How Union Square Cafe Helped Shape NYC Dining | Eater NY

"Still a New York City icon after 40 years, this restaurant opened on October 21, 1985, and built a culture around its monthly newsletters, typed in the basement on a Smith-Corona while, upstairs at the original East 16th Street location, chef Michael Romano cooked tuna burgers and Bibb salads. The mailings doubled as invitations to Morning Market Meetings and wine dinners, even functioning like a pre-digital "notify" lottery that filled seats by postcard. Reviews arrived early (Bryan Miller awarded two stars in the New York Times), celebrity drop-ins appeared regularly (Matthew Broderick, JFK Jr., Kevin Kline, Tom Brokaw), and the tone balanced polish with humility through mishaps like the 1990 dining-room flood and the plumber who took reservations without writing down names. Ahead of its time, the team banned smoking across all three dining rooms in 1991, then got to know regulars who stepped to the bar for a puff between courses. After September 11, 2001, the newsletters articulated a belief that restaurants, in their ability to nourish and nurture, can heal—a sentiment that still defines the place today." - Andrea Strong