The Time Warner Center's crown jewel surrounds diners with detailed luxury: soft cream leather on the walls, brass and copper tiles on the floor, and tables dressed with layers of fine linens. Service is among the best in the city, and diners are attended to with aplomb.

The Food
As the internationally acclaimed chef of the French Laundry, Thomas Keller has earned a reputation as a perfectionist. Diners benefit from the first taste--miniature sesame cones topped with a scoop of buttery salmon tartare, which arrive as a gift from the kitchen--to the last, gracious nibbles of homemade truffles. In between, dishes like "liver and onions," buttery, tender ramps with lush duck liver pâté; Keller's signature "oysters and pearls" made with tapioca, just-warm oysters, sweet butter and a wealth of caviar; and the genius combination of foie gras, peach jelly and--unexpectedy--young cilantro leaves, sweep diners off their feet.