Foie gras and langoustinethe ultimate surf and turf? It is when theyre plated together at Acme, a Manhattan restaurant thats being helmed by one of the leaders of the new Nordic cuisine movement. In recent years, chefs in Stockholm and Copenhagen have been melding traditional ingredients with contemporary cooking techniques to rave reviews. Bringing that food to NYC is chef Mads Refslund, of Copenhagens acclaimed Noma restaurant. And hes doing it in a rather low-key fashion. While the food is adventurous (carrots roasted in pine needles and served under a sheet of thin lardo, for example), the decor is decidedly downscale; Refslund simply took over a long-running BBQ joint and kept it looking very much the same. The crowd, though, is different, and the models and media-types certainly spiff up the place. You will, too, when you visit.

- Pauline Frommer