A Cut Above By Gary Lee Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, May 24, 2000

Now, the menu is refreshingly basic -- ratatouille, tarte citron and other Parisian standbys -- with a couple of zingers thrown in. (The tripes gratinees is a favored hangover antidote, says chef Sasha Lyon.) But Greenwich Village's Chez Jacqueline, or any number of its peers, can dish out more sumptuous, authentic bistro fare.

I doubt, however, that any of them could boast the gaggle of stunning women and men glued to the bar stools on a warm, sunny Saturday. Nor are any seeing this nonstop flow of couples dangling cell phones who stagger out of cabs and are then turned away for lack of reservations.

The hip-spot-of-the-moment halo hangs above Pastis (and will probably linger there for at least the rest of the summer) and made it a logical first stop of my latest weekend in New York. Pastis is so up-to-the-minute that no phone books list it yet; e-mail (frontdesk@pastisny.com) is probably the most popular way to reserve a table.

Most of what's brought Pastis fame is the location, smack in the middle of the hip, happening Meatpacking District. When the buzz about the area first reached me a year and a half ago, I tried to dismiss it as a passing fancy.

But the neighborhood -- also known to some as the Tenderloin -- is here to stay. For youthful New Yorkers, checking out the rush of new restaurants and late-night clubs here has become a certified pastime. Having dined at trendy new eateries in SoHo and worn thin the floors of East Village dance spots, cutting-edge New Yorkers in their twenties and thirties -- not to mention tourists -- come here for an afternoon or evening to be a part of the Next Big Scene.

Curious to see what could be attracting so much attention in such an unlikely corner of Manhattan -- the commercial packing houses that gave the area its name are still mostly operating -- I recently spent a couple of days wandering its streets. Situated just south of Chelsea, the four-block-square district is bordered by Ninth Avenue on the east, the Hudson River on the west, 14th Street on the north and Gansevoort Street on the south. Until a couple of years ago, New Yorkers knew it as home to a concentration of low-rise beef warehouses plus a few late-night gay leather clubs and Cafe Florent, a diner with good food and Big Apple character. Almost overnight, a cluster of trendy galleries, cafes and boutiques have squeezed into the neighborhood.

Emboldened with attitude by brunch, a couple of friends and I made a sweep through Jeffrey New York, a fashion boutique that's become the talk of the Meatpacking crowd quicker than you can say "Visa or MasterCard?" The price tags explained nothing, and everything: $1,995 for a stylish tuxedo by Yves Saint Laurent, $615 for a basic white sweater that carried a label identifying it as "a stereotypical men's cardigan"; $350 and up for women's shoes from Prada.

A fountain gurgled softly in the center; a disc jockey spun house music in one corner. The crowds of thirty-something browsers gave the store the feel of a fantasyland mall. The Manhattan branch of an Atlanta store, this is a place for platinum-card carriers, shoppers who check the label first and the clothing second. For us, it was more amusement ride than shopping trip. When the fifth clerk asked whether he could help us, we found the exit.

Heller Gallery, across the street, came next. Specializing in contemporary sculptures of glass and wood, it had two spacious floors of boldly colored oversize vases. It's one of a half-dozen or so art galleries that have moved to the district from SoHo or 57th Street.

"I guess you can say that we are trendsetters," said co-owner Michael Heller. "We moved to SoHo when it was nothing but a group of warehouses and stayed for 16 years. Now we've got a long-term lease here. This neighborhood is only going to get bigger."

It's after dark, when the beef warehouses are quiet, that another kind of animal spirit emerges in the district. A few late-night clubs have been here for years, but others have opened recently. On a Saturday night, I bounced from one dark venue to another.

After I finally made my way through the trademark shiny gold door of Mother, one of the district's best-liked clubs (particularly for its fetish scene on Saturdays), I settled in for a few hours of people-watching. Here were cross-dressers in designer evening wear. There were club kids in overalls and T-shirts. Mother is the sort of hangout where the patrons consider checking each other out as a kind of sport -- one interrupted by the occasional wild dance to the techno and house music that blasts through the night.

In four years, the area will surely have that polished SoHo gleam. I can imagine Maggio's Beef replaced on one corner by Dean & DeLuca and a no-frills hotel on another corner supplanted by hotelier Ian Schrager's latest vision of boutique accommodations.

For now, however, it's a neighborhood happily in transition.

The newfound attention of gawkers, meanwhile, is something the visitor should keep in mind. I dropped in to Hogs & Heifers, a dark warehouse beer hall known for its towering array of bras displayed behind the bar (left over the years by women patrons). "I'm not drinking anything at the moment," I told the barmaid. A sassy-looking woman dressed in a black spaghetti halter, she watched me taking stock of the joint.

"This isn't Grand Central," she said finally, not at all softly. "If you just want to pass through, go to Penn Station."

GETTING THERE: Amtrak can get you to New York for as little as $67 each way (800-872-7245, www.amtrak.com).

BEING THERE: Brunch at Pastis (212-929-4844) was $70 for two. Dinner's a bit pricier. If tasty food and quiet are your favor, try Le Gans (212-675-5224), a wonderful French bistro across the street. Dinner for two runs about $90. Clustered along W. 14th Street are Jeffrey New York (212-206-1272), Heller Gallery (212-414-4104) and Mother (212-366-5680), the last a hot club best suited for hardened late-night partiers -- who might also want to call ahead to check on the night's theme. (Friday is ladies night, for instance.)

WHERE TO STAY: One option near the Meatpacking District is the funky Chelsea Hotel, 222 W. 23rd St., 212-243-3700, www.chelseahotel.com . Doubles about $225.

DETAILS: N.Y. Convention & Visitors Bureau, 212-484-1222, www.nycvisit.com.

Okay, an easy one. Almost every entrant knew that Jockey's Ridge at Nags Head, N.C., is considered the tallest natural sand dune on the East Coast (80 to 100 feet, depending on yesterday's weather; the Great Dune at Delaware's Cape Henlopen State Park is a close second). Many of you also related fond memories of climbing the dune -- some as far back as 40 years ago, when its 420-acre girth was considerably taller and farther northeast. (It's migrating southwest and shrinking; in 1983, the dune was 138 feet high.) Out of the Correct Entry Hat came the name of Suzanne Kraft of Alexandria, who gets a copy of The Post's getaway guide, "Escape Plans" (which, used wisely, can produce memories you'll still fondly recall 40 years from now). If you hike the 1.5-mile, desertlike "Tracks in the Sand" trail this summer, wear shoes: The sand gets really hot. Up top you'll have a great view of the Carolina coast, and the 10- to 15-mph prevailing winds are ideal for flying kites or hang gliding. There's also a shorter boardwalk interpretive trail. Jockey's Ridge State Park (252-441-7132) also offers beach access to Roanoke Sound, where sailboarding is popular.

We move on now to other high places, aka Escapes Trivia #13:

Where can you climb to the top of the largest conical earthen burial mound in the country?

Deadline for Contest #13 entries is noon Friday, May 26. Send entries by email (escapist@washpost.com; put the phrase "Escapes Trivia" in the subject field), fax (202-334-1069) or U.S. mail (Escapes Trivia, Washington Post Travel section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071). Winners, chosen at random from among correct entries, will receive a copy of The Post's "Escape Plans" getaway guide, or other prizes as announced. One entry per person per contest. Employees of The Post are ineligible to win prizes. Entries become the property of The Post, which reserves the right to edit, distribute or republish them in any form, including electronically. Escapes Trivia questions are compiled by Amy Brecount White for The Washington Post.