If only Edith Wharton were alive to see Allen & Delancey. It looks like a set piece from The Age of Innocence -- elegant, clandestine and bookish, but too dark for reading unless candles are all you require. Downtown up-and-comers and up-to-the-minute Uptowners meet at this Lower East Side bus stop corner for modern American food via British chef Neil Ferguson. He proves, unlike the novel's message, that the passion of an individual can conquer the power of a hypercritical group. It's hard to find fault with
sea scallops in celery root cream with braised cipollini onions ($16). Leeks vinaigrette with truffled fingerling potatoes and prosciutto shavings ($12) are just as pleasing. Ferguson worked in France and survived many years working for the tetchy Gordon Ramsay in London. From such training, you know that his cabbage, beef and onions ($29) will be a sumptuous, whimsical affair, not your archetypal pub food. Slow roasted porkbelly with pickled pear and fenugreek syrup ($22) is rich and comforting. Cod filet with artichokes and peppers ($24) is good if you're in the mood for fish, but not astonishing in any event. I was dazzled, however, by the cheese plate ($15) from Saxelby Cheesemongers in the Essex Street Market. If you're economizing, stop in at the enchanting bar for a vintage cocktail or glass of old world wine. It's a destination that makes you feel as if you've arrived.115 Allen St., (212) 253-5400.