The Carlyle Hotel Reignites Its Restaurant With Burning Nostalgia and Flaming Sundaes - Eater NY
"Dowling’s at the Carlyle — named for Robert Whittle Dowling, an urban planner who acquired the hotel in the 1940s — is all about mid-19th century nostalgia. It is helmed by Sylvain Delpique, the former executive chef at the legendary, now-shuttered 21 Club. The atmosphere in the 80-seat room, and many of the new dishes, are a nod to throwback Manhattan fine dining traditions in the 1930s and 1940s, with Dover sole and salt-crusted branzino filleted tableside. A flambe station adds dramatic flair to dishes like steak Diane, set on fire with a pour of cognac; and a flaming Grand Marnier sundae. A “butcher’s cut” section of the menu includes three cuts of steak alongside roast chicken. A pumpkin ricotta raviolo in hazelnut sage butter, containing egg yolk that bursts in diners’s mouths upon contact, is Delpique’s play on a much-lauded favorite at now-defunct Manhattan fine dining spot San Domenico. The restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with a carving station for prime rib — a weekend brunch highlight. “We are bringing back dishes that might have been forgotten,” says Delpique. “And there is a lot of interaction with guests, which is something many places don’t do anymore.” Under Delpique’s watch, the restaurant is making everything in-house now, from the bread to the smoked salmon, and foie gras terrine. The hotel with its adjoining restaurant, cafe, and bar is a NYC celebrity hotspot, having hosted such bold-faced names as Tom Cruise, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Anthony Bourdain, Lenny Kravitz, Princess Diana, and — just last month — Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Controversial filmmaker Woody Allen has not only featured the hotel in his movies, but he has regularly performed with a jazz band at Cafe Carlyle on Monday nights. Prints and paintings from Ludwig Bemelmans adorn the walls in both the bar and — in a special addition for the reopening — the restaurant, too. Dowling’s at the Carlyle is open daily from 7 to 10:30 a.m.; 12 to 2 p.m.; and 6 to 10 p.m. The restaurant is open on Friday and Saturday until 10:30 p.m. Sunday brunch is served from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Reservations are available via Tock." - Beth Landman
