Lucien--Manhattan

212.260.6481

Man oh man. There's so many restuarants in this fucking city that it seems all but impossible to keep up. And forget Williamsburg/Greenpoint, every day another place is popping up selling local sustainable products. Just what I need, more green mac and cheese. That's why I love the East Village, because if you can last there more than a year, and you have a solid lease, you'll be there for a decade or two. Enter Lucien, the cute little French place on 1st Avenue.

What makes this place so special? Well for one, it's authentically simple. It's French. The cuisine is French, the staff is French, the menu is in French, you know what you're getting. Secondly, it's cozy and quaint but at the same time sociable and boisterous. It's a local French place. It doesn't rely on a bridge and tunnel scene, or perhaps a foodie network of adventurous eaters, it does what it does and the people in the neighborhood come and go and are generally happy that it exists for them to come and get a table in an unabashed French place. Lastly, it's well balanced between reasonably priced and fine food quality.

Iconman? What's this? Why aren't you talking about the hot skinny looking mime that always seems to work there (she does)? Or the way the gay host/waiter was so touchy feely he got you half mast with his little back massage (he did)? What's this tame, almost seemingly professional review of a boring, neighborhood French place? What happened?

Well beloved nine truth be told enough hair has fallen out of my head that I've learned that a steady dose of asshole (even when it's so well written) gets a little boring. This place checks out. And I suggest checking it out.