June 10 (Bloomberg) -- Bradford Thompson used to serve $26 burgers to patrons in suits at Manhattan’s Lever House restaurant. Now he’s flipping $13 patties at Bar Artisanal in Tribeca, where a bunch of guys came in wearing baseball caps on Friday. Such are the little ironies of the recession.

Alas, Lever House is closed and Bar Artisanal is packed. That’s good news for diners, as dishes top out at $20 at the small-plates French joint that seats about 150 in a cavernous, noisy space. And the burger is better here.

It’s a massive dome of meat. A real mouth-stretcher. The blend of brisket, chuck and short rib is coarsely ground, giving it a loose, moist, fall-apart-in-the-mouth succulence. A pickled tomato and vinegared lettuce cut the fat. Just add a few shakes of salt to the underseasoned patty.

No cheese comes with the burger, which is interesting, considering the owner, Picholine’s Terrance Brennan, is one of the city’s best-known purveyors of fine fromage. Instead, he flexes his curds with a cheese bar here. Free chunks of nutty parmesan sit in a wheel for patrons to pick at. Too bad it tasted stale, gritty and old.

Expect the usual brasserie touches. Tile floors? Check. Wrought iron? Check. Gougeres? Yes -- but they’re $8 -- about a buck each, and not nearly as eggy as they should be.

And then there are atypical touches. Like Wagyu beef. The seared meat didn’t receive enough heat, resulting in gamy meat and chewy, under-rendered fat. Both soft-shell crabs and head-on shrimp had a somewhat foul taste. Flatbread pizza with duck confit and foie gras was dry and burnt.

Pork and Beans

Stick with merguez sausage and beans. The spicy version of “pork and beans” is just $8. Lamb chops are $16, served with a pile of parmesan polenta. An anchovy and garlic sauce counters the richness.

Crispy, brick-cooked La Belle Rouge chicken -- a current in-vogue bird -- is presented atop a tart bread salad. Moist skate with braised cabbage makes a good case for a light summer choucroute.

Brennan is famous for his sea urchin panna cotta at Picholine. The delicate version here, crowned with caviar, trembled in the mouth and dissolved into a briny bliss. Then they took it off the menu. So it goes.

Watch Out

Table 8 at the Cooper Square Hotel is a little bit like Keith McNally’s Minetta Tavern. It serves food that approaches three-star quality in a tight, one-star environment.

Except you get to see celebrities at Minetta. At Table 8, you get to see, well, not much. That’s how dark it was in certain areas of the restaurant. Position a candle in the center of the table to decipher the menu. Is that quail rare or well done? You’ll have to tell by texture, not by sight. If you’ve ever hunted for buried treasure in a cave, you’ll love Table 8.

This is an inauspicious New York debut for Chef Govind Armstrong and his estimable California cuisine. Thumping lounge music bludgeoned the senses. A waiter elbowed me. Not his fault, the tables were cramped. Tap water was un-iced and barely cold.

Like six-inch stilettos, Table 8 is fashionably uncomfortable. Luckily for us, we get designer food at discount prices. Most of the appetizers and small dishes are under $20.

I dare you to find a better plate of turnips and radishes. They’re slightly bitter, slightly sweet. About as dense as a ripe McIntosh apple. And bathed in anchovy vinaigrette.

Stealth Vegan

Rabbit sausages are bright and peppery. Lamb terrine melts into a musty mouthful. Ramp aioli keeps the sweetness of a soft- shell crab in check with sneaky spiciness. Toothsome, hand- torn pasta cleanses the palate between bites of intoxicating morels. White asparagus soup with pumpkin seed oil had just the right degrees of bitterness and creaminess. Except there’s no cream. It’s a stealth vegan dish

Expect multiple components. Chicken is grilled, then gets a hint of sour meatiness from short rib hash. Halibut, as white as snow, sports a golden sheath of salty skin. A tasty slab of smoked fish toast lies next to it. A gritty puree of favas (the worst I’ve ever tried) lies underneath, just beyond a tiny, unnecessary salad of tomatoes and greens. Bring your night- vision goggles and enjoy.

DBGB

Daniel Boulud, of the namesake two-starred Michelin restaurant, is getting more casual by the year. He opened DBGB on the Bowery this week, specializing in burgers, beers and sausages -- lots of sausages.

I’ll be eating a large number of them soon.

DBGB Kitchen and Bar is at 299 Bowery. Information: +1-212- 933-5300.

The Bloomberg Questions

Cost? Most everything’s under $20 at both Bar Artisanal and Table 8.

Sound Level? What? What?

Date Place? Feeling old? The dark lighting at Table 8 will flatter you.

Inside Tip? Skip the dark, off-tasting, $6 foie gras at Table 8. There’s a reason good foie gras costs a lot of money.

Special Feature? Try the not-too-fatty pork belly at Bar Artisanal.

Private Room? No for both.

Will I be back? Yes to both for the cheap eats.

Bar Artisanal is at 268 West Broadway. Information: +1-212- 925-1600; http://www.barartisanal.com. Table 8 is at the Cooper Square Hotel, 25 Cooper Square between 5th and 6th streets. Information: +1-212-475-3400.

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

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

Last Updated: June 10, 2009 00:01 EDT