Exhibit 99.1


From: KEKST AND COMPANY                                       July 23, 2002
      Lissa Perlman
      David Lilly
      437 Madison Avenue
      New York, NY  10022-7001
      (212) 521-4800

For:  MORTON'S RESTAURANT GROUP, INC.                   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
      3333 New Hyde Park Road                           ---------------------
      New Hyde Park, NY  11042
      (516) 627-1515
      www.mortons.com

Contact: Thomas J. Baldwin, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer,
         ----------------------------------------------------------------------
         Morton's Restaurant Group, Inc.
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             MORTON'S STOCKHOLDERS APPROVE MERGER WITH CASTLE HARLAN
             -------------------------------------------------------

           --RESULTS CERTIFIED BY INDEPENDENT INSPECTOR OF ELECTION--
           ----------------------------------------------------------

NEW HYDE PARK, NY.... Morton's Restaurant Group (NYSE: MRG) today reported that
its stockholders approved the proposed merger with Castle Harlan by an
overwhelming majority of the votes cast. The following certified results of
today's Special Meeting were supplied to Morton's by Corporate Election
Services, Inc., the independent inspector of election:

Stockholders voted 2,342,129 shares, or 73.9% of the votes cast at the meeting
(constituting 55.9% of the outstanding shares), in favor of the merger with
Castle Harlan.

"We are gratified that, after a year-long process launched specifically to
address stockholders' desire for liquidity and value realization, stockholders
have approved the $17.00 per share cash merger with affiliates of Castle Harlan
and will now realize that value," said Allen J. Bernstein, Chairman, President
and Chief Executive Officer. "We expect to close the transaction promptly. I
would like to thank the members of our Special Committee and its independent
advisors for the time and effort they have dedicated over the past year toward
the pursuit of stockholder value."

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

EXCEPT FOR THE HISTORICAL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS NEWS RELEASE, THE
MATTERS ADDRESSED ARE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS THAT INVOLVE CERTAIN RISKS AND
UNCERTAINTIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, GENERAL ECONOMIC CONDITIONS,
COMPETITIVE ACTIVITIES, THE COMPANY'S EXPANSION PLANS AND RESTAURANT
PROFITABILITY LEVELS AND OTHER MATTERS IDENTIFIED FROM TIME TO TIME IN THE
COMPANY'S PUBLIC REPORTS AND SEC FILINGS. ACTUAL RESULTS MAY VARY.

ADDITIONALLY, THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS THAT INVOLVE
RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES RELATING TO THE PROPOSED MERGER AND OTHER FUTURE EVENTS,
INCLUDING WHETHER AND WHEN THE PROPOSED MERGER WILL BE CONSUMMATED. A VARIETY OF
FACTORS COULD CAUSE ACTUAL EVENTS OR RESULTS TO DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THOSE
EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED BY THE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. THESE FACTORS INCLUDE,
BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO, RISKS THAT AN ORDER OR INJUNCTION MAY BE IMPOSED
PROHIBITING OR DELAYING THE MERGER AND THAT ANY OTHER CONDITIONS TO THE MERGER
MAY NOT BE SATISFIED OR WAIVED. THE COMPANY ASSUMES NO OBLIGATION TO UPDATE THE
FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION.

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