Tak Room is still riding high. Situated on the 5th floor of the Shops at Hudson Yards, Tak Room is preempted by an unfortunate preamble of having diners weave their way round a shopping centre on arrival. However, once past the restaurant’s frosted glass doors, its elegant, nostalgia-tinged interiors, which have been expertly designed by David Collins Studio, together with sprawling Hudson River views, quickly incite forgiveness.
On arrival, a sculptural, spiral staircase leads to the restaurant’s open dining room, lounge and bar. Here, terrazzo flooring, a geometric, coffered ceiling, marble accents and plenty of dark walnut wood work together to create an environment that is classic, yet modern at the same time. The setting is evenly matched by Keller’s elevated fare, which approaches classic dishes in a contemporary way. Mainstays like New York strip steak, wild Dover sole meunière and roasted free range chicken, boast modern culinary treatments and blue-ribbon ingredients, while old-school service traditions, such as tableside preparations and gueridon service, hark back to another time.
To go with the rolling champagne carts and live jazz, performed on a vintage Steinway & Sons baby grand piano, the restaurant also features an extensive contemporary art collection, which includes paintings by Gianna Commito, Sophie Von Hellerman and an original charcoal drawing by Rinus Van de Velde, as well as photographs from Slim Aarons, Robert Mapplethorpe and Nobuyoshi Araki, thanks to a collaboration with UTA Fine Arts. §
