Fodor's Expert Review Le Pavillon

Set in the heart of Midtown, and located on the second floor of One Vanderbilt, a glassy new 67-story skyscraper that dwarfs the nearby Chrysler Building (views of which you can appreciate from the restaurant's massive windows), Le Pavillon is named for a French restaurant in 1940s Manhattan that first defined French cuisine in the United States and is itself redefining fine dining in Midtown Manhattan. Immediately hailed a culinary oasis, world-renowned chef Daniel Boulud’s newest restaurant is also a soothing oasis, with its understated, neutral interiors, 57-foot ceilings, grand views, and lush greenery and forest-like setting complete with 20-foot-tall olive trees. The menu is prix-fixe and focuses on locally-sourced vegetables and seafood. The Oysters Vanderbilt is named for the railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who built Grand Central Terminal. À la carte menu items are available in the bar and lounge.