Here’s the UWS Dish: Cafe Luxembourg’s Bibb Lettuce Salad

By Abigael T. Sidi

Sooo, who’s hungry?

Just kidding – writing Dish this week felt like an impossible task. Since Thanksgiving afternoon’s megameal, the last thing I’ve wanted to do is talk, let alone write, about anything remotely related to food. (Other than tip my readers off to Whole Foods’ unbelievably good truffle mashed potatoes; order them for whenever you’re hungry again and thank me later.)

Still, the job is the job, and so that we can all survive this piece, I’ll be giving you the ultimate, light/fresh/quasi-zero-calories, post-Thanksgiving reprieve dish. Also, I ended up getting a lot of angry posts on my piece covering the final boss of all foods last week, Jacob’s Pickles’ poutine. So, to all the poutine-haters out there, carbohydrated or not, here you have it: the exact opposite of JP’s poutine, Cafe Luxembourg’s Bibb lettuce salad.

My story with this dish started about a year ago, on a tour of the Whitney Museum with my grandmother. Pausing the visit for a snack, we headed to Frenchette Bakery’s outpost located inside the museum and enjoyed their green goddess salad, made of little gem and shaved vegetables. I couldn’t believe how tasty it was and so I asked where I might find something as fresh, as crunchy and as perfectly seasoned on the Upper West Side.

One of the servers mentioned Cafe Luxembourg, where he had previously worked.

This crowd probably doesn’t need much of an intro to Cafe Luxembourg, the staple of staple French American brasseries in the neighborhood, which has been operating for 40-plus years under owner Lynn Wagenknecht. The New Yorker has described the place to a T, in a 2022 review entitled Cafe Luxembourg and the Art of the Restaurant that Never Changes. Their menu is as “safe” and reassuring as can be, and you’d never pay more attention to the Bibb salad than any of the other innocuous items on the menu.

The salad, however, is beautifully presented: an elegant and structured ensemble of greens with a subtle gloss imparted by the slightly creamy dressing which delicately coats every leaf and vegetable (more on the dressing later). The bite is fresh and crunchy thanks to the Bibb lettuce — which is named after John Bibb, the Kentucky attorney who developed it in the 1860s — apple wedges and asparagus tips cooked al dente, plus the occasional snap from cherry tomatoes and green peas that, like the asparagus, are barely cooked (meaning just right for the purpose of a salad.) The dish is finished with mild feta, for a little tart, and a sprinkle of soft quinoa, for a slight chew and minimal filler.

Enough for a lunch? No. (It would help if they served the salad with some baguette, which you can get for a small fee.) Delicate, tasty, light, delicious and perfect post-Thanksgiving cleanser? Yes! And I’d say the true star here is the dressing, an airy emulsion of buttermilk, a pinch of lemon juice (for acidity), and most importantly, fresh tarragon, the single presence of which brightens every bite. Tarragon has this knack of elevating any ingredient it’s associated with – whether it be salads, chicken, salmon, or yogurt dips – and vinaigre à l’estragon has been a mainstay in our pantry for as long as I can remember.

You’ll find most brasserie classics at Cafe Luxembourg – their croque monsieur (which you can convert to a croque madame, with a supplement for the sunny-side-up egg) is absolutely authentic with its delicious Mornay sauce and is my usual go-to, but was a big no-no over the calorically-heavy Thanksgiving weekend.

The crowd is of the A-list type, with a stunning number of regulars that does give the place a family vibe. You are greeted by the gorgeous zinc bar and red-leather banquettes, but the décor is otherwise surprisingly sober compared to, say, Balthazar or, closer to home, The Consulate. No oversized mirrors or art-deco galore, but attentive service from garçons impeccably dressed à la Parisienne. The place has also attracted a long list of loyal celebs over the decades and, overall, feels like the chic equivalent to Old John’s Luncheonette.

Cafe Luxembourg is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. til 10:30 p.m., and from 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. (Saturdays) or 10:00 p.m. (Sundays) on weekends. Vegetarian options, such as the Bibb salad, abound. It goes without saying but prices are on the higher end (while excellent, the $20 for the Bibb is a bit much, and the $27 for the croque monsieur hurts, even though it comes with your choice of fries or salad as a side.) Pick-up and delivery are available at these times through their online platform.

The Dish: Bibb Lettuce Salad ($20.00)
The Restaurant: Cafe Luxembourg, 200 West 70th Street (between Amsterdam and West End Avenues)

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