Stately restaurant opens in Empire State Building

The Empire State Building’s latest restaurant tenant — State Grill and Bar — has opened its doors to tourists and power lunches alike.

Patina Restaurant Group – which operates in some of the city’s most famous tourist attractions, like Rockefeller Center, Lincoln Center and Madison Square Garden – is operating the new eatery, which offers sophisticated American cuisine and classic cocktails, according to Crain’s.

“It is our strategy to look for these locations,” Nick Valenti, chief executive of the bicoastal restaurant group, which runs the Sea Grill at Rockefeller Center, told Crian’s.

The Malkin family, which runs Empire State Realty Trust, has known Valenti for decades. Valenti was general manager of the John Peel Room—a restaurant in a Long Island hotel owned by Malkin.

On opening day, the restraint served notables such as New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton and former New York Governor David Paterson. [Crain’s] – Christopher Cameron