Les Enfants Terribles (Afro-French, Chinatown)

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Location
37 Canal Street
Northeast corner of street, by Ludlow

Cuisine:
Afro-French

Non-Asian food in Chinatown? Must suck, right? But it doesn't.

A fairly tiny bar/restaurant in the heart of true Chinatown (the one the tourists don't visit), the bar is fairly big for its size and the decor is pretty cozy. The menu is straight from the French-colonized Ivory Coast. Every dish we tried was tasty, well-seasoned, and absolutely nothing disappointed. Well, except for the five spice-infused plantains. Those were a little bit weird.

For starters there was the Les Enfants Terribles salad, complete with roasted beets and potato crisps. The mussels in garlic and butter were perfectly done, and I can't say enough about the calamari. They know squid.

The entrees were fairly diverse. Steak done many ways, one was on the spicy side. The bass wrapped in potato on a bed of spinach and leeks were excellent, even for the palate of the girl who will only eat steamed fish. The lamb fell off the bone.

Dessert was also a wonderful surprise. Banana creme brulee and passion fruit mousse were the ones we tried. One as sweet as the other was tart.

Would I go there again? Probably! As long as you don't mind the excruciatingly slow service.