Feb. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Is the U.S. close to a recession? Alain Ducasse must think so because he's returned to Manhattan with a fancy French eatery that is, for lack of a better term, affordable. When tough times approach, even Ducasse offers a discount.

Welcome to Adour. The setting is the St. Regis hotel (old school). The bar menu is a touch-screen computer (new school). The fish is slathered in cream (ancient school). The kitchen's early performance is occasionally excellent and the wine program is one of the city's best.

Adour might be Ducasse's least expensive fine-dining venue. My dinner for two cost $324. A solo meal from the bar menu cost $163. Hey, that's not cheap!

Not so fast. Ducasse, who holds more Michelin stars than anyone except Joel Robuchon, runs some of the world's most expensive restaurants.

A meal for two at the chef's old Essex House venue across New York's Central Park could easily exceed $1,000. His tasting menu is 360 euros ($534 dollars) at the Plaza Athenee in Paris. A la carte main courses at the current exchange rate rarely dip below $100 at Le Jules Verne atop the Eiffel Tower and Louis XV in Monaco.

That's right. This guy sells $100 pork chops. But not at Adour, where not a single entree's above $49. Tasting menus are $110.

`IPhone Bar'

Those prices are for the dining room. Reservations required. But the cheapest dishes and best seats go to walk-ins at the four-stool bar. Precious little treats aren't more than $16 apiece. Pinot noir-hued lighting, Euro-style lounge music feels more Jeffrey Chodorow than Ducasse.

Here's the coolest part: Every seat at the counter has an electronic wine list. Float your finger a few inches above the bar top. Flip through the menu with the ease of an iPhone. Except you don't have to touch it. Just wave your finger above and the varietals start to glow.

Every vino has a description. No need to rely on a sommelier's memory -- very democratic.

Pair a glass of dry, honey-like roussanne ($18) with the olive oil-poached cod. A red and yellow pepper piperade gently coaxes even more sweetness out of the moist fish.

This is Ducasse at his best. Simple Provencal flavors that speak for themselves. The palate is not confused.

Try the pork belly. A tiny square sits below a thumbnail of boudin noir, a knuckle of apple and a pea-sized cranberry. All are lanced on a single toothpick. The quadratic equation of fat, funk, sweet and sour is culinary shock therapy.

And this is just the bar food.

Restaurant

A regal dining room occupies the former Lespinasse space. Glass panels cover the beaux-arts walls. White tablecloths? Of course.

No computerized menus here but the gracious sommelier said ``excellent choice'' after I ordered the cheapest wines. Try the Alsatian pinot gris ($13). Expect almond and anise on the palate.

The kitchen is conservative. Foie gras ravioli with truffles were al dente and rich. Nothing new but well-executed. Sweetbreads meuniere were dark, creamy, nutty, outstanding. Lobster Thermidor gets a reason for existence: Roasted tails soak up an armagnac sauce.

Some of it seems more Escoffier than Ducasse -- more rich than nimble. Is it really necessary to serve halibut (perfectly flaky) with ivory sauce (rich as ice cream)?

Emperor Ducasse and Executive Chef Tony Esnault make delicious fancy-pants fare. But I wonder whether the city will bow to the ancien regime in the casual era of Momofuku and Hill Country.

Adour Alain Ducasse is at the St. Regis hotel, 2 E. 55th St., at Fifth Avenue. Information: +1-212-710-2277; http://www.adour-stregis.com.

Waiting for Pastries

Magnolia Bakery, a Greenwich Village sweet shop that makes people line up around the block for cupcakes, has opened a pastel-colored outpost on the Upper West Side.

I queued up for 18 minutes. Analysis: The cupcakes ($2.25) are very good. Americans reared on preservative-packed confections should appreciate the stabilizer-free, airy batter, though the butter cream frosting may be too rich for Twinkie- trained diners.

With lines like these, I prefer Hostess.

Magnolia Bakery is at 200 Columbus Ave. at 69th St. Information: +1-212-724-8101; http://www.magnoliabakery.com.

(Ryan Sutton is a writer for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

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

Last Updated: February 5, 2008 00:04 EST