Raoul's

Manhattan, New York · French · $$

Two Alsatian brothers opened this place in 1975 not to be important - just to offer good French food cheap. SoHo was still gritty then, full of artists squatting in illegal lofts; Serge stood outside on Prince Street waving people in while Guy cooked steaks and fish in the kitchen. The artists came, then the models, then the rest of the city figured out what made this 14-seat bar and a few cramped booths worth fighting for a reservation. Fifty years later, the room still has its original booths, the peppercorn-heavy steak au poivre still tastes like nothing else, and the walls are thick with the kind of stories that only happen in one place.