Restaurant Guide 2005

To call Navarre a tapas bar would omit the nuanced intimacy and boutique charm of the place: long community tables, shelves groaning with jars of pickles and preserves, whisper-thin water glasses, the hand-scrawled menu offering more than 20 small plates in multiple portion sizes. Nightly specials take advantage of seasonal offerings—smoky morels shaved into a crêpe, crunchy asparagus dressed with saffron-scented mussels. Since everything is served à la carte (and a little on the petite side), diners can experiment with stinky cheeses and chunky pâtés without drowning in arresting flavors—contrast might come from a bright radish, a cornichon, a mellow scoop of endive. A glass of one of the many red wines rounds out a delightful, unhurried evening. (ED)