I have been going to Lucien in the East Village (1st Ave. between 1st and 2nd Streets) for over 10 years. It may seem odd in a city with so many superb restaurants of different cuisines and levels of formality, but Lucien is my favorite!
The atmosphere, in all fairness, is nothing special... but it has a rustic charm that I love. I prefer to sit in the front section. The best table is the one along the banquet that is closest to the bar, that way you can use the edge of the bar to hold some of your (tiny) table's contents... like the wine bottle or the bread basket.
Every time I go, I get the same thing. It's terrible that I do that, but I just can't help it. There are many other tasty things that I'd like to eat... but I have to get my regulars: endive salad, scallops grenobloise and cinnamon ice cream for dessert! For wine, it has to be Champagne or Bordeaux (red).
Here is the endive salad. I love how they don't mess with tradition... it's just endive, walnuts, and bleu with some traditional dressing.
Here's one of those things I should be trying... but I always end up getting the super delicious scallops grenobloise.
The tarte tatin is good... but the cinnamon ice cream is the best thing on the plate, so I've just started skipping the tarte and having them bring a martini glass of cinnamon ice cream. It's not on the menu, but they are always happy to do it.
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