Eleven Madison Park

We're in the midst of Restaurant Week, and our first stop was at Eleven Madison Park, Danny Meyer's haute cuisine homage to Art Deco New York on the edge of Madison Square Park. As at all of Meyer's restaurants, the service here is impeccable--first-timers are coddled and regulars are treated like returning war heros, with handshakes and long conversations about what's happened since they were last in. (The man sitting next to us and the sommelier compared extensive notes about recent trips to the French Laundry.) The space is grand and soaring without being overwhelming, a balance they strike through copious flowers and comfy, oversized chairs.

We had salmon escabeche with asparagus, apricot and prosciutto salad, lamb sausage, and skate with cauliflower, and ended with chocolate custard and cheesecake, all terrific. Having food this good in the middle of the day feels indulgent and decadent, but being able to do it for only $24 a person restored our sense of virtue enough that we were able to go back to work, if a little reluctantly.

Photo: thanks