Description
The East Village French bistro craze has dried up, as Italian restaurants have poured in like floodwaters. Of the remaining examples, Lucien is the best, offering an amazing soupe de poissons indistinguishable from its Parisian counterpart, with plenty of toasted croutons like so many boats to be shellacked with peppery rouille and set afloat in the brick-red broth. With many entrees creeping into expensive territory, it's temping to fill out your meal with a half-dozen oysters, beet-and-goat-cheese salad, or a big bowl of moules in a cream instead of an entree.
