"If you’d like a martini shaken, not stirred—at your table, by a server in a white monogrammed jacket—check out Rampoldi, just across from Lincoln Center. Complete with a dedicated tablecloth-ironer, this Monte Carlo import has shiny banquettes, reflective surfaces, and lurid red lighting that softens the wrinkles of philharmonic attendees who’ve wandered in. Yes, Rampoldi is campy, with graffitied Mona Lisas, a $59 lobster thermidor, and a goofy photo of the chef on the flask of olive oil that comes with your free bread. But the drinks are stiff, the European food is mostly better than expected for a menu so vast, and the service—which may involve escargot tongs and tableside tartare—makes the whole experience feel like being trapped at a White Lotus property for a few thrillingly surreal hours." - Sonal Shah
