A polished sheen eminates from all corners of this compartmentalized restaurant and lounge.

Executive chef Kris Morningstar has worked for Patina and the now-defunct Meson G; between the ground-level Blue Velvet and the rooftop herb garden is The Flat, a residential building looking much more hip than during its days as a Holiday Inn. Notable elements of the hip design include a view of the pool and the city beyond, a sunken communal table in one of the two lounges, use of renewable materials, and a large pansexual bathroom. Tender pork comes two ways on a bed of udon noodles, slow-poached Scottish salmon with soft scrambled eggs and tomato confit, and filet mignon with balsamic beet puree and oxtail and beet hash. Though the menu is inherently intriguing, it's also so intricate that we feared each entree could be overwhelmed by the trail of purees and foams winding beneath it. We sometimes worry too much. It's all plated beautifully, and the tastes cohere. A crazed Dennis Hopper was nowhere to be found, though one member of the crowd, a postmodern postcard for what Downtown is now hyped to resemble, had nailed the Nelly Furtado look.
—Lonny Pugh