King's Carriage House 251 East 82nd Street 212-734-5490 Established 1994
NOW
Elizabeth graduated college with a fine arts degree, but her passion was always cooking and entertaining. "I always had a food bug, a true love of anything culinary." Her first venture was catering, where she immediately had a "robust stream of business," so she made the decision to follow her dream and left her job in advertising. "I decided to go into it full time knowing nothing." Along the way, she had "a few side street jobs," including opening a bakery and she did some food styling, but in the back of her mind, a restaurant was waiting for her.
While traveling in Ireland, Elizabeth met Paul Farrell. They dated for seven years between New York and Dublin until he finally agreed to make the move to New York. It was also during these excursions overseas that her business concept crystalized, and she began looking for a space. When she walked past a three-storied townhouse one day on East 82nd that had been a Hungarian bookstore, and found it to be empty, she began her pursuit of the landlord. It took a year where Elizabeth continuously put notes in the mailbox inquiring about renting the building. She was determined to share her concept with the owner, and in 1994 she was finally able to persuade him to listen to her. It turned out that he was hardly ever in town, and she became the trustee of the building, even renting the apartment next door.
"Life was so different then. We opened on a shoestring, but we sold out every night for a really long time." Elizabeth described how the neighborhood supported her, wanting to see her flourish, but there were also celebrities coming in on a weekly basis, and then as King's Carriage was written up in the New York Times diners from abroad also began seeking them out. " Our concept resonated with people around the globe. It was an amazing time, just fabulous." Mrs. Astor even had her 99th birthday party here. When Elizabeth and Paul's daughter was born, "people would see her in her jammies as a little girl." King's Carriage has always been a different experience - a charming, intimate family restaurant.
"The magic of tea is about the moment - slow down, soak it in, be a bit reflective, or share it with another person." Thus, King's Carriage is known for their traditional afternoon tea service in an elegant British setting - with English china, teapots, paintings and crystal chandeliers filling every nook and cranny. And, for decades their dinner menu has been prix fixe with three scrumptious courses. The couple have always wanted people to come in and have a leisurely, beautiful meal. "I knew from the beginning that I wanted people to have the experience that we had in a Manor House restaurant in Ireland with lingering hospitality." The restaurant continues to have a different menu every day. "We were farm to table thirty years ago before people knew what this was." They have always chosen the menu based on what the market had. Elizabeth has written the menus since day one and when it is busy, "I am the add on in the kitchen."
THEN
This diminutive 2-story building looks as if it was dropped onto 82nd Street from another era. Built in 1869 by architect John McIntyre, the Real Estate Record identifies it as a “first-class dwelling,” or a single family home. Upon construction, the owner is listed as J.A.J. Neafie, who appears to have been a local developer at the time, based on Third Avenue and 86th Street, who was active in civic affairs. In 1879 he was appointed to a committee tasked with airing grievances about the “insufficient accommodations, cold and dirty cards, high fares, rude employees and bad management” of the Third Avenue Elevated Train to its operator, following a community meeting at Parepa Hall on 86th Street. The storefront of this building was likely an early 20th century addition. In the 1940s, this location housed a printing shop.
