TABLES FOR TWO.(Tides)(Restaurant Review)

TIDES -- 102 Norfolk St. (212-254-8855)--Tides may seem like just another symptom of the Lower East Side's loss of local color, with its sleekly elegant interior and sophisticated seafood. But Steven Yee, a co-owner with Allen Leung and the chef, Judy Seto, is a longtime L.E.S. resident, and he considers the two-month-old spot part of a tradition of homegrown joints. At the end of the evening on a busy Friday night, Yee, who is garrulous and sociable, had settled at a table next to a lingering pair of diners. "We're also opening a hot-dog place just around the corner," he said. "I live in the area, and when it's late at night and you're hungry there's only pizza and McDonald's."

Tides seeks a more discerning audience. The tiny room, which seats twenty-two, has a ceiling made up of more than a hundred and twenty thousand bamboo skewers arranged in an undulating pattern, and two booths are set into the wall at different heights, like a receding wave. A short but smartly curated wine list will change seasonally, along with the menu, which recently featured crispy and tender ...