The colony, in New York, greets its guests with a stunning cosmopolitan-carnival decor. As soon as you enter the fashionable restaurant, you can sense its zestful tempo. The Tent Room, to your left, is a candy-striped paradise, a festive realm of bar and tables, vividly gift-wrapped in a canopy and wallpaper of bold stripes. Artist LeRoy Neiman, whose painting of the Tent Room captures its brilliance, recalls that "loyal Colonists hug the bar at most hours, many reluctant to break off conversation with senior bartender Mario. The atmosphere is convivial and inviting: it's a bright pepper-mintish spot to drink and lunch." If it's dinner you're after – a relaxing, rewarding prelude to an evening in Manhattan – exit the Tent Room (after toasting Mario's art) and slip through the tall glass door into the main dining room. The chandeliers and mirrored walls here lend an incomparable glitter to the room, and a casual parable glitter to the room, and a casual glance reveals the presence of customcrafted champagne buckets and giant hand-carved pepper mills – Colony trademarks. The pace is less vigorous than in the bright Tent Room, but warm spirits prevail. The cuisine is superior and the superb wine and liqueur list will gratify the most exacting taste. The hors d'oeuvre selection includes pâté Maison, Poire Avocado Colony, Imported Fresh Caviar de Beluga and Foie Gras de Strasbourg. The Potage assortment includes a splendid Scotch Broth au Barley and La Soupe à I'Oi-gnon Gratinée. Among the entrees are such Spécialités de la Maison as Sole Anglaise Paiva, Côte de Veau Aplatie and Poulet Grille Diable. The Broccolis Hollandaise or the Carottes Vichy are ideal complements, as is the Romaine Salade. Colony desserts are lovely to look at and delightful to consume; cases in point are the Beignets Soufflés with Sauce Sabayon, the Poire Sicilienne or the artistically formed Petits Fours. The service – from that initial pre-prandial cocktail to the final mellow liqueur – is unobtrusive and inimitably efficient. The waiters and captains are wholly in command, subtle in motion and knowledgeable in culinary conference preparatory to selecting one's repast. In Tent Room gaiety or dining room splendor, the Colony is a judicious blend of elegance, comfort, fun and sophistication.
