My Favorite Little French Place--in NYC

A few years ago, while visiting New York, my husband and I ducked into a restaurant on Prince Street in Soho on an early spring evening just in time to miss a downpour. We not only stayed dry, we also found a charming restaurant for a really nice, but casual French meal: The Little Prince.

Our daughter is now a freshwoman at Barnard College in New York, so we are visiting Manhattan more often than in the past. Last weekend, we returned to New York to see her, and we popped back in to The Little Prince. It was more charming and even more delicious than I had remembered.

We sat in the small restaurant with tables set fairly close together and waited for our cocktails. I treated myself to an Aperol spritz--the classic European drink, after all--and watched 'My Fair Lady' playing silently on a big screen while listening to the restaurants' upbeat jazzy playlist. I was already feeling happy and surrounded by comfortable charm, and then my main course arrived.

The cooks at The Little Prince had prepared the most delicious tuna niçoise salad I have ever eaten. Perfectly seared tuna on top of greens, olives, string beans and roasted potatoes, it featured just enough tarragon to warm it up but not bring back all of those tarragon chicken dishes of the 1980s. I enjoyed sharing a meal with my family on a cloudy early evening, but I don't remember much about our conversation; I was too busy eating and savoring every bite of my salad. My frites arrived later, warm and crunchy, sitting upright in one of those typical French cone-shaped metal containers, and I ended my meal sharing them with my family.

Our meal at The Little Prince surpassed my memories of our first visit there. I am sure we will return.