Down the street from the plaza 
is the new organic Austrian and German restaurant Seäsonal. Here award-winning chefs and owners Wolfgang Ban and Eduard Frauneder, along with partner Walter Dostmann, present a contemporary take on traditional Teutonic cuisine, making Seäsonal one of the first eateries of its kind in New York City.
The lunch of egg spaetzle with pecorino and Gruyère cheeses and crispy onions; a mouthwateringly tender Wiener schnitzel (breaded veal cutlet); and potato-cucumber salad could be the best in town. Dinner is even more enticing, with seasonal menu choices like succulent, milk-fed braised veal cheeks; natural Brandt beef shell steak with caramelized cipollini onions; red-wine honey-glazed Long Island duck breast; fresh line-caught cod; and pumpkin seed-crusted black sea bass with butternut squash sauce and black truffles.
Seäsonal’s modern décor—a palette of black, gray, and white—is warm and elegant, and its luxurious wine list is impressive; the Pinot Noir selections are unexpectedly wonderful. Dessert treats like broken caramelized pancakes with apple quince compote will have you practically keeling over in utter bliss. And the chef’s tasting menu, which lets you sample a little of everything, is also not to be missed. Seäsonal, 132 West 58th Street, 212-957-5550.
