Wall Street. It would not be a far stretch to say that this street name carries with it the heaviest load of any civic moniker in history. This financial thoroughfare is the home of ulcers, pure elation, of indignance, degradation, of thrilling success and of absolute demise. But, though the Wall Street district might not be currently in anyone's good books of late, the area (along with all of its market connotations) seems to be looking on brighter days.

Case in point: SHO Shaun Hergatt, the latest big-budget dining spot brave enough to open its doors in a neighborhood that, until recently, has experienced an overwhelming pall. Unlike the economy under Bush's reign, SHO Shaun Hergatt, with Chef Shaun Hergatt at the helm, is bound to be a tightly run ship.

Indeed, Hergatt, a formally trained French chef from Australia, plans to run a seamless, minimalist kitchen. Although SHO Shaun Hergatt's cuisine does fall under the oft ambiguous, sloppy classification, know as fusion, the menu – a balanced amalgamation of Asian and French cookery – is anything but chaotic. Each dish is composed under Hergatt's stringent policy to stick to a maximum of four ingredients, keeping flavours streamlined and pure.

The chef uses seasonal ingredients from Australia, the U.S, and Asia to compose his elegant culinary card. Among the unique items are: salt pressed Tasmanian ocean trout with nashi Pear and kalamansi dressing; Zucchini Blossoms filled with Blue Prawns, Lemongrass and Kaffir Lime Leaf Scented Sambal; Thai pepper dusted beef with glazed beef cheek and pearl onion soubise; slow poached halibut with silky celeriac, white asparagus and black truffle and Maine lobster “poêlé” with English peas, saffron and verjus emulsion

Keeping to a limited selection of ingredients during a recession is imperative; at the same time, so is offering a vast selection of wines. Sho Shaun, with its list of 550 bottles and ever-changing sommelier's list, delivers in both departments. If the large quantities of wine you drink aren't enough to give you an over-inflated ego, then dining in this New York restaurant's lush environment, accented with genuine pearl and bronze tabletops, an infinity pool fountain, and silk covered walls, certainly will.