Lucien

Rating: 2/5 

Price: $263 for two; $147 for food, $72 for drinks, $44 tip

Atmosphere: Night out on the town 

Cuisine: French 

My first apartment in New York was down the street from Lucien, on St. Marks Place and Avenue A. I ate at the French staple regularly, almost always opting for the steak frites. Occasionally I would stumble in after a night out for some of the garlic covered escargot and a martini to close out the evening.

It’s been a few years since I’ve been back to Lucien having moved farther west, but I’ve always held it in high regard. Since its opening in 1998 by the Morocco-born New Yorker Lucien Bahaj, the restaurant has had a loyal following, particularly with the Who’s Who of the downtown scene. However, in recent years it seems to have taken on a new life in terms of its clientele, most notably Kanye West celebrating the birthday of his then girlfriend a few months back.

On this particular evening we decided to forgo the lively scene inside where Abba rocked the warmly-lit room and instead sat outside to enjoy the last hint of summer; a decision we would soon regret with the humming and exhaust of the M15 bus as it pulled up tableside as if to say “can I refill your water?”

Under the notion of “if it’s not broken don’t fix it” it is worth noting that the menu at Lucien has not changed since its inception, hitting all the highlights that you would expect of a French bistro. We started with the Escargots de Bourgogne; the kitchen does not hold back on the garlic making these plump snails as delicious as I remember. We then moved on to the Salade d'Artichaux which we found a bit underwhelming and light on artichokes, but left a clean plate nonetheless. Lastly, a classic Steak Frites with a side of Au Poivre sauce and a Braised Short Rib over mashed potatoes and green beans.  Sadly, the steak arrived over-cooked and the fries cold, yet a bite of the short rib from across the table left me pleased with my decision to stick with the overcooked steak.

While every restaurant has there off nights, I can’t help but worry that after 28 years the limelight has caught up to this East side institution that now regularly finds itself on Page Six and parody Instagram accounts. A believer in second chances I will certainly be back, however an underwhelming performance paired with a lofty bill left me wanting more from an old friend.