All the Dish: Here comes the neighborhood

Interview, Feb, 2002 by Brad Goldfarb

Before the recovery efforts following the attacks of September 11 had even begun in earnest, there were those who were predicting the end to one of Manhattan's biggest success stories--TriBeCa. But as anyone who has spent time in the city in the last several months can attest, New Yorkers are a hardy bunch. They also love their town. What initially began as a show of solidarity for the neighborhood--one requiring the braving of security checks, the acrid smell in the air, and (perhaps most daunting of all) the challenge of finding a taxi--has evolved into outright dedication, with locals and out-of-towners returning to TriBeCa, not in ones and twos, but in droves, and residents like Robert De Niro announcing plans for a four-day film festival there in May. It's a phenomenon that makes it clear just how personal an issue the survival of New York City, and the neighborhoods that make it special, is to so many of us. The following are four TriBeCa operations--among them two recently opened-that prove there's no shortage of spirit south of Canal.

THE HARRISON

355 Greenwich St., 212-274-9310

From Jimmy Bradley and Danny Abrams, the team that brought West Chelsea the Red Cat, comes the Harrison, one of TriBeCa's newest arrivals. Located in the former home of Spartina, this corner location has been transformed into a spot that feels part Connecticut country, part Napa Valley, thanks to the use of cold-rolled steel, dark woods and plenty of wainscoting. It's a warm, inviting place and a perfect setting for the kitchen's straight-ahead, hearty interpretation of new American and Italian classics. Cavatelli with veal cheeks, a grilled pork chop with calamata olives, steak finished with pancetta and balsamic vinegar--the Harrison serves the kind of full-flavored dishes that are exactly what we crave in these unsettled times. And with desserts such as a pumpkin tart with praline sauce, the Harrison is giving New Yorkers still more reasons to come in out of the cold.

LE ZINC

139 Duane St., 212-513-0001

A friend once revealed that his mother had cautioned him never to order chicken in a restaurant, as it was invariably the one item on the menu that the kitchen had little regard for. Clearly she had never tasted the chicken grandmere at Le Zinc. Like most everything served here--the beet salad, the lamb sausage, the steak with its perfect fries, the chocolate pot de creme--it's a dish that is simple and flavorful and of the international comfort food variety. In fact, part of the pleasure of eating at Le Zinc is that it draws inspiration not just from France, but from Asia, Eastern Europe and America as well (like a number of restaurants around town, Le Zinc has begun offering deviled eggs). It's not hard to understand then why a spot check of the restaurant's handsome room, with its barrel ceiling and poster-covered walls, has found it bustling most nights. Save for its at times deafening noise level, Le Zinc offers just what many New Yorkers crave--sophisticated cooking that's both unfussy and redolent of h ome.

NAM

110 Reade St., 212-267-1777

Given the number of TriBeCa restaurants subscribing to the school of steak kites, news of more ethnically diverse offerings in the neighborhood is something worth applauding. Such was my reaction when I learned of Nam, a Vietnamese restaurant that boldly opened for business in mid-October. It's a tiny storefront operation that gives the impression of being larger than it is, thanks to the use of clever motifs and lighting that includes old Vietnamese family photos transformed into wall sconces. They help set a sophisticated tone, one in keeping with the restaurant's loving approach to traditional dishes ranging from shrimp dumplings in banana leaves to grilled barbecued pork in fish sauce. Presented alongside more familiar standbys (spring rolls, spicy beef salad, crispy red snapper), the menu, not to mention the presentation, make a strong case for broadening one's vocabulary.

THE ODEON

145 W. Broadway, 212-233-0507

It's testament to the genius of Keith McNally that over 20 years after opening the Odeon for business, one of his earliest endeavors (he sold his interest in the restaurant in 1993) continues to set the standard for stateside French brasseries, and for lower Manhattan "cool." As such, it's become a kind of emblem of TriBeCa. The restaurant's mahogany bar and deco mirrors look as right now as they did in 1980, and the menu--one of the first to make items such as steak au poivre commonplace in American restaurants--is just as appealing. Though the kitchen has gone through a number of changes over the years, the Odeon's brand of French-inspired cooking is as solid and appealing today as it ever was. Country frisee salad (an Odeon standard-bearer), cornmeal-crusted calamari, pork loin with spaetzle, rustic apple tart--the restaurant has widened its originally Gallic gaze to encompass other influences while still retaining a flavor that's uniquely French. Who wouldn't wave the flag for that?