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Retro TV Dinners Get Uptown Twist at the Regency

John Del Signore

Published May 20, 2008

Modified May 20, 2008

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Pot Roast slow-cooked in Burgundian Pinot Noir. The eye of the roast is served with a trio of baby potatoes, including purple Peruvian, Russian banana and red bliss. Side dishes: Red cabbage made in a blend of red vinegar, brown sugar and fresh steamed broccoli. Dessert is Vahlrona chocolate pudding with a touch of whipped cream.

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John Del Signore

Published May 20, 2008

Modified May 20, 2008

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Those retro TV dinners with the pre-formulated portions aren’t just for Eisenhower-era loners anymore; the factory-made frozen meals have been cleverly revived for big city sophisticates dining at the Regency Hotel's 540 Park restaurant. The first Swanson TV Brand Frozen Dinner sold for 98 cents in 1953; at the Regency it’s been brought up to date for $30.

Chef Andrew Rubin is offering three iterations on the classic, each one served on that famous, sectioned tray, symbol of a more orderly time. Rubin’s haute versions include a pot roast slow-braised in Burgundian Pinot Noir, accompanied by red cabbage, baby potatoes, broccoli and chocolate pudding as dessert. His wild salmon comes with sushi rice, seaweed salad, and caramelized green tea crème brulee. A third dinner stars fried chicken with cornbread, peas and cherry cobbler.

The only downside is that the dinners are not delivered to the table with a black and white television set; to really affect the middle-class nostalgia trip you’ll have to book a room at The Regency, turn on some Honeymooners reruns and summon the TV dinner to your room.

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540 park

best

dinner

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food

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hotel

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nyc

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retro

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John Del Signore

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Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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