When he was young, John F. Kennedy is reported to have said, he had three goals: "I wanted to be a Lindbergh-type hero, learn Chinese, and become a member of the Algonquin Round Table.” For generations of American intellectuals, the Round Table signified a certain brand of sophisticated thinking and sizzling repartee. Originally founded by Vanity Fair writers Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, and Robert E. Sherwood in 1919, the group named after its habitual meeting place in the Algonquin Hotel grew and evolved over the course of 10 years filled with literary criticism, cultural discussions, and barbed wit.

Today, The Round Table honors the legacy of those figures by inviting regulars and visitors alike to stop in, savor a meal, and partake in some spirited conversation amid original Art Deco woodwork, rugs, and a group portrait of the literary titans that became immortalized in New York and American history. Executive Chef Alex Aubry gives guests another topic of discourse with a zippy, accessible menu. Jumbo sea scallops arrive with a sweet corn risotto and spicy orange-thyme sauce, and the penne pasta's chorizo and chipotle-tinged cream adds a bit of New World bite to an Old World staple. And unlike the Prohibition-era members of the Round Table, present-day guests can pair their meal with a glass, bottle, or barrel of wine.