With a combined resume that drops some of the city's favorite restaurants (Tizi Melloul, MK North and Eli's the Place for Steak, to name a few) chefs Michael Tsonton and Victor Newgren opened Lake Point Tower's Copperblue with plenty of kitchen know-how.

The two four-star foodies combine their exotic-dish expertise in a menu that takes cues from Southern France, Northern Italy and Spain (the shorthand for this kind of fare: French Mediterranean.) For fledgling gourmands, the menu at Copperblue may contain some unfamiliar items, so feel free to question your imminently food-savvy server. Or order up a glass of wine and relax: You're in well-trained oven mitts.

Select a "first" from a deliciously-varied list of delectables; selections ($8-$14) include braised veal and mostarda di cremona ravioli with grilled veal kidney and pancetta cream. "Seconds," featuring meat from organic farms, include lobster poached in rue-scented buerre monte, grilled bone-in monkfish with baby clams and salt-cured caper butter, and a cast-iron roasted filet mignon with braised beef cheek ($21-$34). Desserts like chilled chocolate-spice soup and Venetian pistachio creme brulee provide an equally exotic finish.

Centerstage Reviewer: Jennifer Berg