The Abby Dining Room turns a page

Chicken Milanese à la Chef Darryl

An elegant place for dining with colleagues in a serene, sophisticated setting. That’s been the vision of the Abby ever since the venue first opened in 1958. Rockefeller’s catering team, Great Performances, kept this original intention in mind while planning recent updates. On October 14, they reopened the dining room with table service and new menus highlighting local and seasonal ingredients.

Each week the offerings rotate, with daily specials crafted by Chef Darryl Goffreda based on purveyor and seasonal availability. In keeping with Great Performance’s emphasis on farm-to-table produce, many of the ingredients come directly from their farm, Katchkie, located in upstate New York, and from other local vendors. Libations, specifically red and white wine, are now offered at lunch.

Rather than being prepared at stations or buffets, meals in the new Abby are cooked to order. This doesn’t mean long waits, however; the new menus have been designed with the time constraints of scientists and other staff in mind, so visitors can expect to be in and out within an hour (that said, patrons who prefer to linger over their meal and conversations are more than welcome).

Despite these upscale changes, guests can still expect to pay approximately $9 to $15 per entree, and take-out will continue to be available.

The updates to the Abby are part of a broader effort to make the campus dining areas complement one another rather than compete.