Belcourt

Oftentimes, a haphazard outward appearance may be the result of painstaking deliberateness -- for proof, look no further than Jimmy Fallon's hair. For a restaurant that's a study in refined ramshackle, hit Belcourt, opening Friday.Co-run by a former Prune chef and a guy who 20 years ago bussed tables at this same location, Belcourt's a patchwork of materials imported from France -- like the Statue of Liberty, but less prone to being disappeared by a jazz-handed David Copperfield. The exterior's graced by art deco'd Frenchness (Parisian street lamps, metal post office gates, etc), while the indoors is bedecked with dining tables made from sewing stands, a vintage vanity, and a cutout of a rosy-cheeked youngster guzzling beer -- because what's more French than drunk children? Food's continental, e.g., sea-salt baked Branzino, lamb burger with zucchini, and rabbit legs in a chestnut sugo ("Italian for sauce", you'll explain to bewildered strangers once jovially sugo'd). Belcourt's packing a full bar, and come spring they'll add outdoor seating for 40 -- where you'll be accosted by a painstakingly-coiffed bum attired in a furniture pad from Moishe's, a '98 "Live from New York!" t-shirt, and a commemorative tote from the movie Taxi.