The Brooklyn Papers / Greg Mango

Take a dip: Grand Central chef Justin Avery's shrimp dip, made with shrimp, cocktail sauce, horseradish, cream cheese, Monterey cheese, cheddar cheese and scallions, is paired with a Louis Jadot Macon Chardonay.

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Some restaurants open like Athena popping forth from Zeus’ head - fully formed and ready for battle. Others, like Grand Central, a restaurant and bar in Williamsburg, take longer to evolve.

Opened just three months ago, Grand Central hasn’t reached the heights its owners, Jesse and Marea Alverio, hoped for. Their first chef, Brian Perry, formerly of Al Di La in Park Slope, stuck around just long enough to put a few panini on the menu before leaving with his butterscotch caramel cheesecake.

Justin Avery, the new man in the kitchen, a former military sergeant from Louisiana with the buzz cut, "Yes ma’ms" and "No ma’ms" to prove it - isn’t quite a chef yet. Working behind the stove is new to him, and while he’s earnest, his output needs fine-tuning.

The waitress, charming but a little green, handed us menus as we entered with an "Um, here."

And Grand Central isn’t a neighborhood hangout yet either, although the Alverios designate a different activity each evening hoping to draw the locals inside - witness the two guys shooting pool during a Thursday evening "tournament."

The Alverios’ first venture, The PourHouse, a bar in Williamsburg that opened in 1999, does not have a kitchen. When PourHouse patrons get hungry, they’re offered takeout menus so they can drink beer and have pizza, too - delivered right to their barstools.

"[With Grand Central] the goal was to offer the neighborhood another bar where pool players and poets would feel right at home, but with much more," says Jesse.

Once the stick-wielders and wordsmiths realize Grand Central is both a restaurant and a bar - there was some confusion at first, as up until Dec. 21, when the dining room tables were traded for sofas, a passerby peering into the window would see a long room with only tables - they’ll amble over for the 12 draught beers and 19 bottled ones, and a small but well-chosen wine list. In the spring, when the garden is complete, patrons can sit outdoors with a glass of pinot grigio and panino.

While indoors, I’d pass on the winter menu’s green salad of fresh mixed lettuce in an under-salted dressing that needed vinegar. Instead, go for the shrimp dip with crisp slices of Italian bread. It’s cocktail party fare circa 1965 - served in a small white bowl atop a large platter ringed with the toast. The dip is pretty in pink, creamy with an after-bite of horseradish and Worcestershire sauce. The only thing missing is a sprinkling of paprika; no ’60s hostess would omit that touch.

A few garnishes on the main course plating would go a long way. Williamsburg is (or was) an artists’ community, so visuals are important.

On its own, the panino, a pressed sandwich and Grand Central’s one entree offering, isn’t much to look at. Unlike other sandwiches where the layers of filling are visible, a panino’s sealed edges cover most of its ingredients - essentially, it’s a beige square cut into two triangles. To make it appealing, the sandwich needs a little garnish, either a small mound of greens drizzled with tart vinaigrette, a few slices of ripe fruit, maybe a ramekin of coleslaw, even a pickle, to enhance its looks.

Still, it’s what is inside that really counts. And what’s inside Grand Central’s panino is pretty good. Leg of lamb is braised in port wine and topped with browned sage butter and Swiss cheese. The wine tempers the taste of the meat and the butter and cheese add a bit of luxury.

With a glass of cold beer, the Nena Cubana, or Cuban sandwich, of tender, sweet pork shoulder, slices of ham, Swiss cheese and pickle topped with spicy, cumin-flavored mojo dressing, makes a fine light dinner.

The portobello sandwich of caramelized onions, roasted peppers, slices of mozzarella and thick pieces of mushroom, would be better with a smear of pesto or something garlicky to elevate it from the doldrums.

For total carbohydrate meltdown, there’s the s’more dessert. (S’more, as in, "I want some more.") If you joined the scouts, this particular sweet - chocolate and marshmallows sandwiched between graham crackers - will be nostalgia-tinged. If you were too cool for any of that, you may want to skip this gooey dessert. It’s a s’more all right - a grilled milk chocolate sandwich spread with marshmallow fluff - that doesn’t cut it as an adult dessert.

Right now, Grand Central feels like anything but, which isn’t a bad thing. In a neighborhood where restaurants have indoor pools and every bartender shakes a flavor-of-the-week martini, it’s still refreshing to find a quiet place for a beer and a decent sandwich.

Grand Central (659 Grand St. at Manhattan Avenue in Williamsburg) accepts Visa, MasterCard and American Express. Entrees: $7-$8.50. Grand Central serves dinner from Tuesday through Sunday; Saturday and Sunday brunch is served 10 am-4 pm. Bar service only on Mondays. For information, call (718) 387-5515.

©2004 Community Newspaper Group