VIBE

When flamboyantly avant-garde chef Pierre Gagnaire turned his hand to reinventing this humdrum neighborhood fish restaurant in 2005, it blossomed into a dazzlingly modern culinary poem dedicated to fruits de mer that now draws the savviest (and sexiest) of the Parisian style set. The downstairs minimalist-yet-elegant ocean-themed dining room (think a pearly color scheme and fish scales on the walls) is the place to see and be seen, though it can be hard to scope the competition once the inventively presented seafood creations arrive.

CROWD

It’s an eclectic, buzzing mix of media and design types, graying foodies, starry-eyed couples, and waif-thin models pouting for their well-coiffed beaus.

WHAT WE WOULD WEAR

The dress code is smart casual; we’d wear a cute outfit from our favorite trendy young designer.

GO HERE WITH

A date; friends; family; clients or colleagues

WHY WE LIKE IT

The food is marvelous (don’t miss the desserts!) and the scene has a more fun, fashionable vibe than other, more staid, haute cuisine joints around town. We also like how it’s more relaxed and substantially lighter on the wallet than Gagnaire’s other Parisian venture.

WHAT WE WOULD CHANGE

Unless you’re famous, the service can be stiff.

GOOD TO KNOW

Gaya has no other locations, but Gagnaire’s eponymous triple Michelin-starred restaurant on Rue Balzac is also worth checking out. (He’s also the mastermind behind the menus at Sketch in London and the restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong.) Lunch is not served during the month of August.

CLOSEST COMPS

Providence (Los Angeles)

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