Gotham Market restaurant - New York, USA

If The Ashland – Brooklyn’s tony new 53-story residential tower designed by FXFOWLE – has a leg up on its competitors, it’s the presence of the 16,000 sq ft Gotham Market on the ground floor.

For interiors firm Jeffrey Beers International, the goal was to create a space that feels like it’s always been there, albeit zhooshed up for the deep-pocketed Millennial crowd. This goal was accomplished by carving up the lofty 26ft high volume with handsome blackened steel bracings, polished concrete floors, exposed brick walls that alternate with white subway tiles, and screens of reclaimed timber. In the evenings, the space is particularly effective, lit by a shower of exposed filament bulbs, black steel pipe chandeliers, and customised glass globes from UrbanGlass across the road.

The food – served in individually designed open kitchens – is impressive in the sheer variety offered by the eight food operators, many of them Manhattan stalwarts opening their first Brooklyn outpost. Tasty treats include Flip Bird’s deep-fried hormone-free Amish chickens; Mason Jar’s Deep South spread of barbeque, house-smoked ribs and bourbon; Crabby Shack’s crab grilled cheese; Boqueria’s cavas and pulpo a la planchas; and Apizza Regionale’s brick-oven baked pizzas.

Walk off the calories with a post-prandial stroll through the Fort Greene neighbourhood’s BAM cultural and theatrical district.