f the Paris of your dreams looks like something out of Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast, then Belcourt will have you charmed the moment you stroll through the door. Furnished top to bottom with European antiques, including a set of doors salvaged from an old post office, walking into Belcourt is like entering another time and place.

While inside, you almost forget that you’re in the East Village, only a short walk from Cooper Union. Instead, you start to feel like you’re enjoying a meal in France. Picture a French café where you can nestle in with some rustic wine while mulling over your latest love poem.

If all this talk of the French has you bracing yourself for cloying cream sauces and escargot, rest easy: Chef Matthew Hamilton is taking a fresh approach to European and Mediterranean fare, turning out innovative dishes.

However, food and decor are not the only highlights at Belcourt. One of the first things you see upon entering is the beautiful, old-style bar; it’s not just there for show. Besides an interesting if small selection of beer on tap, Belcourt has some fantastic cocktails on its menu.