Little Italy is back!

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Last Thursday night at about 11p.m., a bouncer stood sentry outside an unmarked red door amid a sea of Italian flags and gaudy ornate storefronts, shooing away the groups of marauding guys and Canal Street-clad out-of-towners who usually prowl this touristy stretch of Mulberry Street.

His discerning eye was trained instead on the beautiful people — those like artist Nemo Librizzi, painter-filmmaker Lola Schnabel and fashion designer Bahar Shahpar — who floated down the stairs, and into the hot new subterranean haunt known as Mulberry Project, after effortlessly gaining his nod of approval.

Not too long ago, the only folks guarding this strip of Little Italy were aggressive menu-wielding waiters and old timers lounging with a coffee. But all of that is rapidly changing: The past year has seen at least a half-dozen buzzy new spots debut on Mulberry Street — some Italian, others not, but almost all catering to a young, hip scene.

CLICK HERE TO SEE A MAP OF MULBERRY STREET’S HOT RESTAURANTS

Next month, New York’s most hotly anticipated club, Le Baron, will selectively open its doors at 32 Mulberry St. An outpost of the notoriously exclusive Paris nightclub, the trés cool import is expected to attract a crowd of slumming A-list celebs à la the Beatrice Inn.

And the Mondrian Hotel, located a few blocks west of Mulberry Project on Crosby Street, will house a ground-floor bar by Armin Amiri, formerly of Socialista and Bungalow 8, just in time for Fashion Week.

Factor in posh area pioneers like GoldBar, and Little Italy is starting to look a lot like the Meatpacking District in its early days — a sceney spot once celebrated for its sordid past.

“In my view the Meatpacking District is kind of on its last legs,” says Mulberry Project partner Nick Boccio. “The populace is migrating in this direction.”

Natives concede that newcomers are looking for a hipper scene.

“Mulberry Street’s changed,” says John “Baby John” DeLutro, the landlord of Mulberry Project. Known around these parts as the “Cannoli King,” DeLutro, 56, owns Caffe Palermo, was born on Mulberry Street and attended school at St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral at the corner of Prince. He attempted to run the space as a neighborhood bar before recently handing over the reins to nightlife impresarios.

“Years ago, growing up, there was all Italians here. When our grandparents came to this country they bought these buildings for $20,000 or $30,000. Then the Chinese came along and bought these buildings for $100,000.”

Now, DeLutro says, the neighborhood is all “hippies, yuppies, whatever you want to call them.”

That change is most apparent on the stretch of Mulberry north of Broome Street, now considered part of NoLIta.

“The restaurants up there [nowadays] don’t cater to tourists, they cater to locals,” adds DeLutro.

And it’s here — smack-dab in the stiletto-clogged center of the Bowery and Lafayette and Kenmare streets — you’ll find most of the new culinary draws.

“We’re definitely targeting a different audience,” says Angelo “A.J.” Pappalardo, partner at the 3-month-old Rubirosa. The

homey yet hip spot serves delicious thin-crust pizza, not to mention satisfying homemade pastas from chef Al Di Meglio, in a nod to the foods the Staten Island-bred duo grew up on.

Perhaps most symbolic of the new era of Mulberry Street dining is the year-old hit Torrisi Italian Specialties. Located across the street from where John Gotti once held court at the Ravenite Social Club, the tiny restaurant has garnered raves for reinvigorating the Italian-American genre. By day, the shop serves deli classics such as eggplant parm sandwiches; by night, it offers a more creative interpretation of the cuisine on its $50 prix fixe menu.

“It’s very grounding to be on Mulberry,” says co-chef/owner Mario Carbone, who runs the restaurant with fellow Culinary Institute of America grad Rich Torrisi.

“It’s the most iconic Italian street in America.”

While some of the new Mulberry restaurants represent a marked, albeit tasty, departure from the street’s roots, Torrisi seems intent on bridging the old-meets-new divide. The restaurant’s stall at last year’s Feast of San Gennaro on Mulberry Street was so successful that, this year, Carbone plans to rent a bigger lot and invite all of his chef friends to cook. (No doubt an impressive bunch will attend, considering Carbone used to work for Mario Batali, and Torrisi for Daniel Boulud.)

The restaurant also works with neighboring specialty-food stalwarts such as Parisi Bakery on Mott Street and the recently expanded Di Palo Dairy on Grand Street. A framed photo of Billy Joel — whom Carbone calls “the patron saint of Italian-American restaurants” — graces the rustic room.

“I think there’s a great opportunity for both worlds to come together,” says Mulberry Project partner and mixologist Matty Gee, who grew up on the Lower East Side and calls Vincent’s on Mott Street one of his favorite restaurants.

“Change is inevitable,” he adds, noting “[ideally] you meet in the middle.”

— Additional reporting by Brian Niemietz

Mulberry magic

Transformed from tourist haven to a hip dining destination

Socarrat Paella Bar

284 Mulberry St.; 212-219-0101

Opened: December 2010

Scene: This new sibling of the Chelsea favorite offers a dark, moody setting for both amorous couples and boisterous groups.

Menu: The authentically prepared paellas steal the show, with more than half a dozen varieties available for two or more.

Torrisi Italian Specialties

250 Mulberry St.; 212-965-0955

Opened: Dec. 30, 2009; dinner service launched April 2010

Scene: Young foodies from near and far pack into the tiny dining room, with die-hards arriving at 5:30 p.m. to put their names and numbers on the waiting list.

Menu: By day, Italian-American deli classics; by night, inventive preparations on the daily-changing $50 five-course set menu.

Rubirosa

235 Mulberry St.; 212-965-0500

Opened: November 2010

Scene: If Carmine’s was cooler and cooked better pasta, this would be it. Buzzing crowd, the Supremes on the stereo.

Menu: Freshly made family-style pastas and other Italian-American fare, with addictive thin-crust pies like you’d find at Staten Island’s Joe & Pat’s. Slices available before 5 p.m.

Balaboosta

214 Mulberry St.; 212-966-7366

Opened: March 2010

Scene: The most sophisticated room on Mulberry transitions from families to fur-clad fashionistas as the evening wears on.

Menu: Israeli-born chef Einat Admony’s dynamic Mediterranean menu hums with fresh spices and herbs, not to mention unexpected accents from India, Thailand and beyond; a biodynamic-heavy wine list rounds out the offerings.

Tartinery

209 Mulberry St.; 212-300-5838

Opened: March 2010

Scene: Rustic meets modern at this chic bilevel bistro from a trio of 20-something Frenchmen.

Menu: The open-faced sandwiches, known as tartines, are the house signature, made with bread flown in from Paris’ famous Poilane bakery. The wine list includes selections from a partner’s family vineyard, Chateau Real Martin, in Provence.

Mulberry Project

149 Mulberry St.; 646-448-4536

Opened: Dec. 31, 2010

Scene: Assorted downtown artists, models and deejays mingle in this cozy subterranean haunt with a large outdoor courtyard for warm-weather frivolity. It’s a tough door after 10 p.m., so arrive early.

Menu: Bespoke cocktails with a focus on seasonal ingredients, plus tasty New American nibbles available until 2 a.m.

Le Baron

32 Mulberry St.

Opening: February 2011

Scene: Paris’ notoriously exclusive rock bar is opening an NYC offshoot in a former karaoke bar that holds maybe 200 slim people. Expect the right mix of seedy and sexy.