BLT Market

1430 Sixth Ave., at Central Park South; (212) 521-6125
Lunch, 11:45 a.m.-2 p.m., Mon.-Fri.; brunch, 11:45 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Sat.-Sun.; dinner, Mon.-Sun., 5:30-10 p.m.
CUISINE Seasonal New American
VIBE Farmhouse chic
OCCASION Family dinner, pampered affair
DON'T MISS DISH Veal-and-pork ricotta meatballs, American kobe skirt steak.
PRICE Appetizers, $12-$21; entrees, $26-$38; desserts, $9-$11.
RESERVATIONS Recommended.

When the chef launched BLT Steak, he lured with freshly baked popovers just as suavely as he persuaded with a succulent porterhouse. Now Laurent Tourondel runs a booming corporation: BLT Fish, BLT Prime and BLT Burger are all notches on his rapidly expanding belt.

At BLT Market, he bows to both seasonal and artisanal themes. It's impossible to miss the signs. Just check in at the hostess stand; whitewashed shelves are stacked with artisanal goods: domestic olive oils, as well as vinegars and syrups from across the country.

It's a charmed space - with vibrant vegetable paintings, antique gardening tools and oak-plank floors - that eclipses its posh Ritz-Carlton address. Rustic wood tables are set with rosemary plants, and paper placemats wear seasonal catch phrases.

Tourondel playfully welcomes with gussied-up pigs in a blanket: a Schaller and Weber beef-and-pork hot dog, wrapped up in a homemade Gruyère-flecked pastry and topped with sauerkraut and mustard. It's a homespun amuse-bouche that makes a gratifying argument for the trickle-up dining effect. At lunchtime, you'll find a mix of power-lunch brokers, jet-setters and BLT admirers soaking up the sunlight as they partake in decorated sandwiches and Black Angus burgers.

Lunch may be your best bet: Only then can you reap the benefits of the excellent roasted leg of lamb panini, doused with fontina and caramelized onions. Or a very fine blue-cheese-capped burger. Even the seven-pepper-crusted skirt steak - a buttery, rich slab - is only available before dusk. The dinnertime seven-pepper-crusted rendition, a New York strip, wasn't nearly as satisfying a cut of meat.

Of course, many engaging dishes appear on both the lunch and dinner menus. Fluffy veal-and-pork meatballs are a must. Unusually light, these robust meatballs are lavished with dollops of ricotta, a garlicky tomato sauce and pea shoots. The semi-smoked wild salmon arrives tied up with bacon - like a thick filet, and nearly as luscious as one, though the floppy bacon failed to deliver a properly crisp casing.

On my fourth visit, I was relieved to find that an overdressed watermelon-and-tomato salad retired with summer. But the stuffed chicken did not: Rubbery skin clings to flavorless meat, and a side of mushy tomatoes only added insult to an injured bird. What struck me most about many dishes was that none of the ingredients revealed themselves as singularly superior. Such was the case with a raw tuna in an assemblage of tuna confit, avocado and hearts of palm. On its own, the tuna sashimi wasn't nearly distinguished enough to merit market-fresh billing. This was also true of a Jasper Hill Bartlett blue cheese - not remarkably sharp - with leeks, candied walnuts and prosciutto.

However, a sumptuous pear tarte tatin shines, folded with an exquisite almond frangipane and skirted by port sauce.

Though BLT Market doesn't critically raise the bar for the market-driven restaurant, Tourondel once again proves himself an able chef, a gracious host and a versatile entrepreneur.