Lilette

Lilette’s pedigreed chef-owner brings his training in some of New Orleans’s finest kitchens and at Michelin-starred restaurants in France to bear here, resulting in an artistic, serious approach. The NOLA classic space—high-ceilinged, columned, tiles—is made East Village–ready with tobacco-toned walls. Lunch is thick with business people and ladies who lunch; dinner (which gets dear) sees a mixed crowd of tourists, neighbors, and young hipsters, all here for the tasteful, clean lines of the cooking. Start with the truffled Parmigiano toast with wild mushrooms, marrow, and veal glace (you may end with it, too; it’s divine) and the sharply flavorful fried sardines (if you stop now, you’ve done well). A roast chicken breast with Brussels sprouts and balsamic-glazed onions is flawless simplicity; gnocchi with intensely unctuous beef cheeks and chanterelles is immorally rich. Desserts are worth the indulgence, notably the curious signature of goat-cheese crème fraîche rounds, paired with vanilla-poached pears sprinkled with pistachios and lavender honey (baklava is turning in its grave). If you’re a wine enthusiast trying to decide between the Uptown bistros, Lilette is your choice.