Saks Fifth Avenue has brought the team behind Parisian celebrity hot spot L'Avenue to open a new luxe restaurant at its 5th Avenue store in NYC. It also brought high-profile designer Philippe Starck for the decor. The French-Thai restaurant, a celebrity magnet in Paris, will open in early February on the ninth floor and will be spread across two floors that look out at St. Patrick's Cathedral and 30 Rock. The dining room is done up in beige and ivory with stained-glass windows offering glimpses into the kitchen. One floor down, a bar area is full of ski chalet-type furniture meant for people to linger and work or take meetings alongside cocktails.

L'Avenue joins an influx of retail restaurants that have opened in that last couple of years, as retailers look outside the box to attract shoppers. There's a separate entrance to the restaurant on 50th Street, though Saks hopes diners will go through the store.