A few of my favorite things:

Friday night we dined at the Lever House restaurant. Designed in 2003 by Marc Newson and situated in the beautifully restored International Style skyscraper of the same name, it lived up to and exceeded all expectations for both atmosphere and gastronomic interest. We skipped over standard autumn menu favorites like rack of lamb in favor of grilled skate and venison loin - both of which were exquisite. Highest recommendations if you're looking for something special, and arriving early helps ensure a choice booth with a commanding view of the interior. Damien Hirst's towering anatomical bronze Virgin Mother in the courtyard is worth the trip in itself.

The other foodie/design highlight of this past weekend was literally stumbling across Xing. Designed by Dillier+Scofidio protoges Lewis.Tsurumaki.Lewis, the Hell's Kitchen restaurant does contemporary asian cuisine at its very finest. The black truffle and galangal encrusted black cod and perfectly done sea scallops with XO fried rice and spicy avocado puree were heavan, and I will never do creme brulee without ginger now.