Where Power Brokers Eat Dinner Now in New York, London, and Washington

You’ve heard it before. The world of "power dining" has fundamentally changed over the last few years: In New York, major companies have set up headquarters outside Midtown Manhattan, and such mighty spots as the Four Seasons have succumbed to a monumental decrease in lunch business. In Washington, a change in administration means a reset on a lot of things, not to mention priority restaurants. The new president has scarcely been seen in a dining room that’s not in the White House or his local hotel. And in London, the days of free-spending, boozy midday meals are well over, as companies focus both on cost and the propriety of lavish lunches. Exhibit A: Lloyd’s of London insurance market has banned employees from drinking during working hours.

But how much does this really affect so-called power restaurants? Not necessarily much for the most popular places, as with New York's unstoppable Le Coucou. Rather, we're talking about the expensive temples of fine dining, where deals are worshipped and C-suite executives and politicians are the rotating idols.