Open the pod bay doors and step inside Bar Basque, the new restaurant in the Eventi hotel. It's designed by Syd Mead, the visionary designer behind such iconic sci-fi films as Blade Runner, Aliens, and Tron. (Obviously, his work owes a debt to 2001, which is what this design really evokes for us.) The "robust palette of the Basque region" inspired his color scheme here, according to the restaurant's publicist. The hallway walls allude to a computer mother board, while the glowing glass panels behind the bar in the lounge area shift through a pattern sequence evolving from branches to leafy silhouette, a nod to the small public park/courtyard below.

The dining room is small, with room for 40 guests and a view of the open kitchen. The bigger space is the mod glass-enclosed lounge which can turns into an outdoor terrace with a retractable roof. This overlooks the park, which features the largest flat screen TV in the country and stays on 24/7 with art, movies, entertainment etc.

Bar Basque's menu is by Yuhi Fujinaga, who's got a background in classical French cooking and spent time exploring the Galician and Basque regions of Spain. Options include Piquillo Peppers stuffed with creamy cod, Crispy Suckling Pig with potato and mushroom risotto and baby lettuces, and Bread & Garlic Soup with slow poached hen egg and chorizo. (See the full menu above.) The wine list emphasizes wine from Spain, and over 32 wines by the glass dispensed by the Enomatic wine system, which uses odorless and tasteless argon gas to preserve bottles of wine for up to two months after they're opened. (This enables a sommelier to open expensive, offbeat bottles of wine and sell them by the glass.)

And in addition to Chef Fujinaga's regular menu, Bar Basque is hosting visiting chefs from the Basque region every other month. Chef Daniel Garcia of Zortziko in Bilbao, Spain starts the series tonight with a prix-fixe six course menu (served with a glass of cava) for $89. This menu, available through the end of October, includes Mango Gazpacho with cigalas and poppy seeds, Foie Gras in Tempranillo gelée, and Squab Prepared Five Ways in the Style of Zortziko.

Bar Basque // 839 6th Avenue // (646) 600-7150