Feb. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Manhattan’s L’Artusi doesn’t serve any so-called recession specials. That’s because it’s a recession-ready restaurant.

Eateries across town are touting discounts. They’re offering $35 restaurant week fare indefinitely. They’re hawking “starving artist” prix fixe. They’re bringing back early-bird specials.

But there’s a catch: In exchange for a deal, you get a limited menu or an inconvenient time.

There are no tradeoffs or sales at L’Artusi. Diners exert control over their financial and culinary experience by building meals from a big list of small to medium-sized dishes; it’s like an Italian Momofuku. About 45 savory items are offered; 43 are under $20.

Waiters recommend three plates per person. Start off with a silky mound of escolar ceviche ($14). Follow up with wagyu tongue -- piled on rye toast with mostarda ($10). It’s like a really good roast beef sandwich (that needs a little salt). Move onto the spaghetti and meatballs: al dente pasta and juicy, porky plum-size balls in tomato sauce ($18). Still have room? Finish with a creamy, nutty, light-as-air walnut cake ($10). That’s a $52 dinner.

Sometimes, a single dish will do. Take the pizzoccheri: a mammoth dish of baked buckwheat pasta studded with peppery Brussels sprouts ($17). It’s covered with melted fontina. It’s a bear hug of a meal for a cold winter night. Pair it with a rich India Pale Ale ($7) to cut the richness. That’s a $24 dinner.

Lumbar Friendly

This is all brought to us by chef Gabriel Thompson and beverage director Joe Campanale, the team behind Dell’Anima -- a popular Italian spot nearby.

Here are the relevant comparisons: L’Artusi is younger -- just a few months old. L’Artusi is bigger -- 110 seats compared with Dell’Anima’s 45. That means easy-going for walk-ins; I’ve never waited more than 30 minutes for seats during prime time. L’Artusi might even be quieter -- I’m told the noise can be deafening at Dell’Anima, but here the hustle and bustle doesn’t disturb.

L’Artusi is lumbar-friendly. Bar stools -- which make up about a third of the seating here -- have cushioning and back- support. So take a seat at the counter and try the maitake salad. A pile of burnished mushrooms and crispy speck surround a soft- boiled egg. Dip the salty, woodsy treats into the yolk. Repeat. (Note: L’Artusi tells me this dish is no longer on the menu. Ask them to bring it back.)

Simple Italian

Chef Thompson’s approach to Italian is simple, powerful and generous. A plate of raw scallops soak up sweet, heady sea urchin. It’s enough to feed three. Surf and turf? House-cured pork belly mimics the sweetness of the skate wing it’s paired with. Brilliant. Ricotta dumplings are firm on the outside, then spill their silky insides when cut.

Sometimes flavors are too powerful. Pig’s head cappellacci needs some acid or cream to tone down the gaminess. The cacio e pepe (pecorino and pepper) sauce is too thin and loose to match the swine’s richness. Sometimes things are too salty. Is it necessary to layer briny olives and salty chorizo in a single pasta dish? Sometimes things are too quirky. An avant-garde riff on vitello tonatto (veal with tuna sauce) registers little if any taste of tuna.

Sometimes things are out of turn: your pastas might appear after your meat dishes (like a bland wild boar overwhelmed by nutmeg). Or your server might bring beef carpaccio instead of the marlin tartare you ordered, which is a good thing, since the fish has enough yuzu to give a grown man a case of death by citrus poisoning, if such a thing were possible.

I hope L’Artusi’s rough edges will soften with time. But when most everything’s this cheap, I’m willing to cut the place some slack.

Rating **

The Bloomberg Questions

Cost? Most dishes are under $20.

Sound level? Bustling but not too noisy.

Date place? Only if you can keep your eyes off all the other gorgeous people.

Inside tip? Try the Vignoles, a tart, Riesling-like wine from New York’s Finger Lakes.

Special feature? A nicely marbled, rare hanger steak for $16.

Private room? Yes.

Will I be back? Often.

L’Artusi is at 228 W. 10th St., near Bleecker St. Information: +1-212-255-5757; http://www.lartusi.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 column: Ryan Sutton in New York at rsutton1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: February 18, 2009 00:01 EST