When Guastavino’s opened back in February of 2000 it got a good deal of publicity for two reasons. The first was the owner, British design guru Sir Terence Conran. The second was the venue itself, a restored vaulted Catalan arcade built 97 years ago by Rafael Guastavino y Esposito, the son of Rafael Guastavino y Moreno, the internationally acclaimed designer and builder of fireproof structural vaults and domes. Rafael worked for his father until 1908 and then assumed control of the Guastavino firm, completing some of the firm’s most daring and beautiful projects, including the crossing of St. John the Divine, the Registry Room at Ellis Island, and this stunning, soaring colonnade under the Queensboro Bridge.

Unlike the squat ceiling he later installed in the Oyster Bar at Grand Central (and the famed “whispering corner” just outside of it), Guastavino y Esposito’s space in the restaurant bearing his name is massive. So big, in fact, that the room is cacophonous, with the din of diners pingponging all over the place. A mezzanine meant to take advantage of the space’s height certainly helps in the soundproofing department, but for diners seated under it, the effect of the room’s grandeur is completely lost. When I was seated along the central banquette recently with my chair facing the kitchen, I felt almost claustrophobic.

Design problems, along with mediocre food, questionable service, and the out-of-the-way location, have all conspired to keep Guastavino’s from making headlines for five very long years. Which is why Mr. Conran recently appointed Michael Lomonaco as chef/director of Guastavino’s and retained David Emil’s Nightsky Restaurants as the management company overseeing the restaurant’s operations. Messrs. Emil and Lomonaco previously collaborated at the highly successful Windows on the World and Wild Blue restaurants at the World Trade Center.

While a much-needed major facelift won’t be unveiled until late summer, Mr. Lomonaco has already begun rebuilding the menu with his signature bold flavors and seasonally fresh ingredients. I’d like to say the staff has already been upgraded, but I can’t – or at least I didn’t notice if it had been. From the waiter we had to chase down several times, to the floor captain who smiled and nodded cluelessly at us while empty plates sat waiting for removal, the dining room still feels like it’s on auto pilot locked in hover mode. When I told my waiter that the bottle of red wine he’d just uncorked was alarmingly warm, he smiled like a Stepford Wife and said, “Yes.”

But the food has improved enough to make Guastavino’s worth a visit – or return visit as the case may be. In the back of the restaurant sits an impressive raw bar stacked tightly with glistening crustaceans. East Coast oysters (Blue Point, Malpeque) are $2 each, while West Coast offerings (Chef’s Creek, Kumamoto, Hood Canal) garner 50 cents apiece more. Both are served with a delicious fiery mignonette spiked with horseradish and chili peppers. A “Grand Shellfish Plateau,” featuring an abundance of oysters, clams, mussels, poached shrimp, and chilled lobster, is a veritable bargain at $34 (for two), when compared with similar concoctions at most steakhouses around town.

Naturally, there are ceviche and crudo selections, too. Two that stood out were the white gulf shrimp ceviche dressed in a vibrant coconut-chili emulsion ($14) and the yellowfin tuna crudo bathed in extra virgin olive oil, Gaeta olives, basil, and pepperoncini ($14).

Appetizers – 12 in all, plus specials – are priced between $9 and $19. Juicy mussels and clams steamed in Albarino wine from Spain ($14) were smartly complemented by crimson chorizo sausage coins wafting paprika. A meaty Baltimore crab cake ($16) sporting a chipotle-chile cream cap was exemplary, if pricey. Hudson Valley foie gras ($19) with spiced-apple chutney and a balsamic glaze was no bargain either, but tender, rich, and worth the price.

I wasn’t convinced that two pasta dishes worked; though their components were delicious on their own, they seemed clumsily layered. For example, fork-tender beef short ribs were perched atop homemade pappardelle tossed with silky porcini mushrooms ($14) in a small, deep pasta bowl, leaving no room to cut the meat without cutting the perfect ribbons, too. The same problem applied to the gorgeous pan-roasted shrimp heaped atop a tightly packed mound of homemade fettucine tossed with roasted tomatoes and basil ($12).

Several of the menu’s main courses display Mr. Lomonaco’s talent for imparting bold flavor to even the most delicate dishes without overpowering them. Case in point: Roasted wild striped bass ($27) drizzled with a pinot noir reduction alongside a savory mushroom hash; it was perfect, and should reinforce the notion of red wine with fish for all doubters (if only the reds here were properly stored). Sweet roasted branzino (Mediterranean bass) was juxtaposed with wonderfully bitter swiss chard sauteed with pancetta and garlic ($26).

Hefty double-cut lamb chops were roasted perfectly ruby inside, and complimented by a salad of eggplant, feta cheese, roasted tomatoes, and Bermuda onions ($33). I wasn’t thrilled with the overcooked roast Peking duck ($26), served presliced, though its accompanying Bourbon-spiked sweet potato mash was wonderful. I had no complaints, however, with the 12-ounce dry-aged Black Angus N.Y. strip steak ($32) with roasted shallots and garlicky potatoes gratin.

Side dishes (all $6) included excellent macaroni and cheese, earthy roasted beets dressed with dill and mustard, and delicious broccoli rabe with toasted garlic.

Desserts (all $8) were very good across the board. Warm pumpkin cake sat in a brilliant pool of sour-cherry compote and was paired with palate-cleansing ginger ice cream. The “warm NY State apple tart” was tasty, too, served with a caramel-infused ice cream and a spicy walnut syrup. A ricotta cheesecake made with barley was heftier than normal, but no less delicious, and served with a citrus sorbet. While I was tasting these I saw an “espresso martini” go by, made by layering the coffee with Stoli Vanilla, Kahlua, and Bailey’s Irish Cream ($12), and almost ordered it. But the waiter took so long to return to our table that I lost interest and begged for the check.

Guastavino’s, 409 E. 59th St. (near First Ave.), 212-980-2455.