*** $$$1/2 BAR ARTISANAL, 268 West Broadway at 6th Avenue -- 212.925.1600. Online reservations through OpenTable.com

Chef/Proprietor Terrance Brennan (Picholine, Artisanal) has hit the ground running with his latest outpost, Bar Artisanal. Situated on the site of the former Trigo restaurant, Bar Artisanal is a microcosmic version of its parent on Park Avenue South, replete with a fromagerie, charcuterie board and a heavy commitment to organic products. What’s more, dishes are priced at $20 or under. The formula obviously works as the place was packed just a couple of days after opening.

Wrought-iron latticework and Edison light bulbs evoke a trace of the Eiffel Tower, and Paris’s Le Train Bleu restaurant. A checkerboard floor completes the bistro look. But the piece de résistance is the kitchen, which churns out an appealing array of appetizers, small plates and pissaladières (French style pizzas) including an instant signature dish with fava bean pesto, sheep’s milk ricotta, and speck.

The wine list is compact, with most listings priced between $35 and $50.

Firsts: smoked paprika popcorn, chick pea frits,grilled cheese bites.
Mains/Small Plates: Soft egg, wild mushrooms, and ramps, cod, chorizo and fingerling potatoes,
Grilled lamb chops with parmesan polenta.
Finales: Crème Brulée, savarin au rhum, chocolate mousse, hazelnut crunch.

CORTON **** 

($79 three-course prix fixe) 

239 West Broadway (near White Street)
New York, NY 10013
212.219.2777

info@cortonnyc.com

Corton, a winning partnership between legendary restaurateur Drew Nieporent and talented chef Paul Liebrandt, is proof positive that a restaurant can re-invent itself without discarding the baby along with the bathwater. Nieporent was a TriBeCa trailblazer who debuted Montrachet on the same spot in 1985, introducing  a wave of diners to “modern” French cuisine served up in a casual setting. A generation later, he has artfully assembled a seamless staff imbued with a solid sense of discipline. Corton has hit the ground running. The design scheme, overseen by Stephanie Goto, is cool and understated; neutral colored walls with minimalist bas relief treatments embossed in gold leaf. Liebrandt, who was once known for outlandish culinary creations like shrimp soup with chocolate or eel with crystallized violets, has now found his footing and delivers sensational but solid French cuisine. There’s an extensive wine list, ably assembled by sommelier Elizabeth Harcourt, with many selections priced under $50.

Firsts -- Violet Hill farm egg with salt cod, baby squid and chorizo, Foie gras with

hibiscus-beet gelée, blood orange, Hamachi caviar, fresh kalamansi and avocado.

Mains -- Maine lobster with tarragon mustard, black trumpet mushrooms, lobster jus
($9 supplement), Black angus beef sirloin, short rib, horseradish bone marrow crust, Turbot

with brioche crust, sweet onion, razor clam chowder.

Finales -- Dark chocolate whisky fondant, hazelnut, miso ice cream, Honeycrisp apple

cherimoya, caramel apple and walnuts, Brioche black sesame, blackberry, banana.

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