Mark Allen came to town six years ago as the Ritz-Carlton Dining Room's youngest chef ever (the real Ritz, I mean – the one that just reopened, thank goodness) and the first American to have the job at that. Guided in Phoenix by Alessandro Stratta, a pioneer of New American cuisine who worked with several French greats, Allen then opened his own restaurant in the Napa Valley before coming to the Ritz. Hiring Allen seemed to be the Ritz's attempt to revitalize a menu and a room that never really accommodated innovation or exoticism. At the battleship Ritz, Allen did a nice job of balancing the classics with a few mild modernizations.