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Initially, the difference between the old, familiar Aquavit and the new, hyperstylized, postmillennial version is a little jarring. The entrance to the restaurant’s new quarters resembles a bleakly modernist public square on the outskirts of, say, Göteborg, replete with scraggly trees and rows of abandoned marble benches. Inside, the bar has been greatly expanded into a long lounge area, where you can twirl about in high-backed Jacobsen “egg” chairs. The restaurant’s homemade aquavits used to be stored behind the bar; now they’re displayed along the wall, like pieces of art, in luminous square tankards. The dining room is small, even claustrophobic, by the standards of the grandiose old space, but the café, once part of the bar, now has a room of its own, appointed with simple butcher-block tables, pendulous sixties-era chandeliers, and orange cone chairs of the type you might see in the executive lounge of an excessively posh Scandinavian airline. Once you’ve adjusted to this new aesthetic, however, the food at Aquavit continues to be excellent; in fact, it’s arguably better than before. Marcus Samuelsson and his former executive chef, Nils Norén, made a few subtle changes to the main dining-room menu. The real innovations at the redesigned Aquavit, however, are in the new café. Samuelsson has stocked the menu with traditional Swedish favorites like beef Rydberg (diced sirloin with sweet onions and raw egg), excellent bites of herring flavored with vodka or curry and apples, and an eccentric, salty-sweet mound of egg salad and anchovies called “Gentleman’s Delight.” And there are the aquavits, of course. The oddest of the new flavors is something called roasted-pumpkin-and-espresso. If you miss the old restaurant, drink a glass, or three, and your fond memories will be obliterated forever. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld

Five course lunch, $58, $50 (vegetarian); three course lunch, $39; three course pre-theater dinner, Mon.—Sat., 5:30 p.m.—6:15 p.m., $55; three course dinner, $84

Chef's Tasting Menu
Daily, 5:30 p.m.—10 p.m., seven courses, $115, $90 (vegetarian)

Smörgåsbord Brunch
Sun., noon—2:30 p.m., $48

Mini lobster roll, salmon in brioche crust, apple sorbet

Related Stories

Best of New York Awards

• Best Brunch—Smorgasbord! (2007)

Featured In

• African Thanksgiving by Marcus Samuelsson (11/12/07)
• Places to Eat Popcorn (9/24/07)
• Adam Platt's Picks for the Best Cheap Expensive Food in Town (7/30/07)
• 101 Best New York Restaurants for 2006 (1/9/06)

Recipes at Aquavit

• Gravlax With Mustard Sauce (2003)
• Ice Queen (2002)
• Glögg (2001)