Tessa

Cedric Tovar turned out updated French at Bobo and splashy Italian at Rosemary’s—now the Alsatian chef marries the two genres for this uptown tavern. The 1,750-square-foot digs are industrial—subway-grate ceilings, gunmetal stools—but the food is rustic Mediterranean: grilled rouget with fennel marmalade and pickled mustard seeds; razor-clam escabèche with lemon confit and toasted almonds; and venison-loin carpaccio with caper-leek chimichurri and shaved Parmesan. Pastas are house-made, like the linguine for the cacio e pepe, invigorated with Tasmanian pepper and pickled lemon zest. Drew Shields—who spent time popping bottles for Daniel Boulud and David Burke—cruises the Mediterranean coast for the 60-bottle wine list, offering prosecco and South-of-France varietals.