Geoffrey Zakarian Unveils Redesigned Plaza Hotel Palm Court

Late Saturday night, after the New York City WIne & Food Festival's Burger Bash, some of the country's leading culinary stars came to the Plaza Hotel to usher in a new era for the fabled Palm Court: chef Geoffrey Zakarian unveiled, for the first time, its beautiful new redesign.

Jose Andres, Bobby Flay, and Marc Murphy (fresh off his Burger Bash win) were just a few of the culinary luminaries in attendance as the room hosted its first guests since it closed down a couple months ago. Whereas it used to be just scattered with tables and chairs, now there's a beautiful oval-shaped bar in the center of the room, and seating is mostly in the form of velvet couches. In a thoughtful touch, the tables are mirrored to reflect the stunning stained glass ceiling, the room's showcase since it welcomed its first guests in 1907.

If you're looking to experience this for yourself, it will open to the public on Thursday, Oct. 23. And you should: odds are it will be hailed as one of the finest spots to get a cocktail in the entire city.

Now that his work on the Palm Court is finished, Zakarian will shift his focus to two more of the Plaza's most famous spaces, the Oak Bar and Oak Room.

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