Town - View this location on map There's nothing flashy about Town, but it has an unmistakable sense of style that starts with the dining room, one floor down from the lobby in the Chambers Hotel. David Rockwell, who designed the hotel as well as the restaurant, has brought in lightness and air by lining the room in translucent sheets of blond wood. It's a civilized, adult setting that suits Geoffrey Zakarian's elegant, clean cooking, which seems almost effortlessly assured. With no visible signs of strain, he manages to enliven his dishes with just the half twist that makes them distinctive, as in a simple roasted skate served with three sorbet-shaped quenelles: pea-peppermint, apple-miso, and eggplant with hazelnut oil and quatre-épices. The foie gras terrine is a work of art: tempting layers of solid meat suspended in mousse and topped by a thick, fearless layer of yellow fat. The execution at Town rarely falters. Slabs of spice-crusted duck, deeply flavored, need no knife, and Mr. Zakarian does wonderful things to them. He adds a hearty buckwheat pilaf and caramelized endive stuffed with thin slices of apple. The dessert list is strong, and one is a showstopper with a strong New Orleans accent. It starts with a basket of sugar-powdered beignets filled with molten chocolate. Then comes a perfect frozen dome with a matte-brown cocoa surface. It's a chilled version of cafe brulot, a flaming liqueur-laced coffee. The ingredients are solidified into a thick layer of coffee ice cream flavored with rum, orange and lemon zest, and Grand Marnier. New York Times Review 15 W. 56th St., New York, New York Restaurant

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