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The Odeon

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Coordinates: 40°43′01″N 74°00′28″W / 40.716967°N 74.007841°W / 40.716967; -74.007841
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This article is about the restaurant in New York City. For other uses, see Odeon.
The Odeon
The restaurant's exterior in 2009
Map
Restaurant information
Street address145 West Broadway
CityNew York City
StateNew York
CountryUnited States
Coordinates40°43′01″N 74°00′28″W / 40.716967°N 74.007841°W / 40.716967; -74.007841

The Odeon is a restaurant in New York City.[1] The restaurant opened in 1980, in space previously occupied by Towers Cafeteria.[2] The restaurant was founded by Lynn Wagenknecht, Keith McNally, and Brian McNally.[3][4] Wagenknecht continues to run the restaurant. Wagenknecht has characterized the restaurant as a brasserie.[5]

History

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Before founding The Odeon, Lynn Wagenknecht, Keith McNally, and Brian McNally all worked at One Fifth, another Manhattan restaurant.[4] Keith McNally and Wagenknecht developed the idea for The Odeon while on a vacation in Paris in 1979.[4] The Odeon opened in 1980, in space previously occupied by Towers Cafeteria.[6][7] Patrick Clark was The Odeon's first chef.[8] Keith and Brian experienced tension while running the restaurant.[4] Brian ceased working at The Odeon in 1982 and moved to Paris.[4] He later returned to New York City and opened the restaurant Indochine.[4] Bar Odeon, a "spin-off"[9] located across the street from The Odeon, was replaced by another restaurant in 2002.[10]

The restaurant experienced a renewal in its popularity and cachet in the 2010s.[11][12] Jacob Bernstein, writing for the New York Times, attributed this surge in part to the relocated offices of media company Condé Nast,[12] located in the nearby One World Trade Center. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant built an outdoor dining structure,[13] with seating on both West Broadway and Thomas Street.[14] The structure collapsed in December 2021 due to wind, injuring one person.[15]

Reception

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Critics from The New York Times have given The Odeon a full review in 1980,[16] 1986,[17] 1989,[18] and 2016.[2] Moira Hodgson, the first critic to review the restaurant for The New York Times, in 1980, praised chef Patrick Clark's cooking and the service.[16] Hodgson also noted the clientele, referring to them as "pillars of the art world".[16] Hodgson awarded the restaurant two stars.[16] Bryan Miller, reviewing The Odeon in 1986 for the Times, awarded the restaurant one star.[17] In 1989, Miller reviewed the restaurant again and awarded it two stars.[18] Pete Wells, in a 2016 review, awarded the restaurant one star, and emphasized the sense of comfort that dining at the restaurant brought him.[2]

Reputation, influence, and clientele

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A cosmpolitan

The Odeon has been referred to as a "classic" New York City restaurant.[3][19][20] In his 1989 review, Bryan Miller commented that the restaurant was already "called an institution" despite having been open for less than ten years.[18] William Grimes referred to The Odeon as "ageless and definitively downtown" in a 2000 review of Village, a restaurant opened by former Odeon chef Stephen Lyle.[21] Stephen Heyman, writing for Surface, described The Odeon and other restaurants operated by Keith McNally as gradually transitioning from a "forward operating bases of gentrification" to "important parts of the city's heritage".[22] The restaurant has been credited with inspiring imitators hoping to mimic its ambience and success.[23]

Scenes in Jay McInerney's novel Bright Lights, Big City take place at The Odeon, and the exterior was depicted on the book's first edition cover.[24] McInerney has said that attorneys at his publishing house were concerned about depictions of drug use at the restaurant in the novel, so McInerney sought Keith McNally's permission to portray the restaurant in and on the book.[4][24] McNally granted permission assuming the novel would not sell well.[4][24] The exterior was also featured in the opening credits of Saturday Night Live.[4] A celebration commemorating the 20th anniversary of the novel's publication was held at the restaurant.[25]

The Odeon is known for its celebrity clientele.[26] Regulars at the restaurant have at points included Jean-Michel Basquiat, John Belushi,[2] and Andy Warhol.[4] Lena Dunham has a tattoo of the restaurant's sign.[27] In addition to its popularity with celebrities, the restaurant was at one point popular among Wall Street quants.[28]

Invention of the Cosmopolitan

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Toby Cecchini and Melissa Huffsmith-Roth, bartenders at The Odeon in the 1980s, have been credited with inventing the Cosmopolitan cocktail,[29] with Checchini sometimes receiving solo credit.[30] When asked about claims the drink was invented at The Odeon in an interview with Bon Appétit, Keith McNally said "Nothing could be closer to the truth."[31]

References

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  1. ^ Platt, Adam (October 22, 2020). "The Odeon, Four Decades On". Grub Street. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d Wells, Pete (December 27, 2016). "The Odeon's Not-So-Bright Lights Still Beckon". The New York Times. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Latterner, Timothy (October 14, 2020). "The Odeon at 40: An Oral History of the New York City Institution". Condé Nast Traveler. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j DiGiacomo, Frank (September 1, 2008). "The Odeon: A Retro Haven That Defined New York 1980s Nightlife". Vanity Fair. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  5. ^ Fabricant, Florence (January 12, 2000). "THE NEW BRASSERIES; Yearning For Paris, Finding It Just Around The Corner". The New York Times. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  6. ^ Diamond, Jason (May 5, 2023). "Café Luxembourg and the Art of the Restaurant That Never Changes". The New Yorker. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  7. ^ Stapinski, Helene (May 1, 2014). "Where the Password Is Deco". The New York Times. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  8. ^ Asimov, Eric (February 13, 1998). "Patrick Clark, 42, Is Dead; Innovator in American Cuisine". The New York Times. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  9. ^ Abdelnour, Salma (November 5, 1999). "Eat Outings". The Journal News. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  10. ^ Fabricant, Florence (April 10, 2002). "OFF THE MENU". The New York Times. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  11. ^ Gordinier, Jeff (June 23, 2015). "Manhattan's Dining Center of Gravity Shifts Downtown". The New York Times. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  12. ^ a b Bernstein, Jacob (March 23, 2016). "Brighter Lights, Bigger City: The Odeon's Second Act". The New York Times. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  13. ^ Paumgarten, Nick (February 22, 2021). "How Restaurants Survive the Long Pandemic Winter". The New Yorker. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  14. ^ Goldfield, Hannah (October 30, 2020). "The Pandemic-Proof Atmosphere of the Odeon Outside". The New Yorker. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  15. ^ Glassman, Carl (December 7, 2021). "Wind Topples Odeon Restaurant Sidewalk Shed, Injuring One Person | Tribeca Trib Online". The Tribeca Trib. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  16. ^ a b c d Hodgson, Moira (November 14, 1980). "French nouvelle and classic cuisine. The Odeon Aubergine". The New York Times. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  17. ^ a b Miller, Bryan (August 29, 1986). "Restaurants: Revisiting a Duo on the West Side". The New York Times. p. C20. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  18. ^ a b c Miller, Bryan (August 11, 1989). "Restaurants". The New York Times. p. C20. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  19. ^ Stang, Chris (January 21, 2022). "The Odeon Review - Tribeca - New York". The Infatuation. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  20. ^ The, Bon Appétit Staff (December 13, 2017). "The 14 Most Iconic New York City Bars and Restaurants". Bon Appétit. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  21. ^ Grimes, William (July 5, 2000). "Neighborhood Bistro and Memory Palace". The New York Times. p. F8. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  22. ^ Heyman, Stephen (March 20, 2017). "The Pastis Future". SURFACE. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  23. ^ Schneier, Matthew (December 7, 2023). "Welcome to the Fauxdeon". Grub Street. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  24. ^ a b c McInerney, Jay (November 23, 2020). "Ode to The Odeon: Jay McInerney on an Iconic New York City Restaurant". Town & Country. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  25. ^ Crosley, Sloane (2024). Grief Is for People. New York: MCD, Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 978-0374609849.
  26. ^ "The Best Restaurants for Celebrity Spotting in NYC, According to @Deuxmoi". Eater NY. April 26, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  27. ^ Morabito, Greg (October 17, 2016). "Mario Batali Arrives at the White House, Lena Dunham Gets an Odeon Tattoo, and More Intel". Eater NY. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  28. ^ Dewey, Richard (May 31, 2024). "Six Quant Finance Pioneers Walk Into a Bar, and No One Has a Stock Tip". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  29. ^ Regan, Gary; Regan, Mardee Haidin (October 2006). "The Birth of the Cosmopolitan: A Tale of Two Bartenders". Ardent Spirits e-letter. Vol. 7, Issue 6. Archived from the original on July 7, 2007. Retrieved December 31, 2006.
  30. ^ Simonson, Robert (September 19, 2016). "COSMOS! How the Inventor of the Cosmopolitan Learned to Embrace His Most Famous Creation". Grub Street.
  31. ^ Garvey, Hugh (March 26, 2012). "Keith McNally Dishes on His Favorite Restaurants in London and His Issues with Celebrity Chefs". Bon Appétit. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
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