During the summer my food consumption goes down—most days I'm content to nibble on a few well-dressed leaves of lettuce or perhaps indulge in a well-grilled piece of fish. Tappo, a new salumeria-cum-bistro in the East Village, seems to understand this. My friend had selected it for its Euro-mandated smoker-friendly room, but I knew I'd found the answer to my own needs the minute I entered. The meat case in the front was packed with fresh fish and steaks and topped with bottles of olives and a garland or two of sausages, in the manner of a Greek taverna. The room was filled with long scrubbed-wood tables and the occasional four-top, each bearing a vase of summery-hued garden flowers. The front room boasted large French doors hung with curtains that fluttered intermittently in a welcome breeze, and the smokers' section off the kitchen offered occasional glimpses of the masters at work. In each, seating for twos or larger groups is at communal tables, just close enough to share the space and distant enough not to be bothered by anyone's... More >>>