A feast for the eyes and the stomach: Savoring New York's signature restaurant style

NEW YORK - Architecture can be a feast for the eyes while leaving the tummy grumbling, as anyone forced to swallow bad grub in a sumptuous setting can attest. Only when the dinner and the decor click delectably can a memorable meal be made.

Despite often long odds, there's never a shortage of willing players confident or foolhardy enough to try their luck at this high-stakes game. And nowhere is the game played with such verve culinarily and architecturally than in New York City. Here are four restaurants where the look is as delicious as the fare.

-WD-50: Housed in a former bodega on a slightly scruffy street on the Lower East Side, this restaurant draws serious foodies hungry for chef-owner Wylie Dufresne's playful, cutting-edge interpretations of classic dishes. You'll never think of eggs Benedict the same way after trying Dufresne's deconstructed version: egg yolk pillows, tissue-thin Canadian bacon wafers, and cubes of deep-fried hollandaise. And cold leftover chicken never tasted as good as this rich block of crispy bird garnished with buttermilk ricotta, a shot of hot sauce and a spoonful of caviar.

This is a restaurant where the plates serve as china canvases for edible art (one piece is even painted in chocolate). Delivering the goods were the architectural firm of Asfour Guzy, and the designers, Dewey Dufresne, Wiley's dad, and Louis Mueller. The 67-seat dining room is kept simple, but simple ain't boring: Walls are painted a tranquil blue, and there are lots of blond wood trim and colorful glass lampshades.

Menu descriptions are minimal, so there's an element of surprise when dishes are served. Even the unisex bathroom has its surprises: Press gently against a seemingly black wall of wood, and a stall door suddenly swings open. Inside the stall you'll find the expected plumbing, a wall-mounted shelf and a mirror. Why a mirror? Well, there's none over the row of sinks. Instead there is is a lively underwater mosaic by Tim Snell featuring curious fish and one feisty octopus.

WD-50, 50 Clinton St. (between Rivington and Stanton streets), New York City. 212-477-2900. wd-50.com.

-The Four Seasons Restaurant: "Less is more" was the dictum of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, one of the major forces behind the International Style of architecture. In actuality, less was often less. But there were times when the potential of minimalism was gloriously realized, as in the stunning dining rooms of this landmark restaurant in Park Avenue's Seagram Building.

Mies designed the Seagram Building in collaboration with the architect Phillip Johnson, who returned the favor with The Four Seasons itself. Their teamwork gave the restaurant a dramatic sense of self simply by its grand scale. In a crowded city where square footage equals money, privilege and self-entitlement, the dining rooms display a jaw-dropping airiness so unforced, so natural that The Four Seasons has embodied the power lunch ever since the doors opened in 1959.

No need for adornment beyond, say, a stray Picasso or the four towering trees, now iconic, whose branches are changed seasonally in the Pool Room. Every element of every room was chosen to epitomize the International Style. Mies' Brno chair was adapted for the dining room. Johnson did the banquettes. Charles Eames created chairs for the private rooms. Garth and Ada Louise Huxtable came up with the service pieces. Eero Saarinen whipped up the hassocks for the lounge. The Four Seasons has drawn the world's A-listers to dine and their security guards to stand around and watch for more than 50 years.

Offering a $48 Kobe burger, of course, helps foster that exclusive feel. The menu is loaded with familiar dishes like this, smartly done. One can get down to business without being unduly distracted, say, and still leave feeling sated. If one can get over the conceit of spending about $300 for two at lunch - and this may be one of the few places on earth where it feels justifiable - The Four Seasons can be a feast for the stomach as well as the eyes.

The Four Seasons Restaurant, 99 E. 52nd St. (between Park and Lexington avenues). 212-754-9494. fourseasonsrestaurant.com.

-Gotham Bar and Grill: Chef Alfred Portale made a name for himself in the 1990s with "tall food" and its soaring, dramatic presentations. Today, the food is lower on the plate but still delicious as the chef enters his 27th year in the kitchen. As for the restaurant, well, Gotham Bar and Grill remains a must-do in Manhattan, an eatery whose menu, service, decor and vibe work together seamlessly. All these years later, my pulse still races a bit as I scurry through Greenwich Village in the gathering dusk and see a golden glow spilling out onto East 12th Street through the broad glass windows of this former antiques store.

Gotham keeps its look as fresh as the food, which has a sophisticated American accent that stresses seasonality. The restaurant's website notes there are periodic updates of the dining room, the menu covers and the killer art collection so the place "remains always vibrant and ever-current." That translates into soaring ceilings, plush upholstery, towering floral arrangements, plenty of white paint and theatrical lighting. Yet it's also a surprisingly private experience. Even with every table taken, there still seems to be a relaxed feel. Attentive staffers never seem rushed; they seem as though they have all the time to devote to you.

Gotham Bar and Grill, 12 E. 12th St. (between Fifth Avenue and University Place). 212-620-4020. gothambarandgrill.com.

-Daniel: This eponymous flagship of Daniel Boulud's worldwide restaurant empire epitomizes not only the signature perfection of the dashing chef but the grandeur of New York's finest fine dining establishments. Plate after plate, each sporting a beauty both visual and tactile, arrive at the widely spaced tables with all the flourish crack service and a hawk-eyed attention to detail can command.

The food is pure luxury along French lines. A three-hour tasting menu (six courses, $185; optional wine pairing, $105) can kick off with duck terrine with Sicilian pistachio, rose petal-poached rhubarb, black cardamom gelee and mesclun, then swing to grilled Alaskan salmon with chanterelle mushrooms, wilted spinach, green garlic and a green peppercorn sauce.

The former tea room of what was the Mayfair Hotel has good neoclassic "bones," with 18-foot coffered ceilings, elegant arches, lithe columns and, always, space-space-space. Designer Adam D. Tihany spearheaded a 2008 redesign that augments the luxe look with a largely neutral color palette, six mixed-media paintings of a Renaissance woman by Manolo Valdes of Spain, and sculptural fixtures that throw a soft, flattering light.