Michelin’s newest star: the NoMad restaurant.

October isn’t normally thought of as the start of a new year – unless you’re publishing a restaurant guide. This month biggies Michelin and Zagat unveiled their 2013 guides to New York City restaurants. As always, we snapped up copies (yes, we still like paper guides).

How did New York’s hotel restaurants fare? Thumbs up. The days when no one ate at a hotel restaurant except hotel guests too cowed by the city  are long gone.

Still, getting a nod from a tony guide book is no guarantee of longevity. Two hotel restaurants that scored 2013 Michelin stars – no mean feat – are closing. This summer Gilt, a two-M star restaurant at the New York Palace, is to be replaced by a new, somewhat formal restaurant by French chef Michel Richard, who operates restaurants in Washington, DC, Las Vegas and Carmel, California, Eater reports. Richard is, in fact, planning three properties at the Palace, including a bistro in a room currently used as an event space and a pastry shop in the lobby. (more…)

Funny how something that seems so out of place in February or April looks utterly perfect in December and early January. We’re talking trees, of course – Christmas, holiday, whatever you may call them. And they’re lighting up hotels all around town. We found a dozen we love, each with a distinct style. That big tree at Rockefeller Center isn’t the only game in town! (more…)