Downtime: Open Table

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For Your Next Business Lunch ...

For many top executives working in or visiting New York, the news is still a little shocking. Closed since July, the storied Four Seasons restaurant is no more, shuttered when the lease in its prime East Side space ran out.

A reopening nearby has been announced for next year. Meanwhile, the regular business diners are scouting around for new serious lunch spots. Indeed, the looming diaspora got a jump on that when Town & Country suggested a “lunchtime succession plan,” pointing the way to Le Cirque,
Le Grenouille and Michael’s, among others.

Taking a cue from the Four Seasons crowd, we decided to branch out too, into a host of other cities for suggestions, relying on ideas from businesspeople, journalists and local foodies. After all, not every deal has to be hashed out over the same tablecloth. In the end, we came up with a short list for these five cities:

AUCKLAND
Cafe Hanoi, Galway and Commerce streets. Fresh, creative Vietnamese and Asian fusion dishes that showcase the “just from the garden” flavors of New Zealand.

Cibo, 91 St. Georges Bay Road. A short drive from the business district, it’s spacious and feels far from the madding crowd, with a European-style menu.

BRUSSELS
Le Chalet de la Forêt, Drève de Lorraine 43, Uccle. A 20-minute drive from city center takes you to the edge of a forest and a restaurant with two Michelin stars.

Comme Chez Soi, Place Rouppe 23. In a gritty corner of the city center, this restaurant, founded in 1926, was one of the
first in Brussels to earn a Michelin star. (It now has two).

Villa in the Sky, Avenue Louise 480. A prestigious location, a panoramic view and a renowned (Michelin-starred) chef, Alexandre Dionisio.

CHICAGO
Howells & Hood, 435 N. Michigan Ave. An expansive space at the Tribune Tower, with one of the Magnificent Mile’s biggest patios and 114 craft beers on tap.

Tortoise Club, 350 N. State St. Dark wood, rich leather and an abundance of plaid set a scene as classic as the menu.

PARIS
Benoit, 20, Rue Saint Martin, in the 4th Arrondissement. Opened in 1912, now owned by Alain Ducasse. Enough said.

La Fontaine de Mars, 129, Rue Saint-Dominique, in the 7th Arrondissement. The Obamas have dined here.

Le Suffren, 84, Avenue de Suffren. A 15th Arrondissement brasserie.

SINGAPORE
The Black Swan, 19 Cecil St. A bistro and bar in a historic Art Deco building in the financial district. Classic European dishes including oysters and steak tartare.

Shiraishi, 7 Raffles Ave., The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore. Probably one of the best sushi restaurants in town.