Of all the great restaurant scenes in Mad Men, perhaps none expresses the elegance and sophistication of Manhattan dining in the 1960s than the show's re-creation of famed East 50th street Alsatian eatery Lutèce. [bxA] Shortly after opening in 1961, Lutèce became a dining room for the rich and powerful. While French food had always been popular in the New York fine dining world before Lutèce, chef-owner Andre Soltner's unique mix of old world elegance and hearty Alsatian food proved irresistible to those who could afford it. Soltner's insistence on using only the freshest locally sourced ingredients was also years ahead of its time. The dining room at Lutèce was beloved not only for its graceful, highly European accents, but also for its small number of tables (eighteen, four of which were in the garden), and emphasis on comfortability -- its homeyness. The New York Times describes Soltner as "arguably America's first superstar chef" and Julia Child famously called Lutèce the best restaurant in the United States. The most popular items on the menu included Alsatian Tart, sauteed foie gras with dark chocolate sauce and orange marmalade, and the Gallete Nancy, baked daily by co-owner Andre Surmain's wife of the same name.
Pictured above: The real life Lutèce Dining Room, in its 90's twilight.
The Mad Men episode "The Benefactor" ends with a scene in Lutèce -- a business dinner between the Drapers, the Barrets and Utz potato chip moguls the Shillings. The restaurant is also referenced in the first episode of the season when Roger Sterling says that he is taking his wife Mona to Lutèce for Valentine's Day. It is easy to imagine that Lutèce would have been popular in the winter 0f 1962 when these episodes take place -- it received favorable reviews in both the The New York Times in March and The New Yorker in June of 1961. While the television re-creation of the dining room in "The Benefactor" looks as heavily researched and detailed as anything else in the show, Mathew Weiner & Co. seem to bring Lutèce back to life for more than just the sake of historically accurate set dressing. The dinner at Lutèce is used to show the dichotomy between the perceived glamour of both Don's life and the celebrity life of the Barrets, and the ugliness of the business and affairs they keep with each other.
While waiting for the Barrets to arrive, the Drapers and the Shillings remark at the choice of restaurant, and its presumed expense (as was a custom at Lutèce, there were different menus for the hosts and for the guests, the host's menu being the only menu with prices). When the Barrets arrive, Jimmy is loud and snarky, remarking that they should order "while this place is still French." A scene outside the bathroom between Don and Bobby Barret is one of Mad Men's most infamous. It shows Don's desires for sexual deviation and successful business merged into one ugly whole. Although the Drapers are dining with celebrities at one of the most sought after tables in New York, the meal itself is crass, the interactions are ugly, and no one is enjoying themselves. It's hard to think of a better atmosphere to highlight these messy, complicated relationships than in the warm, lilting haze of one of Manhattan's most cherished dining rooms.
For more reading on Lutèce, check out The New York Times' piece on its closing on Valentines Day 2004.
Pictured above: The real life Lutèce Dining Room, in its 90's twilight.The Mad Men episode "The Benefactor" ends with a scene in Lutèce -- a business dinner between the Drapers, the Barrets and Utz potato chip moguls the Shillings. The restaurant is also referenced in the first episode of the season when Roger Sterling says that he is taking his wife Mona to Lutèce for Valentine's Day. It is easy to imagine that Lutèce would have been popular in the winter 0f 1962 when these episodes take place -- it received favorable reviews in both the The New York Times in March and The New Yorker in June of 1961. While the television re-creation of the dining room in "The Benefactor" looks as heavily researched and detailed as anything else in the show, Mathew Weiner & Co. seem to bring Lutèce back to life for more than just the sake of historically accurate set dressing. The dinner at Lutèce is used to show the dichotomy between the perceived glamour of both Don's life and the celebrity life of the Barrets, and the ugliness of the business and affairs they keep with each other.
While waiting for the Barrets to arrive, the Drapers and the Shillings remark at the choice of restaurant, and its presumed expense (as was a custom at Lutèce, there were different menus for the hosts and for the guests, the host's menu being the only menu with prices). When the Barrets arrive, Jimmy is loud and snarky, remarking that they should order "while this place is still French." A scene outside the bathroom between Don and Bobby Barret is one of Mad Men's most infamous. It shows Don's desires for sexual deviation and successful business merged into one ugly whole. Although the Drapers are dining with celebrities at one of the most sought after tables in New York, the meal itself is crass, the interactions are ugly, and no one is enjoying themselves. It's hard to think of a better atmosphere to highlight these messy, complicated relationships than in the warm, lilting haze of one of Manhattan's most cherished dining rooms.For more reading on Lutèce, check out The New York Times' piece on its closing on Valentines Day 2004.
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