After nearly twenty-five years, Cafe Luxembourg's glow has not
diminished. There's an energy immediately palpable upon entering the
lovely room with its red leather banquettes and rattan bistro chairs
and, for spring, huge floral arrangements of cherry blossoms. Honey
blondes and silver-haired gentlemen mix with long-necked dancers and
t.v. actors. It's a mix of the best of New York, all basking in the
lighting’s soft pink glow. And there's a spark to the
brasserie-classic menu. For spring, a wild mushroom salad and a
sublime asparagus, fava bean, and ramp lasagna, so fresh as to
convince you that you are eating tableside in the garden. Crispy
artichokes with an olive tapenade. That bread, so chewy, and that
butter, so rich. A perfectly fine onion soup. And desserts at nearly
ten dollars a piece nearly merit the price: a ginger and carrot
mousse, a banana semi-freddo napoleon. Even in the midst of the
pre-theatre rush and the eight-o'clock crush, everything flows
smoothly at this well-run institution. Clearly the three nude Graces
who adorn the Luxembourg's walls and les cartes postales are still
safeguarding this New York institution which continues to age like
the best of wines and the most beautiful people.
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