La Tête d'Or by Daniel

Set on the ground floor of the One Madison Avenue tower, La Tête d'Or overlooks Madison Square Park through a double-height glass facade that emits a warm glow onto Park Avenue South. This is chef Daniel Boulud’s first steakhouse, and the space has a grand, Art Deco-inflected feel designed to match. Inside, the layout is split between a bar and lounge and the main dining room. You first enter the bar area, which has a circular bronze quartzite bar, custom blue leather stools, and clusters of red velvet armchairs. The 120-seat main dining room is a much larger space, organized around an open kitchen. A custom metal hood, designed by Belgian artist Jesse Willems, hangs over the wood-burning stove and acts as the room’s focal point. Eighteen-foot ceilings give the room its scale, but the materials – dark wood, Port Laurent marble, and plush velvet banquettes in deep blues and reds – create a more inviting atmosphere. The walls are even upholstered in felt and silk-look fabric to help balance the acoustics of the large room. The menu is a French take on steakhouse classics, with everything centered on that custom grill that uses a mix of charcoal, wood, and gas. You can get American cuts like a New York strip and porterhouse, but also French options like the *queue de filet*. A few dishes bring a performative element to the meal, with a prime rib Wagyu carved tableside and a Caesar salad prepared on a cart right next to you. The bar is a popular spot on its own for drinks, a seafood platter, or caviar service. It’s a high-end experience, the kind of place people book for a special occasion or a post-theater dinner. The name itself is a nod to the Parc de la Tête d'Or in Boulud's hometown of Lyon, France.