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So many French bistros in Brooklyn seem to have sprung from the same starter kit (Pastis jugs on shelves? Check. Frosted mirrors? Check. Vintage-looking posters? Check. SERVICE NON COMPRIS written on the menus? Check. And ça suffit already!), which is why it’s such a relief to step into Quercy. Owned by Jean-François Fraysse the man behind West Chelsea’s La Lunchonette, the restaurant feels more provincial (it’s named after his native region in southwestern France) than faux-Parisian. And it serves elegant but homey food that anyone who grew up with a French grandmother—or Julia Child–worshipping parents—will immediately recognize. Coq au vin or boeuf bourguignonne with a side of crisp, just-buttered-enough green beans. Trout slathered in almonds. A lovely tarte Tatin, in apple or pear, with sour (but not too sour) crème fraîche. French places are having a hard enough time these days; Quercy has the added burden of occupying one of Cobble Hill’s most accursed storefronts (at a recent dinner of longtime locals, nobody could keep count of just how many places had come and gone—“Yeah, I think I had a mojito here once...”). All the more reason why this bistro deserves a resounding “Oui, table for four” rather than a boycott.

Daily, $22, 3 courses; $19, two courses

Boeuf bourguignonne, $20.50; trout, $20.50; tatin, $7.50

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Best of New York Awards

• Best Brooklyn Bistro (2003)