Hot Spot: Adour, New York

In his latest venture, the Michelin-starred celebrity chef Alain Ducasse decants his elitist impulses into a more accessible wine-focused eatery in the historic St. Regis Hotel.

Ambience Reflecting the restaurant's winecentric orientation, the open-plan interior is dominated by shades of burgundy, rendered in lush velvets and accented with burled mahogany and a custom Barovier chandelier.

Cuisine Ducasse deliberately eschews his reputation for haughty haute cuisine, investing instead in a farm-fresh, updated French menu that allows the ingredients to speak for themselves.

Best plates The "multicolor vegetable composition," slow-cooked winter root vegetables, is your best bet for an opener, encompassing Ducasse's best intentions for Adour; each vegetable is a re-education for the palate. Among entrees, the glazed Berkshire pork tournedos win best in show: tender pieces of loin accompanied by a bit of braised pork belly and fresh boudin noir, drizzled in hearty pork jus.

Wine list The wine cellar encompasses more than 1,800 vintages, including extravagant magnums of grand crus (the most significant is no steal at $11,400). Meanwhile, the by-the-glass menu has some of the best bargains in New York, including a 2006 L'Appel des Sereines Syrah for $15.

© 2008