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French owners Frederick and Laurent Lesort have reshaped the exclusive uptown lounge Frederick's into a Mediterranean restaurant that artfully combines coziness and swank. The dining space is appropriately small and refined, with a forties air. Rose-colored overhead fixtures illuminate the central area in back, while beige fabric sconces throw kidney-shaped illumination onto the ceiling and walls. Warm wood accents and streetside tables give the place an indisputably European feel. Pinstripes on the French-accented staff add a slightly noir edge, which blends well with black and white prints by celebrity photographer Harry Benson. Smoothness, similarly, is the essence of chef Vincent Chirico's Mediterranean-flavored cuisine. Instead of butter for the table's bread, there's a subtle paste of eggplant, mascarpone, and olive oil. Pastas, salads, and steak frites round out a menu of elegantly done main courses: Yukon Gold potatoes, leeks, and crème fraîche are reduced to a pure white soup that's both hearty and rich; cod is braised and moist, paired with red peppers and pine nuts. And when, during dinner, French pop music spills from the speakers, Madison Avenue really starts to feel like an extension of the Right Bank. — Ethan Wolff

Potato leek soup, $10; rack of lamb, $35