Sophia Michaels
Maxwell’s Plum, one of the most influential restaurants in the history of New York City dining, is open once again – this time in Florida horse country. Jennifer Oz LeRoy, the daughter of legendary restaurateur Warner LeRoy, has opened the new Maxwell’s Plum in Wellington, the equestrian mecca outside Palm Beach.
The original Maxwell’s Plum, which was open from 1966 to 1988 on 64th Street and First Avenue, was the height of chic and hosted a plethora of boldface names such as Gloria Vanderbilt, Bill Blass, Barbra Streisand and Donald Trump when he was an upstart Manhattan real estate developer. It was most famously known as the hottest “singles bar”, a style of breezy, brightly lit spots catering to the new brand of “career women” who could venture into bars and restaurants without a male date.
LeRoy believes that the new Maxwell’s Plum is in a similarly historic moment in dating – a post-lockdown, app-fatigued world. She said, “Everybody meets on the Internet and we’re trying for the social hour. Get off your phone, walk into the building and meet people at the bar and meet people at happy hour. Meet people at the brunches and events we do. We do a great party after polo every Sunday, which is a huge social occasion for everybody.”
LeRoy had considered opening the new spot in New York or Las Vegas before deciding on Wellington. She said, “The concept [of the original] was that everybody is welcome, there was a high energy, a sexiness to it. And if you’ve ever been to Wellington, that’s exactly what Wellington is. It’s a scene — with people from all over the world, because it’s the hub of international equestrianism. It’s the Springsteens and the Jobses and the sexy polo players and all that. Everybody is fabulous.”
