Restaurant Design Genius

I've long been in awe of restaurant designer Stephanie Goto, who created the stunning, minimalist dining room at Manhattan's Corton. And now I'm envious of her industry connections, too: When she took me to see her latest NYC project, the Portuguese-inspired Aldea, she kept waving at big-deal chefs in restaurants along the way. Working with Aldea chef George Mendes, Goto transformed the narrow, deep space into a sleek dining room that subtly evokes Portugal’s coastline, with a large blue wall standing in for the water, gray-stained floors that look like stone and a chandelier made up of acrylic rods to represent the air.