Ralph Lauren Opens His Swanky Manhattan “Polo Bar,” Sells Burgers And Steaks From His Own Cattle

RogerSterlingJr11 years ago

Calling today’s high-end food “unnecessarily creative,” Ralph Lauren just opened a Polo Bar in Manhattan, where he will serve burgers and steaks cut from his own personal cattle. Instead of having to order something ridiculously new age, at the Polo Bar you’ll get to eat “a meal you might get if you walked into an episode of ‘Mad Men.’” Polo has long been in the upper echelon of brands loved by fraternity folk, but Ralph Lauren, legendary designer and founder of his namesake company, dropped a big “who’s next” at the Sperrys, Vineyard Vines, Ray Bans, and Southern Tides of the world with this power move. If you thought Polo was pretty F before, adding bourbon and beef to the mix takes it to a new level.

Ralph Lauren got the idea from a trip to Paris years ago, an assumingly regrettable necessity for someone in the fashion industry. When he asked the hotel concierge if there was anywhere to get a good burger, he was met with the confusion and disappointment France typically reserves for the battlefield. So what did he do? He opened his own burger joint in the French capital and even the French loved it in spite of themselves.

In designing the Polo Bar, the American icon told the New York Times, “It was not my idea to be trendy. I don’t want to be the hot restaurant. I want to be the restaurant you want to go to twice a week.” For a place that looks like an old-world smoking club, the Polo Bar apparently keeps it pretty down to Earth. Don’t think there won’t be a dress code, though–it is currently unknown if someone wearing a Polo Big Pony shirt will be shown to the door immediately or not..

[via NY Times]

Image via Shutterstock