object of desire
Close Shave
As every good gastronome knows, it's Tuber magnatum season; to plain old foodies, that's white-truffle time. From now until the end of December, restaurants from Da Silvano to Alain Ducasse are larding their menus with the famous "white diamonds" of Italy's Piedmont region, thinly shaving them over everything from scallops to scrambled eggs. At the moment, according to the Queens-based importer Urbani, the irresistibly fragrant and incredibly expensive Alba truffle is fetching $1,300 to $2,000 per pound, depending on grade. Some European restaurants charge per gram, or by the paper-thin slice, leaving it to the diner to tell the waiter when to call it quits. In New York, though, most restaurants simply add a flat (and hefty) truffle surcharge.

But for those who like to know exactly what they're getting for their money, Fiamma partners Stephen Hanson and Michael White have an ingenious— if pricey — solution: As an alternative to their $225 six-course truffle tasting, chef White offers a similar menu for $85 plus the cost of your own hand-picked "super-extra" grade whole Alba truffle, ranging from 40 to 80 grams at $7 per gram, weighed tableside on a sleek kitchen scale. Then you determine how much you'd like showered over your sautéed sea scallops, branzino with braised Savoy cabbage, handmade garganelli with butter and Parmigiano, and roasted breast of guinea hen. Whatever's left over is placed in a stylish paper box— the Tiffany of doggie bags— to take home for breakfast. You supply the eggs. —ROB PATRONITE
Fiamma
206 Spring Street
212-653-0100

best of the week
A Taste of Grand Central
Proof that a food court can offer far more than French fries: Ten bucks gets you two days' worth of world-class nibbles from Cipriani Dolci, Zócalo, Custard Beach, and most of the restaurants on the concourse level.
Grand Central Terminal
October 19 and 20


shopping
Shell Collection
When you don't have time (or a caterer) to spend hours slaving over little cocktail bits for your next party, Elinor Ilin and Amnon Lifshitz of the infant company Shellco will come to the rescue. Their selection of crisp, delicate handmade tart shells, until now available only to caterers, come in three "one bite" shapes— fluted, cup, and rectangle — and a variety of flavors like blue and yellow corn, savory, sweet, and chocolate. Just fill them with something piquant like curried chicken, guacamole, seviche, or lemon curd for professional-looking hors d'oeuvre. You might also finish the party with Shellco's intensely flavored, tiny cookies: chocolate, coffee, and low-fat-and-low-sugar sunflower and sesame. (Thirty-six-pack of fluted shells, $25; twenty-pack of cups and rectangles, $17; pack of 28 to 30 cookies, $15.) —GILLIAN DUFFY
Available exclusively from:
Dean & DeLuca
560 Broadway
212-431-1691

first taste
Movin' Out
When Mark Strausman (pictured) opened Chinghalle two years ago in the then-hot meatpacking district, it made a short-lived splash. Earlier this month, he turned up across the river in another trendy neighborhood — and barely made a ripple. But that's about to change, as soon as Park Slope discovers that the guiding culinary force behind Campagna and Fred's at Barneys has taken over the kitchen at Cucina. "I love this neighborhood," says Strausman, who doesn't harbor such warm feelings for Gansevoort Street, where Chinghalle fell victim to the economy (and lukewarm reviews) in January.

To satisfy the current appetite for comfort food and value, he's scaled down his prices and ambitions, turning out "good, simple food people can eat every night." An apt description for nutty grilled hen-of-the-woods mushrooms over soppressata and arugula; lusciously garlicky tomato and white-bean bruschetta; tangy, barely cheesed eggplant Parmesan; and signature Strausman pastas (toothsome penne in a creamy spinach sauce, the famous Campagna lasagna), all graciously available by the half-order ($7–$9) so you can pace yourself for diet-be-damned entrées like veal Parmesan and tender "Cucina steak" machelleria-style, invigorated with black pepper and homemade steak sauce. Strausman seems destined to become a local hero. Good thing: He's planning to move there.
Cucina
256 Fifth Avenue, near Carroll Street
718-230-0711