PaullyInNYC

Re-opening this week after a 17.5 million dollar renovation, The Royalton Hotel and the newly imagined Brasserie 44 are set to reinvent a once lively midtown scene.

The space is darker and a lot more sexier (probably because its darker) and much more eclectic. The lobby is a series of loungey pockets filled with steel and brass patina'd chairs, cowhide covered sofas, and...a chess set. The long entranceway in the lobby leads to the brasserie 44 at the rear. After a few drinks you'll probably want to do dinner and after that even more drinks. Thats what the vibe there is supposedly going to attract.

The restaurant, conceived by John McDonald (Lever House, Lure), has a subtle nautical feel, dressed in elegant teak and cream-colored leather with booths separated by woven rope arches designed by Cirque du Soleil's rope master (nothing says class like French circus rope). The seasonal menu (changed, oddly enough, four times a year) is all classic brasserie fare. Try the Pan Roasted Veal Chop or the Black Bass en Papillote.