Food: America's Best French Restaurant

$ "When Andre was ten, I was ill for three weeks. He did all of the cooking for his father, his brother and himself. Even pastries. I had never noticed that he was in the kitchen often, or that he watched or asked me questions and I never tried to teach him. But suddenly, he simply began to cook . . . Il est encore mon petit garcon."

-- Mimi Soltner, 78, in Guebwiller,

Alsace

Mrs. Soltner's little boy Andre is still cooking, and how! Now 53, he has spent almost half of his life in the kitchen of Lutece, the luxury town-house restaurant on Manhattan's East Side that this year is celebrating its 25th birthday. The chef since Lutece opened on Feb.16, 1961, and the sole proprietor since 1972, Soltner has cooked his way to culinary glory. Despite a $100-a-person average check for dinner, and a $50 counterpart at lunch, reservations for one of the 29 tables must be made one month in advance to the day. By 9:30 each morning all tables are booked for the corresponding date four weeks away. An average of 1,500 requests for seats are refused daily. Soltner's skill in preparing the mix of French dishes Lutece is known for has won him every major award accorded to chefs in his native France, as well as top ratings from virtually every food critic and restaurant guidebook in the U.S.

Despite such accolades, and the attendant financial success, Soltner remains modest and has a tendency to run scared. "I worry most about the high prices we have to charge because our costs keep going up. Even rich people have a breaking point. I tell my staff to be very, very careful with customers. Today we are on top, but tomorrow who knows?"

Because he worries, Soltner almost never leaves his kitchen for publicity performances, whether to pick up an award or do demonstration cooking. He appreciates the efforts of French superstars like Paul Bocuse because he thinks they have given chefs a better place in society, but he is uneasy if he cannot oversee the kitchen and walk through his dining room to help guests order. When he has to trim costs, though, he usually does it in the dining room, choosing very simple flower arrangements (two or three roses in bud vases at most tables) and even allowing woebegone potted palms to remain in the garden dining room.

It is such economies that give Lutece with its four dining rooms the air of a simple country bistro -- an aura that appeals to some, but not to others. The most decor-conscious shun it, but it attracts many celebrities such as Jack Lemmon, Woody Allen and Bill Blass. Says Blass: "I love it because it has great food and because it is a bistro. I like to stop at the kitchen window and talk to Andre about what we will eat. I also like not having to jump up and embrace someone every other minute, and I like seeing the mix of plain and fancy people."