Even with our economy in the toilet, a casual stroll through Downtown reveals a wellspring of new restaurants that broke ground before their investors could foresee the current-day crisis.

December saw the arrival of Operacaffe (reviewed in our Feb. 5 issue), while the Se Hotel recently made way for Suite & Tender, a new steakhouse that puts designer cutlery in your hands. In the East Village, signs are posted for three upcoming eateries, which too, will require a prayer and a blessing to weather these difficult times.

And then there’s the hugely spacious Merk concealed at the base of the Keating Hotel, a historic structure formerly known as The Mercantile Building. Operated by a group of real estate and business types, the restaurant’s stunning two-level interior was conceived by the legendary Italian design firm, Pininfarina (think Ferrari, Maserati and Boston’s Green Line streetcars).

Splashes of red are mixed with lustrous wood flooring, solid black walls, interior brick fortifications (including the ceiling) and a wildly illuminated bar, all making you feel as though you’ve stepped back into better days. The restroom utilities are pretty cool, too. For now at least, The Merk proves a stylish distraction from the daily news of massive foreclosures and job cuts.

Chef Brian Rutherford’s Italian-inspired menu is reasonably affordable – not dirt cheap, but feasible if you order wisely. Service is obliging. And the meals aren’t compromised by lowly ingredients, not even in a basic entrée of linguini – Romano, for example.

The linguine is tossed tableside, within a hefty wheel of pecorino Romano that looks like it rolled straight off of an Italian dairy farm. The noodles grab a fair amount of cheese in the process, and they’re pointed up with a dash of salt and chili oil. Accompanied by my mother who was visiting from the Northeast, it became her favorite dish of the evening, and at $15, it’s among the lowest priced entrees.

The menu is succinct in its main courses, with only three items listed in each of the categories: pasta, fish and meat. Penne with marinara and meatballs and penne with spicy tomato sauce, cream and citrus vodka are the remaining pasta choices – a radical departure compared to the rambling offerings seen on other Italian menus.

From the meat section, fresh herbs and creamy gorgonzola were the crowning jewels on a charbroiled rib eye steak, cooked “medium” as we requested. Substantial in size, the chop was served with good and fleshy fingerling potatoes, plus baby carrots that were a little underdone. Other choices include pancetta-wrapped filet mignon in red wine reduction and chicken breast stuffed with feta, spinach, basil and sun-dried tomatoes.

We skipped the fish entrees (pesto salmon, swordfish alla verde and seared scallops) because we had already sampled the scallops in appetizer form – $16 versus $20. The plate featured a trio of large day boaters spiced with traces of basil oil and roasted garlic. They were as sweet as honey, pearly on the inside and impeccably caramelized around the edges.

Pizzas are available in personal and 10-inch sizes. Meat lovers can opt for toppings that include sausage, prosciutto, capacolla or pepperoni, while vegetarians take comfort in artichoke hearts, roasted peppers, pineapple and the like. Though wherever you go on the menu Chef Rutherford manages to sneak in a little heat from chili peppers, a welcome addition to his lobster-shrimp bisque and to the snappy marinara sauce that accompanied crispy risotto balls. Or with the scallops, he paired them with a small pile of beet greens on the side that were speckled with bits of spicy capacolla sausage to impart extra verve.

For dessert we tried homemade lime cheesecake, which was nothing more or nothing less than what the name implies, except to say that I prefer stronger notes of citrus. Espresso chocolate mousse tasted livelier, with plenty of air captured inside the decadently light mixture.

The Merk leads to a sexy basement nightclub called Minus One Lounge, replete with liquor lockers and VIP bottle service. With the addition of 35 rooms overhead, designed also by Pininfarina, the property is a red-hot playground greeted by a cold economy. But as history has shown, people lust for food and style when the going gets rough. And this spot carries all the trappings to temporarily thaw your worries.