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The circular, glassedin entry to New York restaurant Brasserie 8 1/2 performs a pretty tough trick: Despite a subterranean location in the bowels of an uncompromising office tower at 9 West 57th Street, its airy cylindrical entry manages to beckon diners-pedestrians who might never guess the skyscraper also houses a stylishly warm lounge and sleekly modern brasserie with haute cuisine.
It's a solution from New York-based firm Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates in response to the owner's request for an entry respectful of the original building's facade, but capable of channeling the restaurant's chic sophistication upward and out toward the street, according to Pam Loeffelman, AIA, a principal in HHPA.
Sheldon Solow, owner...