The Eternal Question of Food Versus Service
In New York City, seemingly every day, a beloved local restaurant goes dark, the soul of the place dismantled along with its fixtures and fittings. A few months later, it is replaced by a puckish little bistro or a sleek all-day café that will perhaps—in time, if it’s fortunate—become a beloved place in its own right, one that seems as if it’s been there forever. The old-timers will sigh wistfully when they turn down a certain block, or spy a particular corner from the back seat of a taxi: That used to be Florent, that used to be China Chalet, that used to be Sorella, that used to be Lutèce. The city is so full of ghosts, it’s a wonder a person can even walk down the street.Cecchi’s, a clubby restaurant that opened this summer in the West Village, occupies an address that’s significantly ...