Dishing It Out

Cozied in the back of The Evelyn Hotel is the dimly lit, art deco-style Benno, chef Jonathan Benno’s newest venture after leading Per Se and Lincoln Ristorante to become two of New York’s very best restaurants. But somehow, Benno lives up to or possibly exceeds its predecessors. The three-to-five-course prix fixe menu is the perfect entryway into the chef’s refined but refreshingly surprising style of cooking. The smaller plates are divided into vegetables and grains, seafood and meats, and pastas, and all deserve sampling. Try, for example, live sea scallop with cucumber, almond and romesco, or ravioli bigusto with celery root, black trumpet mushrooms, brown butter and pecorino Romano. The entree list is made up of perfectly cooked proteins honored with complementary ingredients, including skate almondine with peekytoe crab mousse, or duck served with unctuously tender foie gras, turnip and a pistachio-date brik. With its beautifully rustic and Middle Eastern flavors, the latter dish made me, someone who does not eat red meat, want to cry—it was like eating a gourmet steak for the very first time. From $95, 7 E. 27th St., theevelyn.com