Leona's (CLOSED)

The welcoming name of this American restaurant in the Helmsley Hotel can almost make you forget the infamous Leona's searing epithet, "the Queen of Mean." We'll wager staff won't take many cues from her behavioral legacy when they serve plates of chef Brian Wieler's (Layla, Gotham Bar & Grill) seasonal American cooking in the modern, 140-seat dining room. And we expect you to be just as polite while dining on dishes like seared diver scallops with sweet potato and white-chocolate sauce, and veal-tenderloin napoleon with wild mushrooms.