Three Letters (CLOSED)

Rather than going the usual bistro route, chef-owner Pip Freeman (the Grocery) combines Gallic fare with down-home American sensibilities at this country-inspired spot. He pairs a porcine riff on beef bourguignonne with mustard greens and toasted buckwheat; elevates poutine with fresh mussels and a white-wine gravy; and stows chicken confit in a sandwich. Tipplers can settle into shiny burgundy banquettes for cocktails, like a Polish Blanc with Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka and Oloroso Sherry. Keeping up the highbrow-meets-lowbrow effect, vintage French posters contrast with red-and-white wallpaper printed with images of Biggie Smalls and the Coney Island Cyclone.