Lunch at Le Coucou
Le Coucou is the newest Stephen Starr restaurant to grace the NYC dining scene. It's been getting rave reviews since opening last year and most recently took home the James Beard award for Best New Restaurant in May. The space is absolutely gorgeous. The entryway is flanked by a beautiful bar to the right with fresh flowers and citrus fruits and a dining room to the left, bright and crisp with long rays of sunshine streaming through the windows onto the white linen tablecloths. I was seated in the middle of the dining room with direct view of the open kitchen in back. A warm basket of bread to begin studded with toasted sesame seeds and freshly churned Vermont butter. Le Coucou offers a two course prix fixe menu at lunch time with an ever changing choice of dishes like Grilled Leeks with hazelnuts, Fried Montauk Eel and Halibut in buerre blanc. I chose the Charred Asparagus with Big Eye Tuna sashimi for my first cours...