Subtle clues in the neutral dining-room design at New York City's Per Se, from the white-on-white houndstooth trim on the tablecloths to the rectangular stainless-steel light fixture suspended from the ceiling, indicate that the action takes place in the adjacent kitchen. No music plays in the dining room, and because no doors separate dining room and kitchen, muted sounds of cooking and expediting add to the ambience.

“Constantly, literally and metaphorically, the kitchen is there,” says Raj Dagstani, director of operations for Per Se and Bouchon Bakery, both in the Time Warner Center and both owned by Thomas Keller. “We’re drawing the kitchen into the dining room.”

Design elements also tie Per Se to Keller’s The French Laundry (a 1996 Ivy winner) in Yountville, Calif.: the clothespin emblem on lamp shades; the signature blue door at the entrance, and the garden that separates the restaurant from its urban setting on the Time Warner Center’s fourth floor. Although there are differences between the properties—the pace of service is quicker at Per Se and the restaurant handles more private events—such a nod to the restaurant’s California sibling is entirely appropriate.

“The goal was to have the two restaurants connected, but it would be an evolution in process,” says Keller, whose drive for excellence has earned him six Michelin stars—three each for The French Laundry and Per Se. “Each of the chef de cuisines would embark on his own path,” he adds. “Each point of view is slightly different, but not drastically different.”

Per Se’s dining room is on the fourth floor of the Time Warner Center overlooking Central Park.

Jonathan Benno, Per Se’s chef de cuisine, worked at The French Laundry the first year it was open. His long professional relationship with Keller—more than 15 years—is another reason synergy exists between the properties, ensuring that kitchen traditions started at The French Laundry continue at Per Se.

“One thing that has always struck me as amazing about Chef Keller is, even when I worked with him 15 years ago, how much freedom he gives the cooks to create,” Benno says. “Years ago, we would be sitting around that table. I would see something in a magazine, and he would shape that dish and make it worthy of The French Laundry.”

The daily ritual of writing the menu also occurs at Per Se, though now it is Benno’s responsibility to guide younger cooks. Once the kitchen is cleaned after dinner service, the six chefs de partie gather with the sous-chef and Benno to discuss the menu for the following day.

“Guests will come up to the kitchen or write a letter and thank me for the experience that they had, but it’s really a sum total of our efforts,” Benno explains.

Keller believes that including the kitchen staff in the decision-making process creates a sense of ownership that results in better performance. “Ultimately the chef has the final say, but the point is, if our chefs de partie have input on courses, the dish is really theirs,” he says. “And once they embrace it as their own, the level of execution is always going to be slightly higher.”

Per Se shares its classic dish Oysters and Pearls with sibling restaurant The French Laundry.

Ideas that influence Per Se’s menu also come from Keller’s other establishments in Yountville, Las Vegas, and New York City. When Mark Hopper, chef de cuisine at Bouchon in Las Vegas, found that vacuum-sealing apricots in plastic bags condensed their texture and concentrated their flavor, Per Se and The French Laundry experimented with vacuum-packed fruit, sharing ideas through live, two-way video.

The connection between the coasts extends to the dining room. “We communicate often and candidly with one another,” Dagstani says. “We’ve sent sommeliers to work [at The French Laundry]; they’ve sent captains to work here. That’s an amazing thing to do: Take a sommelier in a four-star restaurant in New York City and put him on the floor of another four-star restaurant in Napa.”

In the front of the house, the staff works closely as a team, tailoring the pace and the menu to each table to ensure a seamless experience. For employees, the appreciation of quality and attention to detail can have a lasting impact.

“I learned that life is made up of crucial details,” reflects author Phoebe Damrosch, who recounted her experiences as a back waiter and captain at Per Se in her book “Service Included: Four-Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter” (William Morrow, 2007). “As much as I want to pretend that the mealy tomato that I just bought is good enough—or that the awkward sentence I just wrote is fine—I know the difference.”

Both the front and the back of the house come together over staff meals, which have included standouts such as head baker Peter Endriss’ pizza and Pastry Chef Richard Capizzi’s staff birthday cakes. Acknowledging that cooks often are too busy before service to serve themselves a meal, Benno encourages the buddy system: Front-of-the-house employees prepare a plate of food for the kitchen staff in addition to serving themselves. The system, Benno says, has helped reduce the traditional social divide between the service and kitchen teams.

Respect between staff members, coupled with a shared dedication to excellence, continues to motivate management staff.

“The inspiration for me starts with Chef Keller, but day to day it’s the staff at the restaurant that really keeps me challenged and inspired; sometimes happy, sometimes frustrated, but always challenged,” Benno explains. “Satisfying doesn’t express it enough. I have the best job in the world.”