Oriente Mania, a Fixture at Sette Mezzo, Moves Restaurants

"A small, old‑school Italian institution on the Upper East Side that opened in the 1980s and became a private clubhouse for wealthy, influential regulars. The menu featured refined takes on classics—artichokes with taleggio, veal Milanese, orecchiette with broccoli—and could include pricey or off‑menu items reserved for trusted customers. The atmosphere was as important as the food: house accounts, late-night cappuccino- and grappa-soaked evenings, cigar-and-card nights, intimate family dinners, and close personal relationships with staff (notably a longtime host who entertained children with origami) made it feel like a home away from home for real‑estate, media, and cultural elites." - Charlotte Druckman