fi nalist upscale restaurant 53 New York Nestled underneath the Museum of Modern Art's David Geff en Wing, 53 is laid out like a sequence of galleries. Green marble fl ooring in the cellar evokes a landscape painting; chiseled slate walls in the private dining area are reminiscent of a Chinese inkstone. At street level, the bistro woos potential diners with a theatrical installation of more than 40 curving blades that alternate between matt e and glossy surfaces and neutral and vividly hued edges. These fi ns, which represent fl owing chi, also meander down to the dining room, hugging the ceiling to forge sculptural continuity. Architecture Firm Anthony Mrkic Architect, New York Interior Design Firm ICRAVE, New York Owner Altamarea Group hospitalitydesign.com May/June 2023 137 Photos by NIKOLAS KOENIGhttp://www.hospitalitydesign.com