{"id":253635,"date":"2026-06-03T12:15:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T12:15:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/253635\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T12:15:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T12:15:11","slug":"spend-a-star-studded-night-at-nyc-restaurant-marcel-with-audrey-mcgraw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/253635\/","title":{"rendered":"Spend a Star-Studded Night at NYC Restaurant Marcel with Audrey McGraw"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Estimated5 min read<\/p>\n

You feel it immediately. Long before an amuse-bouche has materialized on your table\u2014before, in fact, you\u2019ve even settled into your chair\u2014you look around and detect a sort of ambient thrill. On the face of it, all that\u2019s happened is you\u2019ve walked into a restaurant, but that tingle in your nerve endings lets you know that something rare has transpired: You\u2019ve crossed a threshold into a really great room.<\/p>\n

\"TCX060126WMarc HomAudrey McGraw is playing concerts in the U.S. and abroad this summer, after touring the globe last year with Brandi Carlile. Dior<\/a> dress. Bulgari High Jewelry<\/a> Tubogas necklace and rings.<\/p>\n

A restaurant can flourish, as most do, without the cosmic windfall of having a really great room, just as a really great room, like an ill-\u00adfitting tuxedo on a slovenly drunk, can\u2019t rescue a restaurant that has collapsed into a period of mediocre cooking and hospitality. But when everything comes together\u2014when you encounter a synchronicity of food and service and lighting and music and decor in a space that happens to be architecturally sublime? Well, then. Order a digestif and hold on to that night\u2019s table for as long as you can, because you have clicked into the sweetest of sweet spots when it comes to dining out.<\/p>\n

OVERHEARD AT THE NEXT TABLE

\u201cDzanielle<\/a>! Isn\u2019t that the girl from Influenced and Odd Mom Out? Is she actually eating the bread? Should we?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"modernMarc HomFamily Dinner: Jill Kargman\u2014writer, star, and executive producer of the new film Influenced<\/a>\u2014shares a meal beneath Joan Mitchell\u2019s King of Spades with, from left: her husband Harry Kargman; his sister-in-law Alexandra Michler; and Alexandra\u2019s husband Will Kopelman. On Harry Kargman: Van Cleef & Arpels<\/a> Lion Ebouriffe clip-brooch, courtesy of Sotheby\u2019s. On Michler: Lalaounis<\/a> Aurelia collection ring. On Jill Kargman: Wilfredo Rosado<\/a> Bakkheia ear clips, courtesy of Sotheby\u2019s<\/a>.\"modernMarc HomThe New Guard: From left: Emma Lasry, Mary Julia Koch, Sophia Cohen, and Neil Hamamoto, members of the Metropolitan Museum of Art\u2019s Vanguard Council, raise a glass to bright futures in the art world. On Lasry: Gabriela Hearst<\/a> jacket and trousers. Wempe<\/a> Helioro necklace. On Koch: Zimmermann<\/a> dress. Tiffany & Co.<\/a> Elsa Peretti Diamonds by the Yard Sprinkle Necklace and Jean Schlumberger by Tiffany Dot Losange bracelet. Tony Duquette<\/a> ring. On Cohen: Fforme<\/a> Koharu coat. Foundrae<\/a> Orbit Extension Chain with Resilience Sparrow Medallion. Brent Neale<\/a> Conch Shell ring. Cartier<\/a> Baignoire watch. Buccellati<\/a> Macri ring.<\/p>\n

There are certain American rooms, from coast to coast, that have come to serve as totems of this peak experience. You might think of Canlis in Seattle, with its black cantilevered hull jutting out over Lake Union like the opening scene of a Hitchcock movie, or the cavernous faux-Parisian swirl of New York City\u2019s Balthazar, which represents the apotheosis of the Keith McNally aesthetic. Maybe you look to the past, whether it\u2019s the cocky American Century elegance that Philip Johnson and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe brought to the Four Seasons in Manhattan\u2019s Seagram Building, or the bliss-to-be-alive vibes of Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills in the 1980s, or Gabrielle Hamilton\u2019s Prune in the East Village in the aughts. For chef and restaurateur Erick Williams, whose Virtue on Chicago\u2019s South Side qualifies as a really great room, everything matters: lighting that makes people look good, a sound system that lets people hear each other, attention to temperature. Ultimately, the guests themselves bring the hum. \u201cDesign is not about how beautiful a room looks, it is a function of how people are made to feel,\u201d Williams says. \u201cDoes it make them feel seen? Does it let them settle and stay longer than they planned? If it doesn\u2019t do that, it\u2019s just a container.\u201d<\/p>\n

It may seem premature to announce the arrival of a really great room in a place that only opened this spring, but when it comes to Marcel in the Breuer Building on Madison Avenue<\/a>, the casting alone suggests a show you don\u2019t want to miss. The building itself, conceived by Marcel Breuer, made its debut in 1966 as a paragon of Brutalist architecture. It now serves as the headquarters of Sotheby\u2019s, and Marcel\u2014in the downstairs space that used to house Danny Meyer\u2019s Untitled as well as Flora Bar\u2014brings us a menu from chef Marie-Aude Rose of La Mercerie and a vibe from Robin and Stephen Alesch of Roman and Williams.<\/p>\n

OVERHEARD AT THE NEXT TABLE<\/p>\n

\u201cI read that guy\u2019s book one afternoon by the pool at Il Pellicano, and I recognize the redhead from a story in the Wall Street Journal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TCX060126WMarc HomA Writer\u2019s Corner: Lila Raicek, author of the recently released, deliciously debaucherous novel The Plunge<\/a>, with Griffin Dunne, the actor, director, and writer whose must-read memoir, The Friday Afternoon Club<\/a>, came out in 2024, and massage therapist Sophie Bolvary. Could this be the new Algonquin Round Table? On Raicek: Belperron<\/a> Bouton ear clips. David Webb<\/a> Totem pendant with leather cord and Osiris cuff. On Bolvary: Belperron<\/a> Col de Cygne necklace from The Virgin Gold Collection.<\/p>\n

OVERHEARD AT THE NEXT TABLE<\/p>\n

\u201cThe lady with the gold collars owns this place\u2014I heard she chose every single thing in here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TCX060126WMarc HomLa Nouvelle Garde: What\u2019s the collective noun for a group of arbiters of taste? Whatever it may be, this group\u2014from left, stylist Kate Young, stylist and Substack star Becky Malinsky<\/a>, writer and creator Cyrus Veyssi, Idiosyncratic Fashionistas\u2019 Valerie Foley, Marcel owner and designer Robin Alesch, Idiosyncratic Fashionistas\u2019<\/a> Jean Stone, and writer and filmmaker Emily Sundberg<\/a>\u2014would illustrate the dictionary entry. On Young: Chanel<\/a> jacket and skirt. The Row<\/a> t-shirt. Sidney Garber<\/a> earrings and bracelets. Verdura<\/a> Ray brooch and Candy ring. On Malinsky: Tory Burch<\/a> shirt, belt, and skirt. Cartier<\/a> Panth\u00e8re de Cartier earrings. Bulgari High Jewelry<\/a> ring. On Veyssi: Amiri<\/a> blazer. Simone Rocha<\/a> trousers. Buccellati<\/a> cocktail earrings. Tiffany & Co.<\/a> Tiffany Hardwear bracelet. Dior<\/a> J\u2019Adior pumps. On Foley: Khia Tullae<\/a> hat. On Alesch: Bulgari<\/a> Vintage Tubogas necklace. On Stone: Melitta Baumeister<\/a> top. Esenshel<\/a> Hat. On Sundberg: Giorgio Armani<\/a> jacket and trousers.<\/p>\n

Dinner \u00e0 Deux: Fashion critic and reporter Rachel Tashjian and her husband Lloyd Wise, a director at Garth Greenan Gallery<\/a>, have found that the best table in the house might not even be in the dining room but in the kitchen with chef Marie-Aude Rose. On Tashjian: Adam Lippes<\/a> Seraphina dress. Chopard Haute Joaillerie<\/a> earrings. David Webb<\/a> Crown ring. On Wise: Louis Vuitton Men\u2019s<\/a> suit. Dolce & Gabbana<\/a> Martini shirt. Lalaounis<\/a> Seashell Collection brooch.<\/p>\n

\"TCX060126WMarcelMarc HomMcGraw isn\u2019t only a musician; she also acts. Her small screen debut was in the Taylor Sheridan series Landman in 2024. Prada<\/a> dress and shoes. Bulgari High Jewelry<\/a> Divas\u2019 Dream earrings.<\/p>\n

As Alesch points out, you can\u2019t just proclaim that a restaurant is going to be a great room, because there are so many intangibles at play. But as with cooking, your odds are better if you use the best ingredients. At Marcel, the Roman and Williams team decided to counteract the austerity of the space with the language of comfort: candles and white tablecloths, chicken paprikash and cassoulet, bronze and mohair, \u201crich walnut and warm banquettes,\u201d as Alesch puts it. Martinis are ubiquitous these days, but how many restaurants serve them in bespoke glassware? Restaurant playlists have become predictable, but Marcel will put the music in the hands of Randall Poster, Wes Anderson\u2019s longtime sonic comrade. What you hear should, like the room itself, both beguile and surprise you. \u201cHow do you make something glamorous and comfortable?\u201d Alesch asks. \u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019m always trying to figure out. These layers of atmosphere are what really matter when it comes to creating the energy of a great room.\u201d In conversation she sings hosannas for predecessors such as Mr. Chow and Maxwell\u2019s Plum; she envisions Marcel as both a neighborhood hangout (with an all-day bakery and, for the first time in the building, a street entrance just for the restaurant so you don\u2019t have to snake through an overlit lobby) and as a sort of show, with cross sections of New York society promenading in plumage\u2014a place that might have constituted a whole chapter in a Tom Wolfe novel.<\/p>\n

OVERHEARD AT THE NEXT TABLE<\/p>\n

\u201cThey let people sit on the bar here? Of course, you can see the Joan Mitchell better that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ModernMarc HomFriends at the Bar: A quick drink before a board meeting? A late dinner after a set at Caf\u00e9 Carlyle? A few bottles of wine and a few hours of gossip? With this group\u2014clockwise from left, American Friends of the Louvre<\/a> executive director Thomas Moore, musician Hamilton Leithauser<\/a>, artist Derek Buckner<\/a>, Audrey McGraw<\/a>, actor Patrick Vaill<\/a>, and writer Amy Fine Collins<\/a>\u2014you never can tell. On Moore: Issey Miyake<\/a> jacket and trousers. Cartier<\/a> Grain se Cafe brooch and Fauna and Flora High Jewelry ring. On Buckner: Brunello Cucinelli<\/a> blazer. Tiffany & Co.<\/a> Elsa Peretti Amapola brooch. On McGraw: Fendi<\/a> dress and Arco sandals. Tony Duquette<\/a> earrings. Van Cleef & Arpels<\/a> Bouton d\u2019Or ring. Cartier<\/a> Clash de Cartier rings. On Vaill: Tod\u2019s<\/a> jacket. Silvia Furmanovich<\/a> necklace. On Fine Collins: Thom Browne<\/a> jacket, top, skirt, tie, and shoes. Elie Top<\/a> earrings. Tony Duquette<\/a> brooch. Cartier<\/a> Panth\u00e8re de Cartier watch. Tiffany & Co.<\/a> bracelet. David Webb<\/a> ring.<\/p>\n

OVERHEARD AT THE NEXT TABLE<\/p>\n

\u201cHow far is it to the theater district? Maybe if we walk fast enough, this place could become our new Sardi\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ElegantMarc HomJust in Time for Curtain: If anyone will appreciate Marcel\u2019s theatricality, it\u2019s this crew. From left: Zhailon Levingston, co-director of Cats: The Jellicle Ball<\/a>; Sade Lythcott<\/a>, CEO of the National Black Theatre; Camille A. Brown, director of the upcoming Dreamgirls revival; Sam Pinkleton, director of The Rocky Horror Show<\/a>; Whitney White, director of the upcoming School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play; Bill Rauch, co-director of Cats: The Jellicle Ball; and Marcel ma\u00eetre d\u2019 Cheutine Fong. On Levingston: Todd Snyder<\/a> Parranda suit jacket. Cartier<\/a> Panth\u00e8re de Cartier ring. On Lythcott: Rosie Assoulin<\/a> jumpsuit. David Yurman<\/a> DY Lumina wrap necklace and Spikey Flora drop earrings. Van Cleef & Arpels<\/a> Bouton d\u2019Or ring. On Brown: Chopard Haute Joaillerie<\/a> earrings. On Pinkleton: Dior<\/a> vest, shirt, and neckband. On White: Ralph<\/a> Lauren<\/a> Collection<\/a> pants. Mimi So<\/a> earrings and bracelets. On Fong: Cartier<\/a> Grain de Caf\u00e9 necklace and ring and Panth\u00e8re de Cartier ring.<\/p>\n

And Marcel, thanks to Sotheby\u2019s, will have one inexhaustible secret sauce in the mix: art. Beyond Joan Mitchell\u2019s painting King of Spades on the wall, vintage jewelry in vitrines, and Isamu Noguchi sculptures on the patio, the space will allow Sotheby\u2019s to play art DJ, putting different works (some on loan, some from upcoming auctions) into rotation as the months progress. \u201cYou\u2019re sitting there looking at the work as you enjoy your lunch or dinner,\u201d says Charles Stewart, CEO of Sotheby\u2019s. Plenty of restaurants have art on display, sure, but as Stewart says, \u201cThere are not many that can change it regularly.\u201d<\/p>\n

As we were saying, order a digestif and settle in. You won\u2019t merely want to eat at Marcel. You\u2019ll want to linger.<\/p>\n

\"Marcel\"TCX060126Marc Hom Town & Country Magazine\"TCX060126Marc Hom Town & Country Magazine<\/p>\n

Photographs by Marc Hom<\/a>
Styled by Anya Ziourova<\/a><\/p>\n

Audrey McGraw: Hair by Serge Normant<\/a> at Statement Artists. Makeup by Jeanine Lobell<\/a> for Neen at Cloutier Remix. Groups: Grooming by Claudia Lake<\/a> and Bibb Joel<\/a> Dickey at Contact NYC; Griselle Rosario<\/a> at See Management. Production by Freebird Productions.<\/p>\n

This story appears in the Summer 2026 issue of Town & Country. SUBSCRIBE NOW<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Jeff Gordinier is Esquire’s Food & Drinks Editor.<\/p>\n