Menu
- Description
- Windows on the World menu for the Hors d'Oeuvrerie. The front of the menu has a repeated red-colored graphic reflective of a sunrise/sunset. The menu features hot and cold small plates (appetizers), desserts, and a selection of coffee and tea. The main dishes are All-Beef Chili and Moroccan Kefta Tagine.
- Historical Notes
- Described as "America's first international hors d'oeuvre restaurant," the Hors d'Oeuvrerie was designed as a dining theater where guests could watch international chefs prepare regional specialties right in front of them. From sushi to Moroccan kefta, Kyoto beef roll, and everything in between, these small plates were all individually priced and plated. Guests were entertained with live jazz beginning in the late afternoon and dancing in the evening.
Curator's Comment
Located on the 106th and 107th floors of the North Tower, Windows on the World opened in the spring of 1976. New York magazine marked the restaurant’s debut on its May 1976 cover with a headline declaring it “The Most Spectacular Restaurant in the World.” A team of celebrity chefs helped devise menus for the eatery, which featured not only a 300-seat restaurant but also a bar, wine cellar, more intimate dining areas, and private banquet rooms and meeting spaces for hire. With floor-to-ceiling windows, larger than their counterparts elsewhere in the Twin Towers, the multilevel restaurant offered diners stunning panoramic views of New York City and beyond. Tourists and locals alike lined up to reserve their dining adventure in the clouds. Entering 1993, WOW (its popular nickname) was one of the country’s highest-grossing restaurants.
After the February 26, 1993, bombing of the World Trade Center, the restaurant closed for cleaning and major renovations. It reopened in 1996 under new management. The iconic dining establishment in the sky was destroyed in the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. Seventy-two staff members were killed that day along with the breakfast guests and conference goers they were serving.
After the February 26, 1993, bombing of the World Trade Center, the restaurant closed for cleaning and major renovations. It reopened in 1996 under new management. The iconic dining establishment in the sky was destroyed in the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. Seventy-two staff members were killed that day along with the breakfast guests and conference goers they were serving.
- Accession Number: C.2022.67.1
- Dimensions: 14.75 in X 6 in
- Dimensions (Metric): 37.465 cm X 15.24 cm
- Source: Alex Waldvogel
- Credit Line: Gift of Alex Waldvogel
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