Old Masters

Frenchette’s confident takes on timeworn classics brim with that rare combination of creativity and finesse.

- Adam Platt

A WELL-ROASTED CHICKEN is the dish grizzled dining veterans often cite as the sign of a truly professional kitchen, but at Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson’s new Tribeca bistro, Frenchette, it’s that more elemental poultry product, the egg, that announces the arrival of an excellent new restaurant in town. Potatoes figure prominently in any tortilla española, but the little wedge of eggy goodness that appeared early in our meal was cool (instead of too hot or too cold) and loosely textured (instead of too hard or too soft) and dressed on top with garlic aïoli and a spoonful of smoked trout roe. It was followed shortly by more eggs, this time scrambled to buttery smoothness in the traditional brouillade style, and crowned with escargot sautéed in garlic butter, a concept that apparently isn’t common in France but which I heartily endorse, especially with a few chunks of bread to mop your plate.