Restaurants in Mad Men: Drinks and Room Service at The Savoy Plaza Hotel

In the Mad Men episode "For Those Who Think Young," Don and Betty Draper celebrate Valentine's Day 1962 with drinks and room service at The Savoy Plaza Hotel.  Located on the majestic corner of East 59th Street and Central Park South, The Savoy was just across the street from the Plaza Hotel, and became known as its younger, sexier counterpart.[bxA]

The Savoy Plaza was built in 1927 by the Childs family, whose chain of eponymous upscale American eateries set the standard for restaurant franchises in the last half of the twentieth century.  It was demolished in 1964 to make way for the General Motors building which now houses, among other things, FAO Shwartz and The Apple Store. 

Although the heyday of The Savoy is relatively short by New York Hotel standards, its lounge where Betty and Don have drinks was considered one of the most elegant and contemporary of its time.  The scene between the Drapers certainly echoes this. Beginning with Betty descending the stairs in slow motion, it is one of the first times you sense Don trying to recapture a moment lost to time.  

After a drink at the lounge, and some bad sex in the hotel room, Betty orders room service. She asks for something special and "out of season," eventually settling on a rare petit filet and a half an avocado filled with crab meat.  The room service was presumably from Trader Vic's on the first floor of The Savoy, which specialized in steak, seafood and exotic cuisines.  Trader Vic's is the restaurant that started the "tiki" craze, eventually expanding to 25 locations across the country.  While the notion of a tiki bar seems cheesy by today's standards, Trader Vic's was well reviewed by The New York Times in 1958 and became such a destination for the rich and famous that when the Savoy closed its doors, the Plaza hotel bought the restaurant and moved it across the street. 

I find it interesting that Mathew Weiner and Co. chose The Savoy Plaza as the spot where the Drapers try to rekindle their flame, because unlike a lot of other establishments namechecked in Mad Men, the hotel's reputation has been somewhat lost to history.  In the scenes at The Savoy, you're left with the impression that, despite their problems, Don and Betty might still be capable of being the beautiful, sexy and sophisticated couple that everyone else sees them as.   I guess it's fitting that Matthew Weiner chose to set this scene in a place that only seems to exist in the rose colored memories of long, long ago.