When The Standard opened its doors in the meatpacking district a few months ago, it gave erudite tourists no choice but to unpack their bags at the quintessentially New York-style lodgings. But bereft of a serviceable restaurant, the modish boutique hotel was one card short of a full deck. Finally, however, owner Andre Balazs and Chef Dan Silverman (most recently the Executive Chef at the Lever House on Park Avenue) have opened up The Standard Grill, the long-awaited, American style chop house, adding a little bit more function to The Standard's high-standing form.

The space itself, eclectic to say the least, is an interesting clash in sensibilities. The naturally lit, 260 seat, divided space, has a white lounge area, accented with a sleek, teak bar, contemporary bar stools and bathed in sunlight, as well as a more traditional dining room, rife with round tables, red, tufted banquette seating, and copper light fixtures. Side by side, the rooms create an atmosphere that situates this New York restaurant somewhere between a modern bistro and an old fire hall. In other words, like the menu, the space is quite classic but has notable a modern twist.

Speaking of the menu, unlike the bold, hard-hitting design of The Standard, the card has a streamlined focus, a modern interpretation of the meat market chop houses of yore. Chef Silverman features a rotating selection of fresh cuts of meat and available fish, applying contemporary flavours to classical techniques. With a focus on the purity of the ingredients, the impressive roster occasionally includes: lamb chops, duck fat smashed potatoes, Berkshire pork chops, and fois gras terrine.

The Standard Grill's M.O is to set a new, ahem, standard in the foods we think we already know - to defamiliarize the pallet and then refamiliarize it, if you will. Whether or not the Standard will achieve that goal is yet to be determined. In the mean time, the prospect of an expertly cooked filet followed by a fine set of linens ain't half bad. – E.H.