First Bite: The Preston

The newest dining option at the nearly century-old Chase Park Plaza can be assessed from a lobby nook just outside its door. On a marble side table is a framed black-and-white photograph of Preston J. Bradshaw, the namesake architect who designed the hotel and original restaurant. To one side is a TV monitor displaying The Preston’s menus along with representative photos. You’ll see one of the prettiest mini-entrées in town (octopus and gnocchi over a swipe of sunchoke purée), the city’s best $10 soup deal (half-a-dozen quarter-size scallops in a moat of clam chowder), and an aptly named masterpiece (Melted Chocolate)—an interactive fin de repas (priced at $8 but worth $18) that’s guaranteed to elicit OMGs. Just beyond, elegant maple flooring is installed on the diagonal, leading diners to the main room, where a mix of casual grays and soft ivories complements a subtly lit open kitchen. Some guests make it only as far as the bar, derailed either by the allure of the room’s renowned Sunday brunch or by a “modern classic” cocktail such as the Goodnight Mr. Preston, the same words we muttered as we departed, just after tipping our cap to his august visage.