The Grand Salon at the opulent Baccarat Hotel, in Midtown Manhattan, is one of my happy places in New York. Brimming with chandeliers, stunning weighted glasses, fresh red roses and other decorations crafted with French crystals of the same name, it’s a glamorous space to say the least and one where I’ve spent many happy times sipping champagne with friends or my husband and enjoying delicious blanco tequila with a twist of lime.

While the luxurious hotel reopened for overnight guests last fall, the Grand Salon remained closed. That is until this past Thursday when, after 15 months, it began welcoming patrons once again to enjoy its sumptuous setting, delicious food and extensive selection of drinks.

That’s not all: Baccarat also debuted Le Jardin on Thursday, which is a floral filled garden terrace located adjacent to the Grand Salon. 

Inspired by fragrant and colorful citrus, this outdoor oasis features lush orange trees and tangerine color accents that evoke summer. Le Jardin is filled with flowers such as Limelight and Annabelle Hydrangea, Misty Lace and Bleeding Heart and feels like being in a garden in the French countryside.

But there’s even more for New Yorkers and visitors to look forward to: the property’s culinary director, the two Michelin-starred chef Gabriel Kreuther, is now offering brunch. His French-inspired menu includes croque monsieur, summer gazpacho and a caviar three-tier presentation.  

While there’s plenty that’s new at Baccarat, my favorite pastimes- thankfully- haven’t changed. The property is still home to the largest selection of champagnes in the United States, at around 260 different labels. This extensive list of bubbly came to fruition thanks to Baccarat’s wine director, Matthieu Yamoum. (As a side note, Yamoum now has his own champagne venture called HRLM Champagne, which is a collaboration with the co-founders of the lifestyle brand Harlem American, and is also behind Piper-Heidsieck Essentiel Cuvée Reserve, a bubbly that is a collaboration with the eponymous Champagne house).

 The 200 bottles on Yamoum’s list range from $150 to $50,000- a few regular customers even have $500 Baccarat crystal glasses engraved with their name and savor their drinks in their personal glassware whenever they come in.

Kreuther’s original menu continues to be offered and includes elevated versions of comfort food favorites such as a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup and a black angus burger.

And the long list of sprits- whiskies, gins and tequilas- hasn’t gone anywhere.

For now, dining is only offered Wednesday through Sunday for afternoon tea and lunch and dinner, but the Baccarat will ramp back up to its pre-Covid existence over time.

I was fortunate enough to be at the Grand Salon debut Thursday night: I started my evening with a glass of champagne and moved onto tequila. As the hours passed on, it felt like old times and almost as if the space had never closed. Regardless, I couldn’t be happier that it’s back- with the same panache that I loved about it in the first place and a beautiful new garden that gives me a reason to love it even more.