| best of the week |
Taste of Tribeca
Fifty-six great downtown restaurants, from Chanterelle to Bouley, set up shop on Duane Street, and a $40 ticket ($35 in advance) gets you six good-sized selections. Music, historic walking tours, and more round out the program, which benefits the local public schools.
Tickets available at tasteoftribeca.citysearch.com, or at A.L. Bazzini Company, 339 Greenwich Street.
May 17
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 ’Wichcraft
Deep within the haute cuisine soul of chef Tom Colicchio beats the heart of
a Bensonhurst deli man—or so it seems from his proliferating sandwich
empire. Craft begat Craftbar, with its Italian-style tramezzini and pressed
panini, and now, two doors down, Colicchio is putting the finishing touches
on the less expensive and even more casual ’Wichcraft. The new
shop opens in mid-May for breakfast and lunch, featuring chef Sisha
Ortuzar’s creative takes on timeworn classics like grilled cheese,
fried egg with bacon, and even something loosely approximating a Philly
cheese steak. Plus soups, sides, and pastries courtesy of Craft’s
Karen DeMasco.
'Wichcraft
47 East 19th Street
212-780-0577
 Snackbar
Before he opened his own baby bistro, Krim Boughalem was a waiter at Bouley,
and since then he’s made a habit of hiring chefs who’d done time
there, too. At his second spot, Snackbar, slated to launch the week
of May 12, fellow Bouley alumnus Nick Tischler is orchestrating the menu of
small plates and simple grills. The décor of white leather banquettes
and textured bamboo wallpaper matches the modern approach to bite-size
morsels like the Snackbar canapé, a toast point adorned with
Parmigiano-Reggiano, white chocolate, rosemary, and apricot. And every
grilled or roasted piece of meat or fish comes with a choice of ten sauces,
from anchovy rémoulade to Cabernet mignonette.
Snackbar
111 West 17th Street
212-627-3700
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 Fast Break
L’Impero’s new Espresso Lunch (available in the bar or on
the terrace) doesn’t move quite as quickly as the line at Pret A
Manger, but with Scott Conant’s $18 menu of warm asparagus-and-mussel
soup, grilled mortadella panino, biscotti, espresso, and an optional $6
glass of Lambrusco, plus the lovely view of the park from the outdoor
tables, you may want to linger.
L’Impero
45 Tudor City Place
212-599-5045
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Ask Gael
 My friend is the fussiest eater I know.
I bet mine is fussier. Even though Cassandra suffered deeply dragging
herself up to the West Side, she really loved Pelagos. She told me
twice. The place looks and tastes a lot like the late Dias, with clear-eyed
fish tucked under ice, waiting to be beatified by fire. Only now Dias chef
Peter Spyropoulos co-owns the place, too. Given his résumé (Milos,
Avra, Trata), fish fans will know the menu. Tangy char-grilled octopus, the
lush Greek salad, and my grilled and stuffed calamari are starters piled
high to share. I’d return for grape-leaf-wrapped salmon baked in a
clay pot. Even the meat-loving Road Food Warrior digs
sesame-coriander-crusted tuna. Cassandra’s slightly overcooked loup de
mer is fresh as can be. But sweet memories of baked apple and creamy
goat’s-milk yogurt with honey fade fast when the bill comes: My
slightly plump dorado ($21.95 a pound) runs to $29.95. Hey, Peter, this is
the Upper West Side.
Pelagos
103 West 77th Street
212-579-1112
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In the Archives
April 28, 2003
Ocean's 21, 360; craftbar's brown-sugar delight; buffalo yogurt; gourmet shopping in Park Slope; Avenue C's new hot-spot.
April 21, 2003
Nick's, Morrells Restaurant, Nice Matin, Chubo, Azaza, Franchia; find comfort in Home's cooking.
April 14, 2003
Chennai Garden, Barking Dog, Kitchen 82; dessert tasting at Blue Hill; feastable lemon-meringue; Chef Rebecca Charles's new book; Patroon gets another wake-up call.
More Openings & Buzz
Photos:Courtesy of the restaurants, Kenneth Chen, Carina Salvi (3-4), Ellie Miller.
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