Some dishes are lost in translation

Tag: Chicken Bouillon Cube Fifth Floor is one of the highest-profile restaurants in the city.Four-star cuisine by George Morrone put it on the map, along with aclever name that proclaimed its hard-to-find location on the fifthfloor of the Palomar Hotel. After Morrone moved on, the restaurantcontinued to garner favorable publicity because of the Frenchtwists from another high-profile chef, Laurent Gras, followed bythe fresh American approach of Melissa Perello. However, these changes muddled the restaurant's focus. The KimptonGroup is attempting to regain the edge by reinventing therestaurant. The interior has been dramatically remodeled, and the menu has beencompletely changed under chef Laurent Manrique, who, ironically,took over Aqua after Morrone (and then Michael Mina) gave itfour-star status. Gone is the distinctive zebra-striped carpeting, heavy drapes andFrette linen. A dark wood floor replaces the carpet, linens havebeen banished in favor of dark wood tables softened with beigestriped runners, and the windows have been opened to reveal anatrium. There's also the scent of a British men's club from the brownleather banquettes and beige barrel-shaped chairs that replaced theupholstered seats. With the expansive glassed-in wine rack alongone wall, the interior looks sleeker, but it has lost some of itsintimacy. The stylish chairs are so deep that by the end of themeal your back is likely to be aching. The opening menu page gives an explanation: "Like a culinaryambassador, Fifth Floor brings together and showcases theremarkable similarities between the Bay Area and chef LaurentManrique's native Gascony in Southwest France." The chef was in the dining room on two of my visits, but he alsooversees the kitchens at Aqua and the more casual Cafe de laPresse, so he's turned over day-to-day cooking duties to JennieLorenzo, who was the opening executive sous chef at Ame. The a la carte menu features 10 appetizers and the same number ofmain courses. There's a six-course chef's tasting menu for $95,distinctive because each course is matched with two wines or otherbeverages for $85. I first ate Manrique's food when he was the chef at Campton Placenearly 10 years ago, and I still fondly remember his Gascon poachedchicken. He's reinterpreted that and other regional dishes at FifthFloor, giving them a nouvelle turn. The attempt is laudable, but I don't feel a soulful connectionbetween the man and the food. After the first visit, I probablywouldn't have returned if I weren't reviewing the place. Thecombinations seemed to be trying too hard to be different at theexpense of the diner's satisfaction.