A visit there today, walking down narrow stairs and into what feels like a warren of quiet activity, still brings romance to mind. More elegant is the bisque de homard a l'Armagnac, a heady potage heavy on the lobster. The entree list reads like a who's who of classic French dishes. Trout is poached and smothered in a lightly scented saffron cream sauce, sole is pan-fried and topped with a traditional lemon caper beurre blanc. There's also a pepper steak made with New York sirloin and topped classically with a brandy cream sauce.
Duck is another well-prepared standard.
For this, the skin is thick and crisp while the sweet, tender meat is nicely matched to the fragrant orange sauce. And here the citrus-scented Grand Marnier version is a light finish to the night. The menu is straightforward, as is the well-trained staff. Order a steak, ungarnished here, the thick slabs of meat decidedly from a time when doctors didn't know from cholesterol - so too the butter and real sour cream that cover baked potatoes. When Edmond Sarfati opened this French eatery, Julia Child was just teaching Americans how to cook French.