Gilt Complex
Your New Gold Coast Playground

As much as we like Cyber Monday, sometimes hitting the bricks is the only way to really get the most out of holiday shopping.

Just like sometimes sipping champagne, slurping oysters and feasting on steaks is really the only way to get the most out of post-holiday shopping.

So welcome to the Elysian hotel, your glittering new Gold Coast mecca, accepting reservations for dining/drinking/lounging now.

Its cobblestone courtyard beckons you into what looks like grand museum hall—as curated by Coco Chanel. A pendant chandelier shimmers overhead and two towering sculptural faces greet you as if to say, "Economic calamity? Never happened. Now move to the third floor for party time."

There, you'll find Balsan, which looks like a black-and-white postcard from 1930s Paris, with enough marble tables to pave Rush Street. Recharge your batteries with something from the well-stocked raw bar, or a wood-fired pizza and meat-and-cheese plate. When you want to charge someone else's batteries, you'll head in the opposite direction to Ria, where shaved foie gras, Scottish Langoustines and a Peking duck built for two await.

Afterward, there's Bernard's, a plush lounge one floor below. But be warned: the combination of suede-lined walls, velvety couches and very dry martinis can make you sleepy after a hard day on the town.

Good thing this place has a hotel attached.