THIS CHARMING BISTRO represents an unusual confluence of French talent, especially for the city’s Little Italy. Your resident Strasbourgeois mixologist, Maxime Hoerth, worked in Paris at the über-swanky bar at the George V, eventually managing it before moving on to do the same at Le Bar du Bristol. Then there’s his fellow Alsatian — multi-award-winning sommelier Jonathan Bauer-Monneret and his wife, chef Martine Bauer, whose French kitchen experience includes Hôtel de Matignon. For a snack or a full-on dining experience, you can’t make a wrong move at Pompette, though you’ll want to start with the cocktail list. Try the signature nitro colada, a lightened version of the piña colada, made with centrifuge-clarified pineapple juice. Then, as you move on to some prettily executed classic bistro starters — say, the scallops carpaccio with celeriac and dill, or the gnocchi à la parisienne with escargot and persillade — it will be time to delve into the impressive wine list. Desserts are classical and the service professional and discreet. The franchise continues to expand: Bar Pompette, opened in 2021, is joined this year by Bakery Pompette. Little Italy… watch out. The French are moving in.

The patio when the weather is fair.

Tuna crudo, tonato sauce, anchoïade 

Sole meunière, clam and potato ragout, Brussels sprouts

Photos: Jessica Blaine Smith, John Cullen

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