New York City's French dining landmark, Lutece, will close it doors on at the end of the week, making its last service, Valentine's Day dinners, bittersweet. With the opening of Lutece in 1961, founder and chef Andre Soltner (right) helped elevate dining in New York to new heights. He sold the four-star Lutece in 1994, and even though the cuisine remained strong (it was given three stars), many still associated it with Soltner. Eric Asimov notes that with the closing of Lutece and La Cote Basque, and the emergence of the Time Warner Center restauarants, the fine dining guard has changed in New York.
Two of Lutece's signature dishes were an Alsatian tart and a sauteed foie gras with dark chocolate sauce and bitter orange marmalade. Gothamist never had the chance to dine there, but now we can think about what it must have been like the next time we eat foie gras...or some dark chocolate or toast with marmalade.
Buy the Lutece cookbook. Or check out the French Culinary Institute's Salute to Healthy Cooking, co-edited by Soltner.
