Profile

Beny's Delice owner David Benizeri was a caterer in New York and the south of France, and did a stint in the kitchen at Ten Bells before deciding it was time "to have a window on the street." His French bakery, a former barbershop, has a dark counter made of reclaimed wood, a shiny black tin ceiling, and four high stools for those who wish to dine in. The savory offerings reflect a Mediterranean influence. There's pan bagna, bread filled with a mix of tuna, olives, cucumbers, boiled egg, radish, and other veggies ("like a Nicoise salad but without the potatoes," he says); a selection of salads, classic jambeur (ham, cornichons, and butter on baguette); and a rotating selection of friands filled with things like spiced ground beef or pear and goat cheese. Tarik Slamani, Benizeri's former catering collaborator, oversees the sweet side of the operation with a "very, very, traditional French" pastry case. Look for berry tartlettes, puffy religieuses filled with chocolate pastry cream, and a selection of madeleines and other small cookies packed to travel in tiny cellophane bags. Coffee is La Colombe and the bread comes from Pain d'Avignon.