Le Cirque, New York

From tightrope walkers to acrobats on the flying trapeze, the circus is all about precision. Midtown’s famed Le Cirque is no different in regard to exactitude, although its impressive headliners emerge from a tightly run kitchen instead of being shot from a cannon. Behind the scenes, the chefs bring together seasonal ingredients to shape specialties such as lamb chops with vegetable fricassee and Scottish salmon with squash and ratatouille crustacean sauce.