s no shortage of steak joints in the Windy City, but Chicago’s latest power lunch spot has found a way to refresh the formula: Chicago Cut Steakhouse has its own dry-aging room and onsite butcher. For those not interested in beef—there must be a few of you in Chicago—Chicago Cut also features a thoughtful menu of salads and seafood. The sides, from freshly shucked corn to shiitake and crimini mushrooms, transcend the typical creamed spinach. And the wine list comes on an iPad, which actually makes it easier to read. Chicago Cut attracts everyone from Bears to business leaders, as well as the likes of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Oprah Winfrey.
The Classic: Morton’s (Wacker Place)
Contact: 312.329.1800 chicagocutsteakhouse.com
Cost: $12 to $48 for entrees
04. MIAMI BEACH | Yardbird Southern Table & Bar 1600 Lenox Avenue
Top Chef contender Jeff McInnis has brought Southern cuisine to a Southern state where you’ll more typically find straightforward seafood or Latin-influenced fare. His fried chicken—which takes 27 hours to get from house brine to table—fried green tomato BLT, shrimp po’ boy and other updated Southern classics are lauded by the eclectic group of diners crowding Yardbird for lunch: Brazilian expats, players for the Miami Heat, South Beach models and their agents. The menu includes both traditional— smoked pulled pork—and fusion, like the “Southern edamame”: steamed peas with Atlantic sea salt and spicy chili butter.
The Classic: The Capital Grille
Contact: 305.538.5220 runchickenrun.com
Cost: $13 to $16 for entrees
05. PHILADELPHIA | The Dandelion 124 South 18th Street
The Dandelion is one of those places—cozy, casual, excellent— that we’d love to keep to ourselves, but reluctantly won’t. Chef Robert Aikens, a native of Norwich, England, has brought Britain’s gastropub tradition to a city with as deep connections to England as any in America. Located a few blocks from Market Street, home to many of Philly’s largest firms, The Dandelion has fast become a meeting place for executives, lawyers, politicos and others drawn to its nuanced menu, featuring everything from lamb shepherd’s pie to chicken and duck liver parfait.
The Classic: Lacroix at the Rittenhouse, Le Bec-Fin, Rouge
Contact: 215.558.2500 thedandelionpub.com
Cost: $11 to $24 for entrees
06. SAN FRANCISCO | Cotogna 490 Pacific Avenue
Leave it to San Francisco to pick a true gastronomic temple as the hot new power lunch spot. Opened as a sister restaurant to the popular fine-dining Quince (which doesn’t offer lunch), Cotogna is anything but casual when it comes to the food. Chef Michael Tusk is celebrated by the city’s business types (Cotogna is located in Jackson Square, near the city’s financial district) and social media entrepreneurs for his house-made pastas, grilled meats and pizzas including cardoons, fresh ricotta and wild nettles, and farm egg, lardo and red onion.
The Classic: Michael Mina, Tamarine (Palo Alto)
Contact: 415.775.8508 cotognasf.com
Cost: $12 to $28 for entrees
07. WASHINGTON, D.C. | P.J. Clarke’s 1600 K Street NW
Just down the road from the White House on Washington’s lobbyists’ row, P.J. Clarke’s has become the go-to lunch spot for politicians, lawyers and, yes, lobbyists. (Good luck telling them apart.) An offshoot of the storied 128-year-old New York saloon, this P.J. Clarke’s has a secluded downstairs dining room for those looking for more privacy (Peter Cherukuri of The Huffington Post holds court there about four times a week). The fare includes steaks, salads, seafood and pub favorites such as shepherd’s pie, lobster rolls and Maryland crab cakes.
The Classic: The Monocle, The Oval Room, The Palm
Contact: 202.463.6610 pjclarkes.com/ washington-dc
Cost: $15 to $41 for entrees
08. HOUSTON | Branch Water Tavern 510 Shepherd Drive
Chef David Grossman, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, is cooking ambitious versions of Texas classics at Branch Water Tavern. Bacon-wrapped Gulf shrimp with grits, roasted venison medallions and crispy-skin Texas redfish are some of the favorites of the oil company executives and lawyers who frequent the spot, located near downtown. An extensive lineup of craft beers and American whiskeys are available for those celebrating a deal.
The Classic: Brennan’s, Mark’s American Cuisine, Tony’s
Contact: 713.863.7777 branchwatertavern.com
Cost: $12 to $28 for entrees
09. LAS VEGAS | Estiatorio Milos 3708 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Restaurateur Costas Spiliadis has made big successes of his Greek eateries in Montreal, New York and Athens. Now he’s bringing his impeccably prepared seafood and traditional Greek favorites to Vegas, where his restaurant is located in The Cosmopolitan hotel. The lunch crowd consists of local power players as well as businesspeople in town for conferences and trade shows.
The Classic: McCormick & Schmick’s
Contact: 877.893.2003 cosmopolitanlas vegas.com
Cost: $20.12 prix fixe menu; à la carte entrees start at $40
10. BALTIMORE | Wit & Wisdom 200 International Drive
Like many of noted chef Michael Mina’s restaurants, Wit & Wisdom uses local ingredients to focus on the area’s culinary heritage, which may be why it calls itself a “modern American tavern.” Located in the recently opened Four Seasons, the restaurant overlooks Baltimore’s harbor, and attracts plenty of visiting businesspeople. But resident entrepreneurs and lawyers are also coming in for the crab cake sandwich, beer-battered bass sandwich and rotisserie rib eye.
The Classic: The Center Club (private)
Contact: 410.576.5800 witandwisdombaltimore.com
Cost: $17 to $29 for entrees