TRIBECA — The much-anticipated Sarabeth's Tribeca welcomed its first customers Wednesday afternoon, offering a free, early taste of the menu before the upscale eatery officially launches next week.
"I'm almost in tears — I'm so excited," said Sarabeth Levine, founder of the eponymous chain of bakeries and brunch spots, which she started with her husband the Upper West Side in 1981.
The new 240-seat TriBeCa location — in the airy 5,000-square-foot former Bazzini grocery and nut shop at 339 Greenwich St. — is the biggest Sarabeth's yet, with a large bar, brand-new pizza oven and 3,000-square-foot kitchen.
Although Sarabeth's Tribeca won't officially open until 8 a.m. Aug. 30, Levine welcomed friends and neighborhood walk-ins on Wednesday for a practice run, dishing out free lobster rolls with homemade potato chips, shrimp risotto with pancetta and asparagus and crème brulee.
"It's fantastic," said Jimmy Graceffo, 53, who lives across the street in Independence Plaza North. "We've been waiting for this for a long time."
Levine, 68, an Upper West Side resident, had hoped to open the new Sarabeth's last year, but the construction and permitting took longer than expected. Workers overhauled the former grocery store, leaving the large windows in the front and adding cozy dining areas in the back, including a party and meeting space with a video screen.
The menu includes many Sarabeth's classics, like the muffins and orange-apricot jam that earned Levine a loyal following, but it also features some new dishes and includes a broader dinner selection.
One of Levine's favorite new items is an heirloom tomato salad with blue cheese, peaches, arugula and smoked almonds. She is also excited about the sea scallops with baby fennel and gnocchi.
"You have to keep pushing the ceiling," Levine said. "You're only as good as your last croissant."
At a quiet table on the edge of the dining room as the lunch rush wound down, Florence Troia, a longtime TriBeCa resident, said she was sad when Bazzini, one of neighborhood's last wholesale businesses, closed almost two years ago. But she was glad to see a popular restaurant like Sarabeth's investing in the neighborhood.
"I don't usually go to any restaurant without a tablecloth," Troia said with a smile, "but I'll come here."
