RESTAURANTS • Fine Dining Report

Our fine dining correspondent Lee Pitofsky dines at Per Se as often as most civilians order delivery. Here, now, his latest New York City report for FOUND:

DIAL IT TO 11: Less than two weeks in, Clemente Bar (Nomad) is already one of the hottest tickets in town. Located upstairs from Eleven Madison Park from which it spawned, the place is stunning, with wall-length murals, polished wood, and swanky banquets. Start with the Clemente Martini (Altamura vodka, Malfy gin, green curry, saffron) and pair it with the Agedashi Dogg, a vegan hot dog with fried tofu and black truffle on a toasted potato roll, with a perfect accompaniment of thrice fried potatoes. The Negroni Colada (Plantation Cut & Dry coconut rum, bitter bianco, blanc vermouth, pineapple) is the clarified cocktail perfected. Finish with the Koji Cafe (Havana Club Aged rum, raspberry eau de vie, coffee, koji cream), inspired by a hypothetical hybrid of an affogato espresso martini, Irish coffee, and a carajillo. Reserve (walk-ins welcome).

GESTATION PERIOD: It’s nearly been a year since my last visit to Atomix (Nomad, above), for no other reason beyond the excessive planning required to land one of the toughest reservations in the country. The current menu, recently updated for autumn, is one of my favorites to date. One of the first bites signals the type of night ahead: A delicate tartlet is topped with filefish and veal tartare, golden kaluga caviar, and filefish liver mousse. Later, tempura fried Japanese whiting fish, in the lightest of batters, is served with a cured egg yolk sauce, fermented plum, and Japanese eggplant. There can be a feeling of redundancy in A5 Miyazaki Wagyu sets at fine dining restaurants, but the Japanese Wagyu at Atomix is anything but, sliced in strips, served with egg yolk jidan, cranberry beans, and a mushroom rice, finished with a familiar and craveable garlic sauce. Reserve.

MANY HAPPY RETURNS: October was a month of milestone dinners, with visit number 30 at both Gabriel Kreuther (Midtown) and The Modern (Midtown), and my 60th dinner at Per Se (Upper West Side). The chef’s menu at Gabriel Kreuther checked every box, with caviar, Hokkaido Uni, wagyu, and a honeynut squash ravioli celebrating the start of fall. The Modern continues to be as good as ever under chef Thomas Allan, with seamless menu progression and thoughtful, ingredient driven cuisine. (A standout: Icelandic cod under a bed of smoked potato agnolotti with a scallion-potato sabayon and shaved white truffles.) Per Se remains the epitome of New York City fine dining, forever consistent in the impeccable delivery of a restaurant experience at the highest level. The legendary Oysters and Pearls will always be a dish worth a visit alone — I can vouch that, after 60 times, it never gets old. –Lee Pitofsky