Le Cirque

For the Seurat painting, see The Circus (Seurat painting).
Le Cirque
Restaurant information
Established 1974
Current owner(s) Sirio Maccioni
Food type French
Street address 151 East 58th Street (between Lexington Avenue and Third Avenue ) in Midtown Manhattan
City New York City
State New York
Country United States
Website Le Cirque Official Website

Le Cirque is a French restaurant located at One Beacon Court, 151 East 58th Street (between Lexington Avenue and Third Avenue) in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, owned and operated by LC International LLC and originally founded by Sirio Maccioni.[1][2][3]

History

It first opened at the Mayfair Hotel on East 65th Street in 1974. It closed and reopened as Le Cirque 2000 at the Palace Hotel in 1997. The latest installation of Le Cirque opened in 2006 in the Bloomberg Tower building at One Beacon Court (151 East 58th Street). The current flagship location is a 16,000-square-foot (1,500 m2) restaurant designed by interior designer Adam Tihany[4] and architect Costas Kondylis. The architectural lighting design was completed by Paul Gregory, principal of Focus Lighting Inc. There is a second flagship restaurant at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas that holds One Michelin Star and a AAA Five-Diamond rating.[5] There is a third Le Cirque in New Delhi at The Leela Palace Hotel.

The Maccioni group also owns and operates The Le Cirque Beach Club in the Casa de Campo Resort and Osteria del Circo in four locations: Manhattan on 120 W 55th St., Las Vegas in the Bellagio Hotel, Dominican Republic at the Casa de Campo Resort and in Abu Dhabi at The InterContinental (opening early 2014). Lastly the group owns Sirio Ristorante currently located inside Aria in Las Vegas and at the Pierre Hotel in New York City.

From 1986 to 1992, Daniel Boulud was executive chef.[6] He was succeeded by Sottha Kuhn, Pierre Schaedelin, Christophe Bellanca, Craig Hopson, and Olivier Reginensi.[7]

In July 2009, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the former President of the Philippines was highly criticized for her supposed outlandish dinner at Le Cirque with the Philippine delegation during her visit to the United States.[8] President Arroyo and her group reportedly had dinner for the cost of $20,000 or P1,000,000 as reported in the New York Post.[9]

The artwork adorning the walls in Le Cirque are created by Denver based artist Tim Flynn.

The family's efforts to transition the restaurant to its current location was featured in the documentary film Le Cirque: A Table In Heaven directed by Andrew Rossi.[10]

In 2012, Le Cirque was included on a list by Huffington Post of ten of the most scathing restaurant reviews.[11] In 2013, Zagats gave it a rating of 25 for food, and 26 for decor.[1]

Awards

In 1995, they were awarded the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Restaurant.[12]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Le Cirque | Manhattan | Restaurant Menus and Reviews. Zagat. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  2. ↑ Bruni, Frank (February 6, 2008). "In Defense of Decadence". The New York Times. Retrieved February 24, 2008.
  3. ↑ The return of Sirio and Le Cirque to New York New York Restaurant Insider, June 2006
  4. ↑ Project Le Cirque Tihany Design
  5. ↑ "Bellagio, Le Cirque". Bellagio.com. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  6. ↑ Chef Daniel Boulud: Biography DanielNYC.com
  7. ↑ Fabricant, Florence (November 17, 2008). "Craig Hopson Takes Over at Le Cirque". New York Times.
  8. ↑ "GMA at Le Cirque". Wag na lang Blog. August 11, 2009.
  9. ↑ "EAT AND DRINK". New York Post. August 12, 2009.
  10. ↑ Le Cirque: A Table In Heaven HBO
  11. ↑ "10 Of The Most Scathing Restaurant Reviews". Huffingtonpost.com. October 29, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  12. ↑ Sirio Maccioni Named Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree for 2014

External links

Coordinates: 40°45′40.69″N 73°58′2.99″W / 40.7613028°N 73.9674972°W