The 1960s style depicted in quintessential New York City television show Mad Men is reflected in the wraparound retro murals at Morso (right), a vibrant, lively Modern Italian restaurant recently opened in the shadow of the Edward I. Koch Queensboro Bridge by chef and restaurateur Pino Luongo. A gracious presence in the dining room, the Tuscan-born chef/owner has collaborated with Executive Chef Tim Ryan to create a menu rich in Mediterranean influences, with most selections offered in two sizes—morso (small portions) and tutto (full servings). A farm-fresh poached egg, dripping in Fontina cheese sauce, is served with lamb sausage and chickpea fries. Grilled sardines with fennel and artichokes are drizzled with sun-dried tomato pesto. A roasted pork chop, plated with butternut squash gratin and apple-sage sauce, tastes just like nonna used to make.

» Morso, 420 E. 59th St., 1-212-759-2706

With a successful flagship restaurant in Seoul, Chef Jung Sik Yim recently brought his ambitious, inventive brand of haute Korean cuisine to an eponymous restaurant in TriBeCa, where he and his team dice vegetables, stir the contents of woks and knife-cut kalguksu (handmade wheat-flour noodles). Oversized plates and deep white bowls hold boldly flavored dishes, including spicy kalguksu (left), a noodle soup with whole clams, sliced garlic and a jalapeño kick. Three-course and five-course prix fixe dinner menus are the only options available in this elegant celebration spot formerly inhabited by beloved New York City restaurant Chanterelle.

» Jung Sik, 2 Harrison St., 1212-219-0900

Call it comfort food for carnivores. The classic steak frites (right) at Brasserie consists of a flavorful and juicy 12-ounce dry-aged sirloin that is branded with diamond-shaped grill marks, served with each diner’s choice of sauce (béarnaise, bordelaise, au poivre, beurre blanc) and, of course, a mound of perfectly crisp pommes frites. Like Gruyère and Emmenthal cheese-topped onion soup, this dish is a signature on Executive Chef Luc Dimnet’s menu of traditional and updated French fare at this perennially stylish 53-year-old restaurant on the ground floor of the landmark Seagram Building.

» Brasserie, 100 E. 53rd St., 1-212-751-4840

Reclaimed barn boards cover the ceiling and photographs of farmers and fishermen line the walls, but there's nothing rustic about the food served at David Burke Kitchen (left), where the namesake celebrity chef uses fresh local ingredients to prepare seasonal, modern American fare in his trademark whimsical style.

» David Burke Kitchen, The James New York, 23 Grand St., 1-212-201-9119