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The Manhattan outpost of McCormick & Schmick’s 80-plus-restaurant empire gives the odd but endearing impression of a convivial seafood restaurant being staged in one of the city’s ubiquitous dark dance spaces. Lining the space are warm wooden booths and tables, illuminated by suspended Mission-style amber and brown fixtures. Down the polished wooden staircase, the basement offers private dining in opulent booths that can be enclosed by curtains. There’s a clubby kind of bonhomie and an inventive menu of cocktails, including historic reconstructions and the restaurant's own creations. The menu combines fresh ingredients with strategic presentation. There’s a smattering of proteins and pastas, but seafood–frequently local–is the focus, and selections change twice daily. Jumbo sea scallops are huge, tender, and sweet, served in a savory lobster sauce and accompanied with a generous helping of cheese-drenched wild-mushroom risotto. A range of unsurprising but appealing desserts–a key-lime tarlet, crème brûlée–rounds out the offerings. — Jessica Branch

Jumbo sea scallops, $29.95