Half a year later, DeLucie has left The Royal in order to devote his time to the opening of his new Upper East Side restaurant and celebrity-magnet Crown. The Royal's chef, Jimmy Corona has been named executive chef and Oscan Rubin is executive sous chef.
The menu has seen quite a few changes, as well. When DeLucie left, he took his famous dishes with him including his chicken under a brick, lamb porterhouse, macaroni and cheese with truffles, and chopped salad. (Couldn't you at least leave the salad, John?)
Replacing DeLucie's offerings are a pan-seared organic chicken ($26), squid ink fettuccine ($26), whole snapper a la lancha ($32), and a small side of mac 'n' cheese (sans truffles $8).
DeLucie has made it known he still loves Miami and though he's gone for now, there's a distinct chance he'll be back to scout out a new location in the fall. (We're betting he'll be back as soon as the first snow hits the ground in the Big Apple.)
In case you're planning a trip to New York and miss DeLucie's famous lamb porterhouse, The Lion might not be as difficult to get into as the celebrities would have you think. A call to the restaurant allowed us to make reservations for four this Saturday at a respectable 7:45 p.m.
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