The red-wine cellar where John Harbaugh was wined and dined Wednesday night with off-the-menu items by owner Chris Mara, general manager Joe Schoen and confidantes is steeped in Giants tradition.
Decades earlier, long before Elia took over the location and refurbished the downstairs space, it was the dungeon at Park and Orchard where Bill Parcells used to host pre-draft meetings for the Giants.
Elia is the Giants’ go-to spot for high-profile courtships, but this one was different before the door opened at 5 p.m.
“When Joe walked in, you knew the deal was going to go down,” owner Tim Salouros told The Post.
“It was the first time that they called me to tell me the timing. They told me he had to be on a flight at 7:30. Before coach left, he said, ‘I’ll be back.’”
Seated at a wooden table for 18, Harbaugh was presented with three custom options – one steak, one fish and one chicken – prepared just for the occasion.
“Coach veered to Chris Mara to order first and Chris goes, ‘You are the honorary guy here. You order first,’” Salouros said. “We had pan-roasted Alaskan halibut filet over spinach, asparagus, mushrooms, crab meat and yellow romesco sauce. Once he ordered that, Chris said, ‘I’ll have what coach is having.’ And they had all the traditional apps – the octopus, the chips, the salad, the tuna tartar that we are known for.”
