Ralph Lauren doesn’t only do clothing. For years now, the legendary fashion designer has also operated restaurants in some of the world’s great cities, like Paris and Chicago. This month, Ralph Lauren is finally opening a dining establishment in his hometown of New York, within sight of his brand’s flagship store at Fifth Avenue and 55th Street.
Called the Polo Bar, the place is an intriguing mix of casual and aristocratic. With its multiple equestrian paintings and trophies, and warm and welcoming color scheme and lighting, it looks like a spot you’d go after a day of foxhunting in the countryside. Yet with all this elegance, the restaurant does in no way try to be pretentious. Rather modestly, Mr. Lauren has stated that “the food you’re going to come here for is really the best I can do” and that “it’s not about the fancy chef” (the Executive Chef, by the way, is Sepp Stoner, who has previously worked at the Arlington Club and David Burke Kitchen). The Polo Bar aims for simplicity, and will thus serve things like crab cakes, corned beef sandwiches and steaks – when available made using ingredients from Ralph Lauren’s 17,000-acre cattle ranch in Colorado.
Designed to host up to around 180 customers, the Polo Bar is set to become one of Midtown Manhattan’s great dining establishments, especially if you’d like to eat a great New York City burger in an elegant, vintage setting.
