BRASSERIE LCB
60 W. 55th St.
212-688-6526

(Photo: Carina Salvi)

These days, thanks to some misguided nationalism and a generation of chefs who live to flout tradition, it’s as hard to find anyone serving classic French cuisine as it is to believe that Jacques Brel is alive and well. At Brasserie LCB, however, veteran chef Jean-Jacques Rachou has gone backward to go forward from the demise of his once-beloved La Côte Basque. Rachou’s idea is to deliver the original establishment’s grand old food without the grand old atmosphere, to make some of the world’s greatest food accessible to the generation that doesn’t wear coats. Though the refurbished room is overlit and the flower budget’s been reduced, you’ll barely notice with your head buried in the aroma of Rachou’s fragrant moules marinière, or his sausage-dense cassoulet. His Grand Marnier soufflé makes you wanna holler Vive la France! Keep it down. There are still Republicans in the room.