In Manhattan, nostalgia is a ruling passion. The city changes so swiftly that it seems every generation watches its own past being demolished. Thankfully there are some restaurants and bars still proudly standing, and worth seeking out. Their longevity is not just about the menu; these places are cradles of human history, offering a unique experience.
This bistro has to be the most classically authentic of all New York's fine French restaurants. Opened in 1937, the décor (red banquettes, wood-panelled walls and wall-mounted French street signs) hasn't changed since the doors first opened; neither has the prix fixe menu. Think roast duck carved tableside, celery rémoulade, coq au vin and veal kidneys in mustard sauce ("They broil a wonderful kidney," Flair magazine declared in 1950).
Best of all is the atmosphere, aided by owner Cathy Treboux – the perfect host. She works the room tending to immaculately dressed regulars, their coats and hats hanging on a rack near the door, and blow-ins like us who first heard about this tucked-away place 10 years ago when television chef Anthony Bourdain espoused the bistro's magnificence.
Esteemed 83-year-old New York writer Gay Talese has eaten here for 40 years. He says he comes here to "eat up the atmosphere". Orson Welles once had his own table (the front booth), Truman Capote, Ernest Hemingway and Marlene Dietrich were also regulars.
When in town, Treboux's son Rob, a writer, works the bar. He pours a generous martini and regales diners with stories of his grandfather, Robert, who died in 2012, aged 87.
The bistro's name translates to the Golden Calf and there's a painting of one up on the wall, slumbering, looking content. An Edith Piaf record plays in the background as the third course of the dinner, a perfectly fluffy Floating Island dessert arrives with a glass of champagne. Sincere "au revoirs" are exchanged before we emerge from this tiny and affordable bistro (three courses for $50) back into the present-day world. 129 E 60th Street, New York, NY 10022
While the more storied Plaza Hotel is just down the avenue, the discreet Carlyle, which opened in 1930 on the Upper East Side, is where to head for a drink steeped in history. Privacy is so cherished here that when two of the Beatles stayed at the same time after the band broke up, neither knew the other was there. And exactly which two Beatles has never been revealed. John F. Kennedy was so enamoured of the place, a direct phone line was established for him in his duplex suite (it also has secret passageways allegedly used by Marilyn Monroe). After Kennedy's assassination, wife Jackie and their children lived there for 10 months.
To get to Bemelmans Bar on the ground floor you need to slip through The Gallery where patrons nibble cucumber sandwiches and scones. We slink into one of the brown leather booths and order their signature Agave Gingerita (featuring Casamigos Tequila by Rande Gerber and George Clooney, another regular here) for $32. The waiter tells us that Tony Bennett once sung here unannounced and, for years, Woody Allen would turn up to play his clarinet.
"It's the kind of place you go to meet for drinks the way people used to in old New York romantic movies," Allen once said.
The room is dimly lit, each table has its own lamp, and the large-scale murals depicting Central Park, by Madeleine children's book author and illustrator Ludwig Bemelmans, are endlessly fascinating. It's the artist's only surviving commission open to the public.
We're in no rush to leave and the waiter can tell. He happily refills our three-tiered silver tray with pretzels and nuts. 35 East 76th Street, New York, NY 10021. See www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/the-carlyle-new-york
Stepping into the oldest saloon in the city is an experience. You can smell the beer-soaked history, there's sawdust underfoot and, above the bar at McSorley's, opened in 1854, is an old gas lamp strewn with wishbones. It's said they were hung by G.I.s as hopeful symbols of a safe return from World War I.
"What sort of beer do you have?" I ask.
"Light or dark," says the bartender.
"Do you have a pilsener?"
"Light or dark," he says spelling it out, losing patience.
It pays to learn there are only two types of beer on offer here. The rules are strict: a sign overhead reminds all to "be good or be gone".
The back room is laden with huge oak tables, photos of the establishment a century ago and a portrait of Old John McSorley, the founder, who died in 1910. He believed it impossible for men to drink with tranquillity in the presence of women. His motto was "good ale, raw onions, and no ladies". In 1954 the then-female owner Dorothy O'Connell Kirwan couldn't even grace the premises during opening hours. To celebrate 100 years, she was served a beer outside on a cold February night. The National Organisation for Women saw to it by court order to make sure females could visit the public bar from 1970.
I ordered a light ale, which arrived in two mugs ($7.80) with crackers, cheese and raw onions with mustard to accompany. 15 E 7th Street, New York, NY 10003
The oldest restaurant in Manhattan – Delmonico's, in the Financial District – has had a chequered past, including fire, changes in ownership and premises, and failed expansions.
I visit on a Tuesday for a late lunch. The room is opulent, chandeliers hang, freshly pressed linens cover the tables, a large mural depicting a dinner party from yesteryear reminds us that this is the place where writers Mark Twain and Charles Dickens were guests of honour at ceremonial dinners.
Today, there's a smattering of diners in the main dining room; all the commotion is going on in the bar room. I ask the waiter what it's all about.
"Oh, Jodie Foster is directing a movie with George Clooney and Julia Roberts in there," he says nonchalantly. (It's called Money Monster.)
Established in 1827, Delmonico (as it was called then) began as a confectionery shop. The owners opened the current Delmonico's near Wall Street, complete with three floors and pillars allegedly imported from Pompeii, in 1837.
While there may be a few that could outclass the restaurant these days, sampling a steak with mashed potatoes covered in cheese and breadcrumbs (Abe Lincoln's favourite) at this institution is a treat. You may even get to sip an Old Fashioned with George and Jodie at the bar afterwards. 56 Beaver Street, New York, 10004 See www.delmonicosrestaurantgroup.com/restaurant/
New York is known for its luncheonettes and, like a lot of old-school New York diners, Eisenberg's Sandwich's walls are covered with portraits of celebrities. Here, they are invariably with the owner, Josh Konecky. On my most recent visit, the man himself is standing outside, pacing. The lunch crowd in the Flatiron district is streaming in. Dressed in a Hawaiian shirt, he welcomes regulars. Konecky was a regular himself for 10 years before buying the business in 2005. He changed just one recipe on the menu – the chopped liver – to his mother's version. Hungry, I take a seat at one of the 25 swivel red leather stools along the counter and order a cheeseburger, tuna melt and incredible egg cream before paying at the counter. Everyone who walks out notes the sign, "Raising New York's Cholesterol Since 1929". 174 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10010. See www.eisenbergsnyc.com
While Eisenberg's does a pastrami on rye, save that for a visit to Katz's Delicatessen on Houston Street. To most of us, the restaurant is famous for the "I'll have what she's having" movie scene from When Harry Met Sally, but to New Yorkers it's more famous for the slogan "Send a salami to your boy in the army", which you can still do provided your son or daughter is stationed in the US. 205 East Houston Street (corner of Ludlow Street) New York, 10002 See katzsdelicatessen.com
See www.discoveramerica.com, www.nycgo.com
Hawaiian Airlines offers non-stop flights from Sydney (daily) and Brisbane (four times weekly) to Honolulu connecting to New York. Phone 1300 669 106. See www.hawaiianairlines.com.au.
The Beacon Hotel offers apartment-style suites near Central Park and across the road from another Old New York favourite, the flagship Fairway supermarket (www.fairwaymarket.com). See www.beaconhotel.com.
