Allegretti.(Restaurant review)

On a forgettable block in the Flatiron district, chef Alain Allegretti, a native of Provence who has worked at Alain Ducasse's three-Michelin-star restaurant Le Louis XV, in Monte Carlo, and more recently at Le Cirque and Atelier, has bravely ventured into that riskiest of territory: the namesake haute-cuisine establishment. More famous people (including Ducasse himself) have failed at such an enterprise, but perhaps being lesser known could be advantageous: if you've never heard of the chef, how do you know what to expect?

The decor provides an inauspicious first impression. Near the entrance, an oversized leather sofa is flanked by a cluster of blue cube-shaped ottomans, kind of like MercBar circa 1997; the bar itself appears to be constructed of chocolate-veneer particleboard. The dining room, with its cream-colored walls dotted with gold-and-glass Colonial hurricane sconces and blue-and-white sea-life prints, has the air of a mid-priced hotel chain in Ocean City. (Perhaps the wood-burning oven in the corner, when it's put into use, will make things cozier.) The menu--starting with the prices--has its own ambition: a delicate rouget appetizer prepared with feuille de brick had ...