Petrarca

It took a remarkable feat of architectural alchemy to transform the Baby Doll Lounge, a bawdy old-time strip club, into this inviting neighborhood restaurant. It is now a casual lower-priced offshoot of Arqua, the Tribeca veteran across the street. Breezy service and a festive crowd invite lingering and nibbling over quartinos of Tuscan wine, bowls of garlic-drenched mussels, and platters of meat and cheese. The menu highlights simple, homey fare: solidly executed bias-cut sausage, made with chicken and mushrooms; flattened rosemary-scented baby chicken; and rib-sticking pastas. Baby Doll fans can think of it as a great way to sate that other appetite