In some ways, the restaurant feels like a listing ship, weighted toward the front. The dining room can be full on weekends, but the bar is busy much of the time. Uni, the attached sashimi bar, is too. When it serves late-night ramen, Thursdays through Saturdays starting at 11 p.m., there can be a wait. The people who show up for cocktails and $10 bowls of noodles (so very fine, particularly the “umami ramen,’’ which has the richness of butter and the deep flavor of barbecued eel) are younger and perhaps less-affluent than the usual Clio crowd. Capture their hearts with fun and a lower price point, and they will think of Clio for their special occasions.

Because Clio remains a treat. Main courses are in the $30-$40 range, at a time when the bulk of restaurants aim for $20. That might get you an appetizer here, unless you want the $30 Soupe aux Truffes a la Paul Bocuse, an adaptation of the French chef’s classic. A chestnut-brown broth made with pig-foot stock is infused with black truffles and enriched with goat-milk butter, the flavor of which is largely lost in the soup. But on top is a lid of the flakiest, butteriest, most golden puff pastry — the best deconstructed croissant you’ve ever had. Poke a hole through it and coax in the slow-cooked egg served in a cup on the side.

Price is not the point here, of course. An impressive wine list offers some reasonable gems and a few offbeat bottles, along with a fine collection of sake. But many of the bottles are big-name, serious selections, from every region of France and beyond (a glass of Chablis is poured a touch too warm). Atop the a la carte menu is a note that seven-, 10-, and 14-course chef’s tasting menus are available, no cost printed. If you need to ask…