If Okno seemed futuristic and stylized, MOD., the newest Terry Alexander (Soul Kitchen, Tizi Melloul) project, reaches for even loftier heights of eccentricity. Designed by Suhail (who also worked with Alexander on Tizi Melloul and the furniture designs for Okno), the operative word here is "plastic," as evidenced by the wavy walls, room dividers, egg-shaped chairs, and bench seating. Circular and ovoid shapes are everywhere -- from the large mirrors mounted on the back wall to the orange light fixtures in the ceiling to the hard-boiled eggs on the bar, complimentary snacks arranged in a stainless-steel holder. Chef and partner Kelly Courtney, a protegee of renowned San Francisco chef Jeremiah Towers, is dedicated to creating contemporary American cuisine using produce from small local farms in pure and simple preparations. The seasonal menu currently features dishes like an appetizer of pan-seared soft-shell crab on a "sunomono-style" salad of cucumbers and seaweed served in a deep square bowl and a refreshing tuna tartare with spaghetti-thin strips of cool cucumber, served in a cone-shaped glass dish that rests in a round bowl full of crispy pappadams for scooping. Her version of fritto misto is less well-balanced, full of fennel and artichokes sliced so thin that the flavor of frying oil dominates the orange-rosemary aioli. Main courses include an oven-roasted whole New Zealand rainbow snapper with artichokes, yellowfin potatoes, and piquant picholine olives in a natural jus that's just right. The duck breast was too rare for the thick, bias-cut preparation but the balsamic-fig sauce and red chard made a tasty accompaniment. The wine list is concise and well-selected, with many options in the $50 range like a 1998 Prager Steinriegl -- a crisp Austrian Riesling -- as well as pricier cult wines like a $105 1997 Sine Qua Non Imposter McCoy syrah. Pastry chef Nancy Silver's desserts -- particularly the tropical split with bruleed bananas, passion fruit, and coconut gelato topped with macadamia nut brittle and passion fruit caramel -- provide a luscious conclusion. MOD. is at 1520 N. Damen, 773-252-1500.