Citronelle
The newest branch of chef Michel Richard's growing mini-empire (there are two other Citronelles opening in California this year) is an extra-swanky temple of nouvelle French cuisine. You'll find a corps of crisp-suited waiters, a wall of kaleidoscopic colored glass in the main dining room, and a warren of smaller private rooms where the city's movers and shakers break bread. Richard's food, however, is anything but stuffy; from his amuse-bouche of "egg surprise" (which actually contains no eggs at all—instead, scallops are scrambled to look like them), to his rack of lamb with giant beans and a white-bean jalapeño sauce, to his crème brûlée adorned with "crispy petals" (made from phyllo pastry), his dishes are as playful as they are meticulous.
Tip: Unless you're a seasoned oenophile, don't even try to choose from the 8,000-label wine list. Let sommelier Mark Slater help you.
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