In a tight economy where restaurants seem to open and close like lawn chairs, it's nice to recognize a Salt Lake spot that, after 25 years, is still at the top of its game.
The 2002 Zagat Survey rated The New Yorker Club as Salt Lake City's "most popular" restaurant and also the top place for people-watching and business dining. Even if you've never been to The New Yorker to power-lunch or meet the elite, you've probably benefited indirectly. It was the first venture by Gastronomy Inc., which helped raise the fine-dining bar a few notches in Utah. Many chefs around town first honed their skills at The New Yorker, Market Street Grill or another Gastronomy restaurant.
Built at at the turn of the 20th century, The New York Hotel on 60 Market St. had fallen on hard times by the 1970s. The lower floor was home to the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen and a print shop. John Williams, a student of architecture, and Tom Sieg, a member of the Utah Heritage Foundation, could see new life for it.
"I lived across the street, and I loved to cook and did a lot of dinner parties," recalled Williams. "We would look over at that building and comment on what a beautiful facade it was and what a beautiful restaurant it could be. I thought it would be a good time to get into the real-estate industry."
After remodeling the building, a spot was leased to the New York Pasta Co., a concept similar to the Spaghetti Factory that never took off. Sieg thought the timing was right for a fine-dining restaurant with full-service liquor. He and Williams kicked around possible names — The Knickerbocker was one — but settled on The New Yorker due to its location in the cellar of the New York Hotel.
The New Yorker opened its doors in 1978 with 200 club members. Because John loved fresh fish and Tom's grandmother, Stella, had a great recipe for chicken-fried steak, these headed the list of menu selections (and are still served today). The owners arranged to have Western Airlines (before it became Delta) fly in fresh salmon for its fledgling restaurant.
"Nobody else was doing it in Utah," said Williams. "The first summer, that salmon did about 60 percent of our sales. That gave us the encouragement to open up the seafood restaurant upstairs. Now fresh fish is on most menus of all different kinds of restaurants."
Market Street Grill opened in 1980, followed by the Oyster Bar in 1981, Market Street Broiler in 1983, Cafe Pierpont in 1986, Baci in 1989 and Market Street Cottonwood in 2000.
But every idea wasn't a hit. When the pair first opened Market Street Broiler in the spring of 1983, the owners envisioned a casual seafood spot like the Crab Cooker in Newport Beach, where mesquite-broiled fish was served casually on paper plates with plastic utensils. Diners liked the seafood but not the paper and plastic, Williams said. By Christmas, paper and plastic were out — china was in.
The company also opened a Chinese restaurant. "It was about half the size as the restaurants we would normally build, because we thought we would make up the rest doing take-out delivery, but that turned out to be very expensive. After losing an even million dollars, we closed it. But our food concept, looking back, was similar to P.F. Chang's, had we built the restaurant the same size as our other restaurants."
Although The New Yorker a private club that serves liquor, Williams points out that some members don't drink alcohol; they just like the food and the ambience. "But they're not the majority," he added.
With a commitment to "research and development," chefs and managers travel to key dining cities to sample the trends. Executive chef Will Pliler, who joined the staff in 1979, recently returned from a trip to New York. During the month of April, Pliler will feature a special anniversary four-course dinner for $25.
In 2001, The New Yorker was awarded the Utah Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Dining by Salt Lake Magazine's Dining Awards.
"It seems like we've trained and educated a lot of people in the hospitality industry in the state of Utah," said Williams. "We take great pride in the fact that they got their start here; hopefully because of that the whole level of cuisine has gotten better."
E-MAIL: vphillips@desnews.com