3 courses, 3 places?

[nybecca]

I'm trying to piece together a bit of a mystery evening for a good friend's 40th birthday dinner - I'm thinking of drinks/appetizers at 1 location, main course at a second, and dessert at a third. I used to be up on these things, but since becoming a mom, I feel like I've lost my dining "touch"...

Anyway, recs are welcome - I'd love 3 places with different vibes, and while proximity would be lovely (we both live below 14th, and it would be nice to stay there), I'm willing to travel a bit between courses. $ isn't a huge factor - you're only 40 once! (and - I know the request is a bit vague - I'm mostly looking for suggestions of a trio of places that might work well together, and I don't want to place too many limits..)

[streamwise]

There's many options for this one. This would be mine:

I would start with drinks and small plates at Pegu Club...
Then I would have appetizers and entrees at Bouley....
And then I would end with the dessert tasting at WD-50.