Table for O & Co.

LA TABLE O & CO. 92 PRINCE ST. (MERCER ST.), 212-219-8155

SOMETHING ABOUT restaurants that are part of retail stores makes me regard them with suspicion. Restaurants within larger stores, I figure, don't have to be that good-the store itself is the initial draw. The cafe on the 9th floor of that department store where you shop is a tourist trap. The overpriced offerings take advantage of the fact that after a day of trying on clothing, you are tired, hungry and too lazy to look for more sensible options.

I say this not from a prejudice, but from experience. Eateries such as the Fairway Cafe or the Starbucks in all of those Barnes & Nobles share a ravaged, unkempt look. This comes as no surprise, since the first priority of a retailer is to peddle its wares, not to create a memorable dining experience. Though you may end up doing it anyway, you don't go to Ikea just to eat the Swedish meatballs with lingonberry sauce and new potatoes. And no matter who you are, if you're craving a club sandwich, you probably wouldn't go out of your way to get the $20 one at Fred's, the restaurant at Barney's New York, unless you happen to be shopping there already.

When I heard about O & Co., a French retailer that peddles premium olive oils and tapenades as well as the high-end body products of L'Occitane, my interest was piqued. It turns out that the store houses a bakery that makes organic flour breads, puff pastry tarts and sweets like madeleines, pound cakes, financiers and the excellent biscotti-like croquets, which sell at a casual sandwich bar on the ground floor that seems loosely modeled after Le Pain Quotidien.

La Table O & Co., the full-fledged restaurant of O & Co., just started serving a full-fledged dinner last week. I was so curious to see what the astonishingly reasonable $23 three-course prix fixe menu was all about that I unwittingly caught these guys on their second day of service (La Table O & Co. also serves brunch and lunch).

The restaurant is located on the mezzanine level of O & Co.'s cavernous space, which struck me as awfully large for a store with such specialized inventory. The eating area itself is more like a cafeteria than a restaurant. Although everything was decked out in warm, coppery tones, the tucked-away location (right up by the ceiling) as well as the uninteresting layout of smallish square tables and hard little chairs, made it seem like a place intended for people on the move: arrive, eat, do not linger. This is the right place to come with a work colleague, but not with a dinner date.

The store below is visible to diners and convenient to La Table O & Co.'s mission of total integration. This is where the "shopping" part comes into play. The restaurant's menu is formulated to complement O & Co., where you are encouraged to sample the condiments and oils that are for sale. In a touch as contrived as Epcot Center, the menu singles out the ingredients that are on sale in the store in bolded italics. For instance, the spice-roasted chicken is served with a side of black olive tapenade mashed potatoes, meaning, if you liked it in your potatoes, you can buy the tapenade after dinner. In case the typeface was too subtle, an explanation from La Table O & Co. tops the menu: "At La Table O & Co., each dish is a discovery of the Mediterranean's culinary traditions, a journey through the products of our boutiques. Thank you for taking this journey with us."

Whereas diners paying $10 for an open-face sandwich might feel taken advantage of, I was left with a strange feeling from this menu-as- advertisement. When you dine out, you already are being sold on something-the food. Being sold on the food that is in the food that you are already being sold seems more than subtly manipulative.

Although the sales-y spin on the menu made my stomach turn, the chefs put the ingredients to very good use. The menu was clean, light Mediterranean fare. The portions were of a reasonable size, and the overall meal was an excellent value for the cost. (As this may be one of the best dinner deals in Soho, it is worth noting that La Table O & Co. serves dinner from 6 to 9 only.)

My three dining companions were able to recognize the goodness and simplicity of the food, despite the ineffectual service and blaring, embarrassingly bad Italian folk music. The standout appetizer was the mussels Provencale, a bowl of steamed shellfish in a fresh, piquant chopped tomato sauce with garlic and white wine. Another nice one was the vegetable and goat cheese terrine, a tangy, delicate structure of thinly sliced zucchini, eggplant caviar, roasted peppers, tomatoes, basil and goat cheese, with fresh herbs and drizzled basil and red pepper oils. Equally refreshing was the small mezze platter, with house-made tzatziki, silky imported taramasalata and wonderful olives.

Though the food was generally consistent, the most impressive entrees were a saffron pasta primavera, with delicious, elastic housemade tagliatelle, fresh peas, fava beans, zucchini, carrots and a delicate Moroccan saffron broth. Grilled baby lamb chops, seasoned with sea salt and herbs and served with a wholesome ratatouille, were so flavorful and juicy that they exceeded all expectations. On the other end of the spectrum, the entree of roasted red snapper was overcooked, and the braised and grilled pork ribs, while gratifying, paled beside the succulent lamb.

Dessert was also interesting, presenting an idiosyncratic homemade apricot basil tart with jammy fruit, delicious frangipane and puff pastry made in-house (one of the best puff pastries I've had from a commercial kitchen). Another dessert that was comforting and fun was the chocolate pot de crème, a French version of thick chocolate pudding, with a dollop of whipped cream and a dry cookie that dipped well in my espresso.

Though the food at La Table O & Co. was interesting, noteworthy and is bound to get even better, at this stage it is ostensibly a byproduct of its parent store, rather than a restaurant in its own right. If you don't mind some merchandizing with your Mediterranean, La Table O & Co. is an unpretentious spot to rest your legs and grab some nourishing eats after a day of shopping in Soho.