The Scandinavian cuisine at Marcus Samuelsson’s Midtown eatery is a far cry from the café at IKEA. The super-modern dining room is bright and minimal with angular booths, and the bar has stylish egg-shaped chairs reflecting a sharp Scandinavian aesthetic. The menu emphasizes traditional seafood and game, but with a sophisticated twist (seared octopus with smoked avocado, rare tuna and scallop with fresh pea brűlée). The onsite Aquavit Café features a more casual menu of Scandinavian staples including six different kinds of herring, beef Rydberg and, yes, Swedish meatballs. Whatever you do, don’t leave without trying at least one of the exceptional dozen-plus housemade aquavits; we recommend both the horseradish and the mango, lime and chili pepper-combo flavors.

Aquavit Information:

• Scandinavian menu. Lunch (Monday-Friday), dinner, Sunday brunch.