Firsts Achieved under founder, Sebastiano Maioglio's tenure :

First Piemontese restaurant in New York                                                            (1906)

First to serve wild Porcini  mushrooms (picked by Sebastiano         

         Maioglio in the Connecticut wood)                                                                (1906)

First to serve Risotto                                                                                                    (1906)

First to serve Polenta                                                                                                   (1906)

* First Espresso machine in a restaurant (imported by

         Sebastiano Maioglio)                                                                                           (1911)

Firsts Achieved under Laura Maioglio's tenure:

** First elegant Italian restaurant in New York                                                (1962)

* First to serve White Truffles                                                                                  (1962)

* First restaurant to have its own Truffle Hounds                          (1962)
First restaurant to have a Truffle Hound hunt for

          truffles on the  stage of Carnegie Hall                                                          (1992)

First to serve Bagna Cauda                                                                                        (1962)

* First to serve Barbaresco, Gattinara, Ghemme                                             (1962)

* First to serve decaffeinated espresso (Caffé-Hag)                                        (1962)

First Pre-Opera Menu                                                                                                  (1962)

First restaurant with a garden (outside Central Park)                                   (1963)

First restaurant to present weekly fashion shows  by the

       great designer during Wednesday matineč lunch                        (1963-1976)

First to serve Tuscan Extra-Virgin Olive Oil                                                      (1964) 

* First to serve sun-dried tomatoes                                                                      (1968)

First restaurant to serve risotto all'onda                                                            (1968)

First Pre-Theatre Menu                                                                                              (1971)

* First to serve Grignolino                                                                                        (1974)
First elegant restaurant to extensively employ women

          in the dining room                                                                                              (1975)
First to serve Tiraměsu                                                            (1982) (since discontinued)

First to serve Panna Cotta                                                                                         (1984)

First restaurant to discourage smoking by replacing matches

        in matchbox with after dinner chocolate mints                                      (1987)

First restaurant to be written up on The New York Times

        editorial page for the above                                                                            (1987)

First historic restaurant from America invited to serve

        a gala dinner in a historic restaurant in Italy

        (the Cambio, established in 1757 in Torino)                                           (1990)

First restaurant in America to be landmarked by

        the Locali Storici d'Italia (Historic Italian Establishments)              (1991)