The Rainbow Room

The Rainbow Room
65, International Council-Shopping Center,
30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112
(212) 632-5000

I had to reserve an entire separate day to properly write this review.  I have eaten at and reviewed perhaps 100+ of the best restaurants from all around the United States, and when I came to the Rainbow Room one Sunday afternoon for their renowned brunch, I thought to myself, I have arrived.  The restaurant soars above the NYC skyline on the 65th floor of the Rockefeller Center.  It features it's own private elevator to access the restaurant and brunch starts at $95 per person not including drinks. It was hands down the fanciest brunch or restaurant for that matter I have had the pleasure of dining in.  This experience will be hard to top.

We arrived for brunch early and were shown to a cocktail lounge to wait with floor  to ceiling windows featuring breathtaking views of the city. Contemporary style and elegance permeated the design of the lounge featuring yellow lilies on the tables and an ornately styled carpet with comfortable leather backed chairs.

As we sat down at the table, I couldn't help but notice the rainbow lighting and seemingly twinkling ceiling fixtures and general ambiance of the room.  This is in large part due to crystal curtains, designed exclusively for the Rainbow Room and consisting of 1,200 crystals each, adorn each window around the room.

The crystals make the entire restaurant glisten, and besides the general splendor of the surroundings and room, make for an unforgettable experience.
In addition, the restaurant features a gorgeous central 1934 crystal chandelier which has been restored to its original state and creates a dramatic focal point above the revolving dance floor.

As if the the chandelier, 1200 crystals in each window and general opulence of the room was not enough, all a sudden, I started to hear jazz music.  I thought to myself, must be a nice Bose system and looked up to the walls and ceiling for speakers.  No pre-recorded track will do!  This is the rainbow room. Each Sunday, the restaurant features a live jazz band.

We had not sat down 5 minutes before the bread course was brought out.

Bread was lovely and the croissants were filled with a Gruyere cheese, which was a nice touch to wet the appetite. But, onto the food itself--this is a food blog after all. The food was arranged buffet style with several stations to choose from. These included a raw bar, cheese station, dessert, bread station, cured meats, sushi, comfort foods, and many more.  They say a picture is worth 1000 words, so I will simply show you the smorgasbord of brunch options available.

A selection of breads, bagels, jams/jellies, and various accouterments.

A small shelf of some of the dessert selections available.  Candies, macaroons, cookies, and everything in between.

A small detail showcasing a few of the dessert options.

There was a crepe station with even more shelves of desserts in little shooter containers.

The comfort food station.  The candied carrots seen here are particularly good.  I also had some of the ham in the periphery of the photo which was also fantastic.

I had to laugh at some point because the opulence and gluttony was amusing. There were literally cattle thighs being shaved to perfection with the charcuterie nicely arranged below.

What would charcuterie be without the appropriate condiments.  On an opposing counter, all the condiments one could imagine were prominently featured for charcuterie enrichment.

Of course, it wouldn't be brunch without approximately twenty different cheeses to choose from.

The roast beef.

The raw bar.

Of course, since everything else was stellar, the stemware was Rona.

One amusing tidbit is since the private elevator only accesses the Rainbow Room, there are no buttons.

Table decorations.

Can't beat the table-side view.

Close-up of the central chandelier.