Daniel Restaurant Reopens On UES With Renovated Interior

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Upper East Siders looking to blow some of their savings on an extravagant dinner can do so indoors this fall, thanks to the new renovation of a famed Madison Avenue restaurant.

Daniel, the venerated French restaurant by chef Daniel Boulud, reopened its dining room on Monday after a six-week renovation. (It remained open for outdoor dining.)

The redesigned 3,000-square-foot space features a stainless steel arched entrance, a new lounge area with custom furnishings and a "crystal-enhanced" bar area. A new floor plan, meanwhile, gives the main dining room a more contemporary feel, with undulating wood screens and custom-designed carpets, lighting and furniture.

Meanwhile, the food itself is undergoing changes. Eddy Leroux, previously the restaurant's chef de cuisine, has been elevated to executive chef, and has rolled out a menu that is "rooted in French tradition" with some modern twists, according to a news release. Shaun Velez, the former executive pastry chef at Café Boulud, now holds the same job at Daniel.

Also part of the renovation is a new art space that runs between the restaurant's dining room, upper lounge and private Bellecoeur Room, which will feature biannual exhibitions. On view first is a series of works by Robert Mapplethorpe, the late photographer, and a series of landscape paintings by Alex Katz, the 94-year-old artist.

Restaurant Daniel is open daily at 60 East 65th St., in the former Mayfair Hotel on Park Avenue.