The Four Seasons was designed in 1959 to be the jewel of The Seagram building. From the day the doors opened, the restaurant has been recognized as a radical and very beautiful departure from everything that came before it. In a word, it's exciting. Everything was envisioned and designed to celebrate the ultimate in modern design, cuisine, and service.

Today, The Four Seasons is the only Manhattan restaurant designated as an architectural landmark. That its interior has remained almost unchanged for more than forty years is a testament to its designers, Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson, two of the influential architects of the 20th century.

The restaurant is comprised of two public dining rooms that set a new American style of restaurant that is cool, elegant, and completely unstuffy. The Grill Room is dark and masculine, while the Pool Room is airy and romantic.

One of the first things that strikes people when they go to The Four Seasons for the first time is how quiet the dining rooms are. Even with its high ceilings and hardwood surfaces, the Grill Room is particularly tranquil as guests are greeted and seated at the black leather banquette and chairs. In the Pool Room, the water in the pool babbles soothingly and throws off pacifying white noise that absorbs other sounds. This makes private conversations possible, even when all the tables are occupied. When you enter the swinging doors of the kitchen, however, you'll hear the the same intense decibel level you'll find anywhere else. Yet, outside the controlled chaos of the kitchen, all is calm and still. The cacophony of life is muted, allowing people to bask in the warm light that filters through the twenty foot windows.

Another thing that captures the interest of The Four Seasons' guests are the shimmering metal curtains. A fortunate accident, they were initially designed to remain motionless. In fact, Philip Johnson spent weeks trying to stop them from hypnotically rippling into the ceiling. Unable to calm the motion, Mr. Johnson surrendered to serendipity and celebrated the kinetic window treatment. Today, this accidental design element is a Four Seasons signature that many have tried unsuccessfully to repoduce.

While its architecture and interior design have made The Four Seasons a "must see" destination for vistors to New York City, it is the cuisine that has earned the restaurant its place in the hearts of New Yorkers. Today, in its 40th year, the restaurant that introduced the idea of changing seasonal menus to America is still a culinary pioneer. In fact, The New York Times notes that "the current menus with their eclectic mix of ingredients and styles virtually define American cooking in the 90s."

Throughout the restaurant's long and magical history, The Four Seasons has also distinguished itself with its service. "No matter where you are seated, it is hard to eat at the Four Seasons without luxuriating in an extraordinary sense of privilege. Eating here is an expensive experience, but it is more than merely a meal. In the many years that The Four Seasons has been pampering its patrons, it has leaned how to send each one out of the door with a sense of having lived, if only for a few hours, the life of the rich."

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