Shea Gallante's Chevalier Now Soft Open in the Ultra-Luxe Baccarat Hotel

Chevalier, the modern French restaurant in Midtown's glamorous new Baccarat Hotel (that's the same Baccarat as the crystal company), is now in soft opening mode. The restaurant, which is the work of Cru alum Shea Gallante and La Grenouille's long-time maitre d' Charles Masson, doesn't officially open until April 9, but as Zagat reports and a call confirms, anyone can get dinner there tonight.

Masson says friends and family was last week, and this week the restaurant is hosting what he describes as "preview dinners." That means the menu is limited for now, but the restaurant is open to the public. It will serve dinner through Saturday, then close through Tuesday in order to host some private events. When April 9 rolls around, it will begin serving Gallante's complete menu.

That menu has not yet been revealed, but Gallante has been serving a menu of bar snacks at the Baccarat Bar, which opened last month. Those snacks, which include tuna tartare with dashi, duck pastrami sliders, and housemade terrines and pates, should give some idea of what to expect – French food with a handful of other influences, upscale but not too uptight. Given the impressive backgrounds of both Gallante and Masson, this is likely to be a pristine operation.