Chef Daniel Boulud’s midtown canteen is fashioned by Jeffrey Beers and dons a contemporary demeanor. The front lounge is abuzz with post-work and pre-theater gaggles, while well-behaved crowds in the back are seated in a walnut-paneled space dressed with mirrors and black-and-white photography.

Like its setting, the menu is inventive and unites classic bistro cooking with market-inspired creations. That lush pâté en croûte is a buttery pastry encasing layers of creamy country pâté, guinea hen and foie gras, dressed with huckleberry compote, toasted pine nuts and pickled enoki mushrooms. Wild rice-crusted fluke presented with Hawaiian blue prawn and sauce Américaine further demonstrates the kitchen’s contemporary leanings.