Steak Frites at Lucien

There are things I will miss about NYC. Namely, some of my favorite restaurants - more specifically, some of my favorite dishes at my favorite restaurants. Yesterday evening I went through all 1400 photos on my iPhone with keith and I was amazed at how many of them were of food (okay, not amazed...entertained). One specific dish kept popping up: Steak Frites at Lucien in the East Village. I worked about 2 blocks from this restaurant, and from the moment I found it, it became one of my favorite spots for lunch. Over the years we lived in NYC I took most everyone that visited us to Lucien for dinner. It's a quintessential New York restaurant - small, inviting, loud when it's busy. The dishes are glorious examples of great French cooking, including rabbit in mustard sauce, huge sardines on toast, and much more. Yet I always found myself going back to the Steak Frites. Sure, the steak was always cooked perfectly, and yes the french fries were crunchy, salty & delicious...but the star of the plate is the pepper sauce. I could drink it. I could rub it all over my body and have my husband lick it off. Seriously, it's amazing. I've tried and tried to make the exact version at home, but I can never get it just right. I shall endeavor, and one day I'll get it right.

Until then, as an homage to the restaurant and the man, Lucien, here are the photos of Steak Frites from my iPhone over the years. And if you're in NYC, stop in. Especially during lunch when the restaurant is quieter, they have leftover specials from the night before, and Lucien is likely holding court. Introduce yourself, ask how his family is, and he'll probably send over a glass of wine to your table.

Runner ups for the most photographed dish on my iPhone: Momofuku Ramen at Momofuku; Roasted Pork Buns at Momofuku; Dim Sum at Dim Sum Go-Go; and dishes at Prune.