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Lower Manhattan seems to have found a one-man preservation crew in Soda Shop co-owner Craig Béro. Béro lent his restorative mojo to the Cosmopolitan Hotel and began renovating a space that what was once a ladies' lunch counter in the 1800s, and which is now the European-style Cosmopolitan Café. The menu reflects that desire, with items like pan au chocolat, espresso from the bar’s antique Fiorenzato machine, and the usual assortment of focaccia sandwiches, olives, and prosciutto.  The reconstruction of the space is meticulous, with artifacts including Béro’s own great-grandfather’s icebox and an original billboard from the hotel boasting “300 steam-heated rooms,” which Béro uncovered from the “vault” — underground tunnels once used for the city’s water supply. — Alexandra Vallis