Ouest

The destination dining room from chef-owner Tom Valenti is the place that sparked the latest neighborhood revival. Behind the deco facade you’ll find sumptuous red leather banquettes, huge mirrors and low lighting that casts a romantic amber glow. But it’s the heavy-hitting, expertly prepared classics – shellfish ragout, grilled rack of lamb, pan-roasted squab, seared tuna – that people trudge here for. Another, newer Valenti outpost in the ’hood is West Branch, a slightly more casual (there’s a bar with a flat-screen TV) but no less handsome spot, where the focus is still French – witness the steak tartare and duck-leg confit – with some more accessible (and wholly delicious) burgers, salads and fish and chips tossed in there, too.