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As a lark, I decided to spend a recent visit to New York chowing at Jeffrey Chodorow's restaurants.

For those not immersed in the foodie biz, imagine the dining equivalent to a weekend at Disneyland: seven different settings saturated with sensory stimulation.

As counterintuitive as it may seem, I was hungry for design - plating presentation, menu, music selection, even bathrooms. Homestyle restaurants are a nice alternative to a home-cooked meal, but I wanted to see if over-the-top environs could inspire on multiple levels. After all, flavour is about so much more than food.

My logic for limiting myself to Chodorow was that no other restaurateur has come close to creating, managing and sustaining such a large portfolio of hot spots, beginning with China Grill 20 years ago.

Today, they number 25 and counting, spread out across major American cities, plus London. Chodorow's specialty is painstakingly packaging a moment: serving up food trends with a decor to match. (There have been a few lemons, including his collaboration with Rocco DiSpirito for The Restaurant reality show.)

His biggest success aside from China Grill is probably Asia de Cuba, which happened to be the first stop on my three-day movable feast. Designed by Philippe Starck in 1997, Asia de Cuba, in the Morgans Hotel, is a throwback to the South Beach boutique-hotel era. White walls, high ceilings and a communal table for 34 are punctuated by unexpected details: a French country armoire tucked in a corner, stools upholstered with Provence-meets-Brooklyn printed fabric and a giant illuminated image of a waterfall.

The menu describes the food as "Nuevo Chino Latino" and, accordingly, my tuna tartare - a three-tier tower separated by wontons - was packed with Spanish olives, coconut and almonds. I dined solo so I watched the other patrons, who dressed and behaved with attitude: popped collars and cleavage, an extra glass of "Voove." I wasn't in Miami, but I could have been.

At Wild Salmon, new this year, it's no surprise that seafood takes a starring role. In homage to the resto's namesake, a school of copper fish hang (swim?) from the ceiling. The overall ambience of the restaurant is conservative but plush - wide booths and myriad shades of mossy green fabrics. I was there on a slow day, but I expect the typical lunch crowd is a sea of suits.

The cedar-planked salmon, served with three chutneys, was among the best I've ever tasted. Wild Salmon feels right on the money and you get what you pay for: conscientious cuisine that is presented in a sophisticated way and conducive to expense accounts.

I stopped into China Grill for a cocktail only. What was once an It spot name-dropped by young, overpaid bankers has become a tourist trap. That's not necessarily a bad thing. The airy room, with its exotic red glow and dramatic overhead lanterns, makes a "big spender" impression thanks to design firm Jeffery Beers International. But the contemporary Far East concept has exploded since it opened, which means China Grill now feels like it's trailing behind rather than trailblazing. The menu no longer inspired, nor did my friend's fluorescent-blue drink. Onward ho.

A taxi ride downtown but a world away, Borough Food & Drink is an amusing exercise in high/low decor. A deli-style display fridge filled with duck eggs and herring gives way to a reading nook of mismatched furniture and a dining room of unpretentious wood tables and stocked pantry shelves. But the pseudo-authenticity, from Zeff Design, can be excused: The menu is an amalgam of Manhattan's best food purveyors under one roof, interpreted in original ways. My dinner, flatbread with smoked salmon from Russ & Daughters, was memorable. Surrounded by good energy, my friend and I ate with enthusiasm.

Ono, a Japanese restaurant located in the hip Hotel Gansevoort, specializes in robata (grilled food). Legend goes that when Chodorow told his wife about this resto concept, she exclaimed, "Oh no!" I can only imagine that she took issue with its size. Impressive details (again, care of Jeffrey Beers) get lost amid all the lacquer: etched undulating water patterns in tables, a glass-bottomed sushi bar and a sake wall.

We eat outside, surrounded by an oasis of ponds and landscaping. This was special, more so because the Gansevoort sits on what was once a giant parking lot in the Meatpacking District. The mellow midday break reinvigorated me for an afternoon on my feet. The light sushi lunch was a definite bonus, but not the highlight.

Kobe Club has become a sticking point for Chodorow because critics have declared it too gimmicky for a high-end steakhouse. No surprise that it shares the same designer as Wild Salmon, New World Design. Here, 2,000 samurai swords hang from the ceiling. There are also chain-mail napkin holders, plasma screens that project flames and a mirrored ceiling. Kobe Club would do well in Vegas and would appeal to anyone who likes dungeon decor. Still, even as a non-meat eater, I stuffed myself. Most mouthwatering: the creamy crab salad sandwiched between two crispy crab cakes. For one night, it's fun.

Last on my list was Hudson Cafeteria at the Hudson Hotel, Chodorow's other Starck space. Gothic and reminiscent of a British boarding-school dining room, the dark walls, high-back end chairs and long benches make a serious statement that isn't meant to be taken seriously. Brunch, an omelette, was the trip's only food letdown. But I know that people come here primarily for the scene (it still attracts the cool cats) so I wasn't expecting much.

It's a notion that Chodorow takes issue with. "I always think it is sort of odd that if a restaurant is cool, hip and has a good vibe, that people automatically assume it's not a good restaurant," he said on the phone from New York.

He expressed his passion and involvement in the design process, but maintained that restaurants boil down to one thing: "It's not just about the food, but it's always about the food."

I found the Chodorow restaurant experience to be conflicting - fun if you surrender to the shtick, or distracting at the expense of good food. Trends and concepts, like food, can get stale.

Still, my meals overdelivered.

People don't crave design the way they crave food. But if you're going to feast on the experiences themselves, good taste makes everything taste better.

Canadian restaurateurs

on divine dining design

Canadian restaurateurs aren't nearly half as brash as Jeffrey Chodorow (he's worth a little Googling). But they are definitely creating similar concept-driven experiences where the recipe is one part food to one part design.

In Vancouver, Emad Yacoub oversees a handful of popular dining destinations including Coast, Glowbal and Sanafir (two more are in the works). Each has a distinct aesthetic, be it loft-like, cosmopolitan or modern exotic. "Food is always secondary and this is coming from a chef," he says, referring to his early days in the kitchen. "Design is the first thing I do. I always have a vision of how I want the atmosphere to be and from there we can design the menu."

Hanif Harji owns Kultura in Toronto and helped to launch Blowfish and Colborne Lane. He continues to work with local design firm Commute Home, even contributing to hand-drawn sketches. Early next year, he will open a guaranteed hot spot called Nyood. "I think people are going to demand that we challenge their sensibilities in style - the type of food we present, the way that we present it and the environment that we present it in," says Harji, who has partnered with food biz bigwig Terry Tsianos.

Chef Roger Mooking has a challenge ahead: The kitchen will be fully integrated into the dining room and there will be no walk-in freezer, underscoring a focus on freshness. Subtle design elements and mixed materials are essential ingredients for Harji, whose past restos have been splashier. This time, however, he's adamant that there will be no aesthetic expiration date.

Amy Verner