"Le Maison Height: 10 inches. Price: $135, which includes 12 oysters, 4 shrimp, 3 littleneck clams, 3 topneck clams, half Jonah crab, half Dungeness crab, half lobster. Against the slightly clandestine appeal of Maison Premiere—the discreet entrance, the well-spaced tables, the hidden, lush courtyard with its own bar out back—the two-tier no-frills seafood tower might look almost disappointingly straightforward. There are no surprises here. But dip that pre-cracked Dungeness crab (the Jonah crab is a distant second) in the garlicky butter sauce, bite into the meaty oysters and mixed clams, and add a few sips of any of the excellent cocktails, and $135 starts feeling like a justifiable indulgence. (The smaller La Petite Maison is $90.) Pair with an impeccably blended Jungle Bird cocktail, with two potent Caribbean black rums, or a tropical Margarita de Jamaica for an elegant night out." - molly fitzpatrick, willa moore, neha talreja, will hartman, kym backer, sonal shah
