80 West 40th Street
Nestled on the eighth floor, The Beaux Arts Restaurant was an oasis of glamour and defiance during the tumultuous years of Prohibition in New York. With the dazzling Fay Marbe providing nightly entertainment, the venue was a beacon for those seeking refuge from the dry, sober world below. The Beaux Arts Restaurant stood proudly alongside other iconic establishments of the era like the Palais Royal, known for Paul Whiteman’s melodies, and the Moulin Rouge, which was in its prime. Unlike the traditional cabarets or the later, more refined nightclubs, these spots, including Bal Tabarin, the old Little Club, Montmartre, the Tent, and Monte Carlo, were quintessentially American—brash, bustling, and extravagantly prosperous. The managers of these venues were a new breed of entrepreneurs, often foreigners, who paid little heed to the culinary arts, knowing well that their patrons came not for the food but for the thrill and spectacle. Among the industry’s first casualties were luminaries like Otto Baumgarten of the Crillon, famed for his exquisite cuisine, and Larry Fay, associated with the Club Borgo, The Beaux Arts, and the Silver Slipper. Despite the shifting sands of the era, The Beaux Arts Restaurant thrived as a vibrant hub of illicit indulgence and musical magic, epitomizing the audacious spirit of New York’s speakeasy culture.