Bar of the Week: Russian Tea Room

Is the Russian Tea Room's long winter finally over? After a deal to turn the legendary restaurant into a golf museum fell through in 2004, the property underwent an extensive restoration -- not to the original design, but to the lavish interior wrought by Warner LeRoy in the 1990s. Son of Wizard of Oz producer and director Mervyn LeRoy and grandson of studio founder Harry Warner, Warner LeRoy channeled his namesakes' Hollywood glamour into restaurants such as Tavern on the Green -- and brought along the Technicolor sets. The RTR's new owners have preserved LeRoy's most flamboyant flourishes, like the 15-foot bear-shaped aquarium and the golden tree hung with Fabergé-inspired eggs, but if Czarist Russia via Las Vegas isn't your style, try a selection of their 40 vodkas (shots are $10–$18) at the ground floor bar. Sedate decor is a relative term at the Russian Tea Room, but here, where the green walls, bright-red banquettes and shining samovars are warm and welcoming, it's easy to relax and remember all those who have passed through the famous revolving doors. The cocktails salvaged from vintage RTR menus are refreshing in their simplicity ($12–$16), and stocks of pre-ban Caspian Sea caviar are still available ($180–$300 for 30 grams). 150 W. 57th St., (212) 581-7100 David Shamoon