Maybe it’s because it’s the holiday season and everyone is putting in a bit more effort. Maybe it’s because patrons and staff were dressed up a bit more than usual. Grano, the new restaurant on State Street, looked terrific the night we visited, raising our expectations for the food and raising the bar. We were not disappointed.

Grano, in the space previously occupied by Aperitivo Bistro, is effortlessly stylish, and that night the atmosphere hummed with energy. Though the dining rooms were half full, reverberations made it feel buzzy. “I feel like I’m somewhere,” I told my friend Patrice.