Chanterelle   

2 Harrison St
New York, NY 10013
212-966-6960
www.chanterellenyc.com

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Elegant, grand and miraculously unscathed by pretension, this refined Tribeca eatery is striking in its spacious and simultaneously intimate interior. The custard-colored walls and sky-high ornate tin ceiling actually make the 65-patron dining room seem cozy. Husband and wife owners Karen and David Waltuck moved their widely acclaimed restaurant in 1988 from its smaller, cast-iron Soho spot (there since 1979) into the Mercantile Exchange Building, a better fit for the refined cuisine. David's four-star fresh menu is based on French cuisine with hints of the Far East; Karen's superb service is based on being nice. Dinner entrees include saddle of venison, signature loin of lamb with Moroccan spices, and a Moulard duck with duck-fat bearnaise. To avoid decisions, go for the tasting menu, or the prix-fixe lunchtime offering. Regardless, save room for dessert, which carries the honey-roasted Cornice pear onto the highest plateau. And don't give away your menu: Past covers have been designed by Roy Lichtenstein, Keith Haring and even Bill Cosby. -- Yon Motskin