If you could squeeze the Gaslamp District in the palm of your hand like a juicy mango, you would end up with Nectar. So spacious and undiluted is this newest byproduct of the downtown dining scene, that it makes neighboring restaurants seem like pulp when you consider their compacted atmospheres and eagerness to toss you out with dessert hanging from your mouth.

Situated in the restored Prava Hotel, the interior at Nectar embodies a touch of old Manhattan with Art Deco notches, potted palms and plenty of cozy crannies to enjoy a dignified dinner experience. An inviting bar sits near the entrance. And a striking circular booth in the center of the dining room serves as a tempting come-on for groups of eight or more.

“We’re not interested in packing the dining room,” says Executive Chef Matthew Herter. “We looked at the floor plan and decided to open it up by pulling out a few more tables so that customers can linger longer over their meals and wine.”

Such exceptional leeway comes with a menu of chic cuisine that Herter has continued developing since the restaurant opened in November. My dining companion and I had the good fortune, for example, of visiting when the soup du jour was Roasted Pumpkin, a memorable purée infused brilliantly with rosemary and a hint of lemon. Herter would be wise, we felt, to gather up all the remaining pumpkins from the season for keeping this soup rooted on the menu. Equally enticing was his Lobster Bisque, a semi-spicy mainstay accented with chives and blue cheese crostini.

Our starter course also featured an ornate Maine Lobster & Blue Crab Cocktail, which appeared poised for the cover of Gourmet Magazine. A chunky shelled lobster tail is used to crown the layered mold of crabmeat, mango, avocado and guava mustard. Though beautiful in presentation, and well chilled, it lacked the punch we had expected. Perhaps served at room temperature, or heated, the flavors of the ingredients might have rung through better, even though the word “cocktail” would be flagrantly defied.

Among the warm appetizers are luscious-sounding Pan Seared Scallops, dotted with apricot-cilantro sour cream, Roasted Goat Cheese with oven-dried tomato sauce and Duck Spring Rolls with black grape compote.

The salads, we found, were extraordinary — a unique Caesar zebra-striped in Herter’s signature dark balsamic vinaigrette and served over garlic baguettes — plus the companion’s Baby Spinach and Butter Lettuce medley, which contained chopped organic egg, maple bacon and fresh raspberries — all lightly dressed with shiitake vinaigrette.

If you must snack between courses as we did, the kitchen provides some excellent complimentary flat bread along with a zippy dip made of sour cream, garlic, artichokes and cayenne pepper. It matched particularly well with the companion’s potent red wine, a 2000 Provenance by Ruthersford that sustained nicely throughout our expertly serviced meal.

The entrée menu is succinct and well rounded. It currently features Cedar Plank Roasted Wild Salmon, Roasted Quail, Lobster Risotto and Angus New York Strip. Although the companion gravitated to one of Herter’s more ambitious dishes — Sea Bass topped with artichokes and black olive pesto glaze, and served upon risotto cake. As a matter of personal taste, we weren’t nuts over the combination of olives and fish, despite its reveled use throughout much of the Mediterranean. There is simply too much push and pull between the two ingredients.

Instead, my Roasted Pork Chop won us over with its smoother kaleidoscope of flavors. The thick, juicy meat was evenly encrusted with coriander and served with an abutting mound of grilled pear slaw that contained jicama, parsnip and mint. It’s a unique dish that went down very well.

Still holding on to some late-autumn peaches, Herter incorporated them into a generous cobbler that became our dessert. Though warm and savory, I remain a stickler for the crispy butter-and-sugar topping over the oatmeal one. But when you’re eating in a place called Nectar, the peaches underneath had better take center stage.