You can’t have a crush for five years—either it develops into a relationship or it ends in tears and recrimination. At first, some of us feared we were headed toward the latter scenario with celeb chef Jason Wilson’s Madison Park showpiece. Awash in extreme “creativity,” the place seemed to have the temperament of those notoriously hard-to-date artists—there’s a fine line between creative genius and delusional mania.

After Crush’s bumpy first year (or two), some of us had to take a little break. But things change, people mature, and we’re glad Wilson’s still with us. Every time we dine here, we learn something new about the use of an ingredient or a flavor combination—and a long-term relationship is all about the learning. In this case, it’s also about the following: sublime raw hamachi sprinkled with sea salt and floating in a creamy celeriac sauce; a brick of foie gras chased with sweet quince cubes and toasted cinnamon brioche slices; or bacon purée added to a mix that already includes lacquered pork belly—talk about hot bacon-on-bacon action.

Speaking of bad food-writing jokes, the interior has inspired more Jetsons references than should ever appear in print, so we won’t rag too hard on the white fiberglass chairs that clash so noticeably with an otherwise sedate dining room.