Michael Jordan's The Steak House N.Y.C.

Perched on Grand Central Terminal's north and west balconies, the 220-seat David Rockwell-designed restaurant Michael Jordan's The Steak House N.Y.C. is a commanding escape from the human throng below. Expansive and atmospheric under the terminal's celestial ceiling, the restaurant naturally draws tourists and the curious, but that does not distract the many business loyalists who convene here for lunch, cocktails and dinner in their finest custom suits.

There's a private boardroom behind the bar, a wine salon with a 16-seat table, perfect for mixers and networking events, the private Michael Jordan room, and a 100-seat backcourt section. The restaurant is entered via its spacious bar area, which provides prime real estate for drinks and viewing the historic architecture around you. There are few places in New York more suited to enjoying a perfectly mixed martini than this bar.

Boasting top credentials including the Strip House restaurant and seafood shrine Le Bernadin, chef Michael Vignola stays steakhouse-true, with ocean-fresh oysters and a fine arugula salad among the warm-ups. Perfectly charred, marbled and juicy, the bone-in ribeye headlines a well-rounded entrée menu that includes wild striped bass, veal chops and lobster; truffled creamed spinach is a standout side. Apple pie and chocolate cake are able desserts, if you still have room, with Busnel Calvados among the after-dinner libations. Cabernets, Merlots, Burgundies and Pinot Noirs from Northern and Central California dominate a fairly priced global wine roster that also features fine players from Western Europe, South America, Australia and New Zealand.

While priced in line with the Gotham steakhouse establishment overall (for example, the porterhouse for two runs $88, compared to $85 at Peter Luger), the service at Michael Jordan's The Steak House N.Y.C. is distinctly refreshing. Sure, almost any Gotham steak experience worth its salt comes with a bit of huff, but unlike, say, the more blithe Luger's, The Glazier Group-owned MJ's, with its welcoming, wine-savvy general manager Eddie Santos keeping the front of the house breezy and engaging, manages to keep some soul in the steak.

Michael Jordan's The Steak House N.Y.C., 23 Vanderbilt Ave., New York, N.Y.; tel. 212-655-2300; www.michaeljordansnyc.com.