From January 2005 100 Very Best Restaurants

At this French country bistro, lace curtains adorn the windows, and the songs of Edith Piaf waft through the air. Although Marc Fusilier passed away in 2003, the restaurant continues to do well. Chef Natael Martinez keeps up his fine effort behind the stove, and service remains conscientious.

Main courses range from $20 to $36 on the regular menu. On Monday through Wednesday evenings, diners can enjoy a $27 four-course meal that starts with lobster bisque and a good house salad, moves on to a choice of trout amandine, tenderloin of pork, or chicken Marsala, and ends with a very good dessert soufflé. A glass of wine or coffee is included.

The regular menu boasts appetizers of scallops in a garlic-butter-and-tomato sauce and scallops of alligator in a garlic butter with sambuca. Main courses include a half duck with blueberry sauce; pepper steak; grilled filet mignon; and medallions of venison with wild-mushroom sauce. A recent special of a grilled veal chop had very good flavor but was priced at a hefty $36.