A Two Star Michelin Restaurant in NYC
I was wrapping up a four-hour lunch at The Consulate on the Upper West Side when the following text arrived from a family friend: 'Are you in town, and what are you doing tonight?'
I replied that I was, and shortly thereafter, I received a dinner invitation to a highfalutin downtown restaurant named SAGA. Being a non-foodie, I didn’t bother looking it up, but a few courses caught my attention, namely the Kristal caviar and beef tenderloin with truffles. I was planning to meet a friend for a late dinner off E 87th and 1st, so I figured I’d grab a quick bite at this downtown spot, make an Irish exit, and head to the Upper East Side.
Before I hopped on the train at Central Park West, I had one thought on my mind: 'Why in the hell are we eating so early?' The invitation said 5:30 p.m., which led me to believe there was a Del Boca Vista Phase III element involved—you know, how older people eat earlier, until they’re fighting over tables at a Denny’s in Fort Lauderdale for the coveted 4:30 Early Bird Special, wearing white shoes and massive wrap-around sunglasses, and complaining about how the morons at Del Boca Vista Phase II got all the handicap spaces.
Anyway, I got off at Wall Street and walked a few blocks to 70 Pine Street. Again, I had no idea where I was going, but I knew I was in for something special when I arrived at the entrance and looked up to see a 952-foot-tall skyscraper.
I checked in with the receptionist, who told me I’d have to wait a few minutes for the elevator, which was fine because I enjoyed admiring the old-school Art Deco lobby. Once I got on, she pressed the button for the 61st floor. After my ears popped a few times, I arrived and was greeted by a hostess, who took me up a flight of stairs to the wrap-around balcony for the cocktail reception—I was BLOWN AWAY! For starters, I could see half of Brooklyn and the Supertalls on 57th (that’s almost five miles away).
By this time, I was literally floating in the clouds. I was having so much fun and meeting so many interesting people that it still didn’t occur to me that I was in a super high-end restaurant. A never-ending assortment of titillating hors d'oeuvres floated around on silver trays. I must have had two dozen, and I couldn’t tell you what a single one was, but they were decadent and sumptuous.
We eventually retired to a private dining room with several round tables. Wine was pouring, laughter was contagious, and two-star Michelin food was being served. Yup—two stars. This good ol’ boy from Georgia didn’t know he was eating at one of the finest restaurants on the planet.
The food was dee-lish-ous! My dumb ass may not have known the pedigree of the establishment, but I knew the flavors were out of this world. Life was good… in fact, life was very good.
As tasty as the food was, the company was even better. I spent the next five hours laughing my tail off and listening to a variety of fascinating people from all walks of life. To my right was a former Wall Street lawyer with the gentlest of spirits, and to my left was the best-dressed gentleman I had seen all summer in New York. We’re talking an impeccably tailored jacket, suede loafers sans socks, smart-looking Tom Ford frames, and an apricot-and-blueberry-colored ascot that lit up his perfectly symmetrical face.
The three of us talked all night like we were old friends. Despite not knowing anyone except the host, I felt like I had been welcomed into the most interesting family in all of Manhattan. It was one of those quintessential New York nights—you read about them in novels and see them in movies, but to experience one is as good as it gets.
