New on Manhattan’s Menu

“You’re taking us where?” my parents asked apprehensively as I led them across a treeless expanse of rough cobblestones and past thickets of low-slung red-brick buildings in a state of disrepair. They were on a rare visit from their home in Palm Springs, and I had just announced that I was taking them to dinner at a diner in the Lower West Side’s Meatpacking District.

Until fairly recently, the mere mention of this tiny section of Manhattan triggered trepidation. South of Chelsea and bound by West 14th Street, Gansevoort Street and 9th and 10th avenues, it was a place for wholesale meatpackers by day and a dicey no-go zone of streetwalkers, drug dealers and sex clubs by night.

These days, bona-fide butchers are few, edged out by a tide of upscale development that has swept in a bumper crop of hot restaurants. The area still draws heavily on postindustrial aesthetics, and the fact that it looks a bit dangerous only heightens the allure.

The district comes into its own at night, when fog rolls in from the Hudson River and unmarked doorways beckon, promising plush interiors and enthralling flavors. On weekends, hungry souls descend in droves, and the energy is explosive. Just check out the line--even on a Monday night--to get into Pastis, restaurateur Keith McNally’s latest bistro baby, and you’ll know you’ve found a hip place to take a bite out of the Big Apple.

Among the possibilities:

Fressen: Yiddish for “eat heartily,” Fressen is one of the most seductive millennial dining rooms downtown. When I walked in on a Saturday night, I was met by a friendly host and the breezy music of Astrud Gilberto (of “Girl From Ipanema” fame) sweeping across an atmospheric space done up in oxblood lacquer walls and dark acrylic and wood screens. The subdued lighting, dimmed as the night wore on, beautifully accentuated the sumptuous room.

A rarity in New York, the entire restaurant is smoke-free, except for the separate bar. That meshes well with some health-conscious overtures from Fressen’s kitchen, where most of the produce comes from organic farms.

The commitment to freshness means the menu changes daily. I was lucky enough to try a side of Idaho potato chips with malt vinegar and sea salt ($5); they came thick-cut and crispy, yet moist.

I couldn’t resist dipping the table bread into a dish of olive oil. It was cool and light, with a hint of wheat grass, a nice way to transition to my appetizer of cauliflower tempura with a tangy ponzu dipping sauce ($9). My dining companion, Ginger, settled on the peeky toe crab appetizer ($10), chunks of crab hidden in a light, creamy custard, with sylvetta greens (a kind of wild arugula) and an updated take on piperade on the side. Fressen’s version of this Basque dish came as slivers of sauteed red and yellow peppers with onions and garlic on a crisp wedge of toast.

Ginger’s grilled orata ($24), a Mediterranean white fish, had a nice covering of sea salt and olive oil and came with grilled eggplant, corn on the cob and a wild herb salad. But it wasn’t quite as toothsome as my crispy Amish chicken with sweet potato-hazelnut gratin and chili-spiked apple cider glaze ($19), a perfect fall choice. A large portion of tender white meat came wrapped around the succulent gratin, which was unlike anything I had ever tasted.

Ginger remarked on the extensive offerings of Rieslings and sakes. We settled on a bottle of Albarino Rias Baixas ($29), a pleasantly crisp white from the Spanish Basque country.

Desserts beckoned--carrot mango cake with mango-cream cheese icing, and spiced pecan tart with poached Seckel pear and orange-honey ice cream. But I was just too full. I settled on a selection of homemade ice cream ($7); a scoop of white chocolate mint far outshone two others, chocolate ice cream and peach sorbet. An impressive selection of specialty teas and herbal “elixirs” is offered too.

By the time we left, around 9:30, the place was packed with an eclectic and visibly well-heeled, if not altogether relaxed, group of diners, dressed mostly in black.

Pastis: When Pastis opened last spring, it was a signal that the Meatpacking District had arrived. Keith McNally’s SoHo restaurant, Balthazar, has become a New York institution, one as well known for its byzantine reservation policy as for its power to pack in the celebrities.

McNally conceived Pastis as a laid-back alternative, a sort of workingman’s French bistro to Balthazar’s more serious restaurant stylings. Not that style suffers at Pastis; indeed, the attention to Franco-detail is meticulous, from the old-fashioned lettering on the yellow signs outside to the French ad for the eponymous libation splashed over a big mirrored wall.

While the food is on the same plane as at Balthazar--traditional French--it is less expensive. Twice I’ve ordered the steak frites ($18) and have been well sated. The salty Belgian-style pommes frites, twice fried in peanut oil and served with mayonnaise, had me reminiscing about Brussels cafes.

The Basque roasted chicken ($17) fairly falls off the bone. I passed on the skate au beurre noir (fish in a browned butter sauce) and tripes gratinees (tripe baked with white wine, vegetables, garlic and breadcrumbs).

Still, the food is secondary to just being in such a bastion of hip. How hip? I was sketched by an in-bistro artist as I started into my overly syrupy poire Belle Helene (poached pear with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce, sprinkled with pistachios).

Unless you have a reservation--not impossible, but it takes patience--forget about getting a table for dinner after 6:30. And the place can be beyond boisterous: By 8 on a Tuesday night, with hurricane-force gossip and gravelly voiced Serge Gainsbourg songs converging, the decibel level had me hankering for earplugs.

Florent: This appealing French-American diner was the first serious eatery to open in the Meatpacking District. It’s a moderately priced, busy place, where the peak buzz often comes at 3 a.m. as club kids come in for the likes of steamed mussels ($9.50), boudin noir (blood sausage, $7.50 as an appetizer, $13.95 as an entree) or French toast ($6.25). In warmer weather the patch of sidewalk in front becomes a makeshift cafe.

While Florent may principally be the domain of young hipsters twirling their forks to music that shifts from Billie Holiday to Icelandic singer Bjork, bringing your parents, as I did, will raise few eyebrows; diners are too occupied discussing the latest dish (not necessarily the food) under the glow of the soft pink lighting.

Virtually everything on the menu pleases, but don’t overlook daily specials such as my roast chicken with brandy-sauteed Anjou pears ($11.95). For dessert, get the swirled dark- and white-chocolate mousse ($5.25) and be happy.

Rho^ne: It takes a certain amount of chutzpah to open a restaurant that exclusively serves Rho^ne Valley wines in the middle of the Meatpacking District.

Walk into Rho^ne and the first thing that hits you is its vastness, with soaring ceilings and exposed ventilation pipes sheltering a big, square bar surrounded by odd Jetsons-style aqua chairs. All this makes for a studiously sleek look.

Thankfully, having to choose from 132 Rho^ne Valley wines takes your mind off it. Among these are about 45 Cha^teauneuf du Papes and about 18 wines available by the glass (about $9 on average).

Owner Jeffrey Goldenstein is passionate about wine and about pairing it with the kitchen’s contemporary French food. For my grilled New Zealand red snapper ($24), he recommended a pleasantly light red, a Vacqueyras called le sang de cailloux, or blood of stones ($7 a glass). The fish was moist and delicious, served with baby fennel, tangy black olives, roasted red pepper, roasted garlic and a fennel marmalade.

Ginger chose an unusual red, Rasteau Domaine de la Soumade’s Confiance ($8), to accompany her grilled sirloin and potato ratatouille ($28). It’s a full-bodied wine with lingering spicy notes, a good fit for the thick, tender meat.

Another friend, Shelley, had the potato-crusted sea bass in an oxtail ragout ($26), which she described as “Rho^ne Valley surf and turf.” It made for an interesting contrast, the hearty fish and soft oxtail bits, but it lacked the vibrancy of my snapper. Other diners recommended the lobster truffle salad appetizer, which comes with Yukon gold potatoes, smoked bacon and haricots verts, but at $28 it seemed priced too high.

On the night I went, the crowd consisted of smartly dressed barflies and young art- and design-world types. Jazz and swing music was set at a reasonable volume, a good thing in a space that might otherwise sound like an airport terminal. As I left I noticed a cozy elevated nook in the rear of the restaurant, and that’s where I wished I had been seated.

Markt: The standout at this cavernous Belgian restaurant (named after the Flemish word for “market”) is its 60-foot bar, which is wrapped in dark wood and brass railing. Exposed air ducts hint at the neighborhood’s industrial past. Wooden brasserie touches extend to the floor and tables, nice to look at but a recipe for noise.

Everywhere you look in Markt, there are heaping plates of steamed mussels ($9.50 appetizer, $14 entree), the most popular item and the surest bet on a menu heavily slanted toward seafood.

My dining companion, Tony, started with a savory lobster salad ($17), served with avocado and tomatoes in a garlic dressing, then dove into his kettle of moules a la blanche ($14), plump mussels steamed in Hoegaarden beer. (The bivalves can also be ordered steamed in white wine, cream or their own juices.) They come with a side of Belgian fries, served with mayonnaise. He washed it all down with a Hoegaarden, one of 30 specialty Belgian beers offered.

My salade liegeoise ($11), a plate of string beans, bacon, onions and potatoes dressed in vinegar, was bland, the bacon not crispy enough. I was much happier with my entree of waterzooi, a rich, thick, creamy stew made with chicken, potatoes and julienned vegetables. A lobster version is also on the menu, at $24.

Desserts are simple. My friend chose chocolate mousse ($5), dense and heavy on the cocoa, while I ordered the dame blanche ($5), an ample portion of smooth vanilla ice cream topped with melted dark Callebaut chocolate.

The pace with which restaurants open in this city can be dizzying. Just when I thought I had mapped every inch of the Meatpacking District, on my most recent visit I stumbled across a slick new restaurant called Macelleria, the Italian word for--you guessed it--a butcher’s shop.

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GUIDEBOOK

Staking Out the Meatpacking District

Getting there: From LAX to JFK airport, nonstop service is on American, Delta, TWA and United; to Newark, nonstop service is on American, Continental and United; to LaGuardia, direct service (one stop but no plane change) is on American, American Trans Air, Continental, Frontier, United and Vanguard. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $398.

Where to eat: Fressen, 425 W. 13th St.; local telephone (212) 645-7775. A beautiful, atmospheric place with health-conscious fare. Appetizers $9 to $14; entrees $16 to $29. Open Monday through Saturday for dinner.

Pastis, 9 9th Ave.; tel. 929-4844. Restaurateur Keith McNally’s newest French bistro. Dinner appetizers $6 to $12; entrees $16 to $19. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.

Florent, 69 Gansevoort St.; tel. 989-5779. French-American diner popular with young hipsters. Appetizers $3.95 to $8.95; lunch and dinner entrees about $8 to $15. Open 24 hours Friday and Saturday; open for breakfast, lunch and dinner other days (with late-night menu until 5 a.m.).

Rhone, 63 Gansevoort St.; tel. 367-8440. A vast, sleek space serving French fare. Appetizers $9 to $90 (for beluga caviar); entrees $23 to $28. Open Monday through Saturday for dinner.

Markt, 401 W. 14th St., tel. 727-3314. A cavernous restaurant serving mostly seafood. Dinner appetizers $7.50 to $17; dinner entrees $17 to $29. Lunch and dinner daily; brunch on weekends.

For more information: New York Convention and Visitors Bureau, 810 7th Ave., New York, NY 10019; tel. (212) 484-1222, Internet https://www.nycvisit.com.

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Tony Grant Lechtman is author of the Access Guide to New York City (2000 edition) and editor of the travel Web site Split (https://www.splitnews.com).