(Photo: Courtesy of Corton)

What does the determined restaurateur do when he wants to give a well-known, long-lived property a new identity? Change the name, radically reinvent the décor, and hire a buzzy new chef. Drew Nieporent has done all of the above to Montrachet, the restaurant he opened in 1985, when Tribeca was a backwater and opening chef David Bouley was unknown. Corton, like Montrachet, refers to a Côte de Beaune grand cru, and its wine list retains its predecessor’s Burgundian focus. The food will still be modern French, too, as interpreted by Paul Liebrandt, a chef who garnered a cult following (and a sometimes culinarily controversial rep) at Atlas and Gilt. His $76 three-course prix fixe offers dishes like crispy amadai with garlic, Serrano ham, and young coconut juice, and desserts by Robert Truitt, late of Room 4 Dessert and El Bulli. At once intimate and modern, the new design incorporates a narrow window providing a glimpse of the action in the reinvigorated kitchen. 239 W. Broadway, nr. White St.; 212-219-2777. Late September.

Related:

• Archive: “Guides”
• Articles by Robin Raisfeld | Rob Patronite
• Table of Contents: Sep 1, 2008 issue of New York | Subscribe!