Raoul’s

Two brothers journeyed from Alsace, France, to Soho, New York. They found a little restaurant for sale. The booths were already in place and they kept the chairs until they fell apart or were destroyed in the brawls that marked the early years. They were so poor they threw nothing out, not even the salt. Guy turned his Alsatian cooking skills to fine steaks and fish for low prices – even cheaper at the bar.

Serge stood outside on Prince Street, a lonely figure importuning passersby to enter and taste. People began to trickle in from their illegal lofts in the neighborhood. Some came back the next night or the next week, and people spread the word. More came, and came back. Soon the locals were complaining about the good reviews. The rest is New York bistro history.