"Inside the long, narrow room, with its pressed-tin ceiling, art-covered walls, and vertiginous spiral staircase promising ascension to the restroom, time seems to have barely passed. On the slate board, in that immediately recognizable French handwriting, the menu has remained largely unchanged (artichoke vinaigrette, steak au poivre, foie gras chaud) since an Alsatian filmmaker named Serge Raoul opened the spot in 1975."
"Old New York was a time when businesses were in control of what they were. Businesses like ours had an identity, and people came to visit those places because they liked that identity. They just accepted being in that world. Now, people are in control of what businesses become."
"The restaurant used to be filled with the artists who lived in the nearby lofts; now those lofts go for millions and many of the artists have passed away. Serge himself died last year at age 86. Today his son, Karim Raoul, himself a filmmaker, has become the guardian of the restaurant. The menu has remained largely unchanged (artichoke vinaigrette, steak au poivre, foie gras chaud)."
Raoul's (Restaurant Francais) marks its 50th year in a long, narrow room with a pressed-tin ceiling, art-covered walls, and a vertiginous spiral staircase. The menu has remained largely unchanged since 1975, featuring artichoke vinaigrette, steak au poivre, and foie gras chaud alongside a famously magnetic burger. The neighborhood shifted from artist-filled lofts to multimillion-dollar residences. Founder Serge Raoul, an Alsatian filmmaker, died at 86 and his son Karim Raoul now runs the restaurant. The place retains memories of impromptu burlesque performances and reflects a broader move from identity-driven old New York toward market-driven change.
Read at Grub Street
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