Add another worthy lunch destination to the expanding list of eateries in and around the old South Street Seaport. Table Tales, the diminutive storefront to caterer Grace Clerihew’s expanding operations, opened stealthily two years ago, just north of the Seaport on Water Street and after some early-stage growing pains, is now really hitting its stride. Not very long ago, getting a taste of Clerihew’s food required an VIP invite to a Hugo Boss event or a seat at a catered board meeting at one of the nearby financial service companies on Wall Street, but now, her satisfyingly homestyle food is available to anybody wandering through the neighborhood. Don’t think for a second we’re missing our chance.

At lunchtime, the range of hot and cold sandwiches rarely disappoints. We love how the buttermilk chicken sandwich (pictured left, $8.50) elevates the humble –and surprisingly moist–breast with a crispy coating of buttermilk and flour, along with a tangy, ‘cajun’ mayonnaise studded with red and yellow peppers. Then there is the savory pressed ham ‘prosciutto cotto‘ sandwich (pictured below, $8.25) busting with thin slices of sweet-savory ham against a schmear of goat cheese. This might be a perfect pork coldcut sandwich, were it not for an occasionally aggressive application of mustard–ask for a gentle hand with the dijon. Better than both of these is the delightfully messy corned beef reuben ($8.25), made the traditional way with sauerkraut, swiss cheese and zesty Russian dressing on rye, then modernized by pressing it flat and crunchy in a hot sandwich press. If there were a pastrami version, we might never eat lunch elsewhere.

As good as the sandwiches can be at Table Tales, the side dishes are notable enough to order on their own. Particularly meritorious is the potato salad - made with sour cream and a strong hit of dill, it is like a distillation of Stockholm in springtime. Baked goods are another strength–especially the gooey, chunky chocolate chip cookies that miraculously never seem to fall apart.

One minor downside to Table Tales is that at the end of the day, it can’t hide its status as adjunct to the much-larger catering operation. Judging from the number of people moving in and out of the shop, there is clearly plenty of action happening behind the door to the kitchen, which we suspect of being twice the size of the dining room. This has a practical consequence for diners, in that if you arrive too late–much past 12:30 on a weekday–the four small tables and the communal eating area are filled with hungry customers. So until Clerihew redeploys some of the real estate from the catering side to the restaurant, we recommend you get your order in before noon. Otherwise, there just won’t be any Table Tales left to be told.

Table Tales, 243 Water Street, between Fulton Street and Peck Slip, 212-766-2370.