New York

Sometimes a calamity that befalls an area can render it all but uninhabitable: the Ukraine by Chernobyl, Bhopal by Union Carbide, and 3rd and 10th by the erstwhile Pizzeria Uno. Rising out of that Uno: The Smith, opening Sunday.

Co-produced by the brunch-y Jane/Neptune owners and the dicey designer of Hard Rock Vegas, The Smith's a bi-level bistro with industrial decor: subway tiles, iron doors, and lanterns hung from meat hooks (evocative of the movie Cobra, except lanterns instead of neo-fascists). The menu's wall-mounted on chalkboards, and includes meaty items like lamb schnitzel w/ parmesan crust and grilled chicken sausage w/ street fair peppers, the latter served with a side of disturbingly public Chinese chair massage. The classic cocktails (Perfect Manhattan, Kir Royale) are made with fresh fruit and herbs, and served at a restaurant-spanning, 20-seat zinc bar -- apparently they could only get 14-seats worth of manganese.

For serious drinkers, The Smith stocks a generous selection of whiskeys and bourbons, e.g., Wild Turkey Rare Breed, Old Overholt Rye, and Elijah Craig 18 yr -- delicious but toxic booze that will turn you into the calamity from which The Smith will never rise again.