Two white-hot instant-classic restaurants opened in late 1999, and this is one of them (Restaurant Gary Danko is the other). For a brief moment, skeptics wondered whether locals would head downtown to the fifth floor of a hotel and pay more than $30 per entree. It's no mystery now. Executive chef George Morrone (who opened Aqua and has reigned at L.A.'s Hotel Bel-Air and San Francisco's Campton Place) created an over-the-top luxurious fine-dining destination, and when he departed in 2001 and 37-year-old executive chef Laurent Gras took over, the menu got even more exciting. (Not surprisingly; chef Gras made his way through Michelin-star restaurants in France, spent 5 years as chef de cuisine at Restaurant Alain Ducasse, and forged his own ground at the Waldorf Astoria's Peacock Alley, where he garnered rave reviews.) Like the decor -- rich colors and fabrics, red leather and velvet banquettes, Frette linens, zebra-striped carpeting, and a clublike atmosphere -- Gras's menu is luxurious. But what makes me think he's the best new thing going in San Francisco are his creativity and attention to detail. While menus all over town echo each other, here nearly everything is original and incredibly well executed. You'd be a fool to pass on the avocado dome hiding a mound of crabmeat brought to life with jalapeño and basil. "Lobster cappuccino" is a genius's combination of lobster broth emulsified with chestnuts, prawns, and sautéed lobster. Main courses, like veal tournedos caramelized with sweetbread, black pepper jus, and braised potato; or slow-baked lamb with truffle, pistachio, and olives with steamed cabbage, are also precisely prepared. Service could be a little more professional, but not so for the wine program: Fifth Floor's got one of the most prestigious and expensive lists around and a professional team to serve it.