June 17 (Bloomberg) -- Manhattan's Meatpacking District is the Las Vegas of New York: a few Michelin gems surrounded by loud, mediocre restaurants and party-going diners. Scott Conant, late of Alto, wants to help reverse that ratio. He gives us Scarpetta, an ambitious Italian eatery. He doesn't entirely fail.

Things get loud as the venue fills up. The dining-room skylight casts a glare in the early hours -- not first-date friendly. The bar draws a Meatpacking crowd. There, the men wear striped, untucked button-downs with oversize, expensive watches. Women wear high heels and short skirts. I watched a couple play tonsil hockey as I ate.

Try the pasta calamarata. White rings -- they look like squid -- are really noodles. The firm macaroni lie in a sea- urchin-spiked broth that lingers. Minted bread crumbs cleanse the palate with fragrant bitterness. Magnificent.

Conant has ditched the fancy foams he served at Alto. Instead, we get a straightforward, strongly flavored, sometimes anti-seasonal cuisine. Truffles are everywhere -- with raw fish, mushrooms, agnolotti, sea bass and honey.

But 14 of the 21 items I tried were forgettable.

Conant himself is hard to miss, with a hulking frame familiar from Top Chef and the Home Shopping Network.

He smiles, meets, greets, works the bar crowd. He should spend more time in the kitchen. Did he sample my saffron-parmesan orzo? Only at a barbecue restaurant have I encountered such overcooked pasta.

Famous Polenta

No rational person who tasted that would have let it touch a plate. But I'm willing to forget the starch because of the protein it came with: two boneless hunks of veal shank. A gremolata stuffing perfumed each bite with a wallop of lemon. A bone-marrow topping fortified the meatiness with a gelatinous intensity.

Order the famous polenta. Those who are iPhone-equipped can even watch Conant make it on the Internet while waiting. Sixteen bucks gets you a tiny cup. Then you taste it and wonder whether you can finish. The cheesy, creamy porridge is topped with truffled mushrooms. It's as rich as foie gras.

As the temperature approaches 100 degrees outside, it takes chutzpah and a good air-conditioning system to serve hot cornmeal and braised veal. Conant's idea of seasonality is tossing in some vegetables with under-rendered short ribs. Grilled octopus, chewy and bland, got favas and asparagus.

Isn't cool mozzarella with fresh tomatoes a staple of the warmer months? Not at Scarpetta. The cheese is pan fried into flavorless slabs and paired with warm, stewed under-salted fruit.

Yawn-Inducing

At least the spring pea soup tasted genuinely vernal. The chilled liquid, loaded with meaty crab, was sweeter and silkier than any I've tried.

Conant was famous for his creative raw fish. At Scarpetta, the crudi are tired. His yellowtail with ginger oil tasted nothing of ginger. Carrots and preserved truffles overwhelm thin slices of tuna.

Pastas are absurdly expensive. That's $24 for overcooked spaghetti with tomato basil sauce -- not much better than the version I make at home. Duck and foie gras ravioli packed a wallop of sweet, gamy potency. Mixed-meat agnolotti -- a tad gritty -- radiated with sweet truffles. After a few tasty bites, your palate tires of these powerful flavors. But half portions, common elsewhere, are unavailable here.

Avoid the texture-less sea bream with mushy fregola. I preferred the sea bass. It had such a perfectly crispy, salty, oily skin that I'd happily pay the $26 price for just that, never mind the sweet flesh.

Cheers to the value-conscious sommelier. I asked for a bottle under $70. He gave me a bright red for just $52. My waiter paired a more tannic nebbiolo to stand up to a deliciously funky, juicy plate of baby goat.

Desserts -- chocolate parfait, key lime cheesecake, apple pie, and coconut panna cotta, were competent, indistinctive.

Rating: **

The Bloomberg Questions

Cost? Pastas, $22 to $25; main courses, $25 to $37.

Sound level? Loud in the dining room; quieter at the bar.

Date place? If you think you can compete with Scott Conant.

Inside tip? The polenta is destination-worthy. Even in June.

Special feature? You will meet Scott Conant in person.

Private room? That's what the frisky bar couple needed.

Will I be back? When I can get a half portion of pasta.

Scarpetta is at 355 W. 14th St., at Ninth Avenue. Information: +1-212-691-0555; http://www.scarpettanyc.com.

What the Stars Mean:
****         Incomparable food, service, ambience.
***          First-class of its kind.
**           Good, reliable.
*            Fair
No stars     Poor.

(Ryan Sutton writes about New York City restaurants for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer of this review: Ryan Sutton in New York at rsutton1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: June 17, 2008 00:01 EDT