Early evening at Five Eleven, with its azure concrete floor and shining glass tile bar, is a bit like relaxing in rather than beside a very chic swimming pool. On a recent night, adjacent tables were stocked with flat-billed hats, toddlers picking at fancy pizza and older patrons discussed the fine line between appetizers and small plates — all of us likely wishing we were as flatteringly lit as the bottles behind the bar. 

By 6 p.m., there were only three orders of the special appetizer left: roasted beef marrow bones served with micro greens and black tobiko caviar ($16). And with good reason. Halves of the split bone, like a pair of dug-out canoes, are filled with melting marrow salted only by the briny caviar. Coax a mouthful out of its hollow with a spoon and onto your char-striped bread, and the roasted marrow's deep meat flavor emerges. Suddenly the theory about early humans surviving off scavenged marrow sounds like the kind of Paleo diet you can get behind (assuming the availability of bruschetta). 

Low down on the regular menu, the duck confit mac and cheese ($19) speaks to the sometimes conflicting urges toward comfort and swank. The sauce, an already luxurious melding of mozzarella and parmesan, is further enriched with duck fat, cream, herbs and truffles, as well as buried shreds of duck. The whole thing is crowned with a crisp sprinkling of fried shallots and duck skin cracklings. It is rich enough that you may have to share — if not out of generosity, then self preservation.