Lex Yard at the new Waldorf Astoria is a wonder that reinvents the legendary hotel's stuffy old reputation

New York Post

6 days ago

The reopened Waldorf-Astoria deserved a great new Waldorf salad.
Michael Anthony, chef at the hotel's Lex Yard restaurant, goes one better. His re-invention of the 100-year-old recipe not only improves on the country-clubby original, it lives up to the entire hotel's spectacular, oft-delayed, $2 billion transformation.
Like its Art Deco surroundings, Anthony's salad is lightened, brightened and reconstituted for a new generation. Just as the hotel retains its landmarked Peacock Alley lounge and other interior pleasures, the salad builds on the original salad's basics — celery, apples and grapes.
6 The classic Waldorf salad has been reimagined at the newly renovated Waldorf Astoria.
Paul Quitoriano
6 Lex Yard occupies two floors in the iconic hotel.
Courtesy of Waldorf Astoria New York
First devised by hotel chef Oscar Tschirky in 1896, the Waldorf salad has never been a favorite of mine. Too often a cloying, mayonnaise-slathered affair whether in diners or fancy restaurants, the old warhorse was sometimes propped up with corn or raspberries. No matter, the result was the same: a bland heap of unrelated items tossed with cheap green lettuces and weighted down by gobs of mayo.
Anthony, who's also the chef of well-loved Gramercy Tavern, said his aim was to 'keep it simple, visually appealing and memorable.' His boldest stroke was to replace mayo with a tingling, lemon-tinted aioli that flatters all the elements, which are fine-chopped into a chiffonade that's like a picnic on a plate.
The salad tosses little gem lettuce, frisee, candied walnuts, fresh tomatoes, grapes and toasted sunflower seeds, beneath a cloud of grated cheddar cheese.
All the bitter and sweet flavors, and crunchy and soft textures, come through cleanly and clearly defined. It's a great summer dish that will surely shine year-round as elements are changed with the seasons.
It's the must-have item on the menu, and it's offered both as part of $140, four-course prix-fixe and for $26 a la carte.
6 A fully loaded lobster roll is one of many pleasures on the menu.
Paul Quitoriano
6 Black bass makes for a light-but-flavorful summer dish.
Paul Quitoriano
6 A red velvet souffle is vastly better than the red velvet cake that was once served at the hotel.
Paul Quitoriano
It will take weeks to experience the menu's full depth, but Anthony was at the top of his game on opening night with dishes such as pan-roasted black bass in a dark-hued, pleasantly sweet bouillabaisse sauce ($48), a sparkling Maine lobster roll ($53) that lived up to the waiter's description as 'fully loaded'; and a dangerously delicious, fresh-made red velvet souffle tart ($22) that laughed at the old dessert list's supposedly iconic but commercial-tasting red velvet cake.
It was a thrill dining at Lex Yard on Wednesday, when the reborn hotel got its first heartbeat in nearly eight years. (A handful of guest rooms are open with the full-scale opening to include the grand ballroom planned for September.)
Japanese restaurant Yoshoku, off the main lobby, was already near-full, while Peacock Alley buzzed with the sound of lounge-goers delighted to find the fabled venue looking better than it has in several generations.
6 Chef Michael Anthony is also the chef at Gramercy Tavern.
Courtesy of Waldorf Astoria New York
The two-level Lex Yard is more casual on the ground floor where voices from a lively bar permeate the scene. The more plush second level, where I sat, is more luxurious with richly upholstered booths and carpeted floors. It also unfortunately comes with a view through mullioned windows of floors-full of styrofoam boxes inside a building that seems under eternal renovation.
July's quiet and hot summer days are springtime for Lex Yard. Catch them before autumn brings cooler nights — and the hordes who wondered for eight years if they'd ever set foot in the Waldorf-Astoria again.