ere at this quaint eatery, soups, salads and sandwiches lay the foundation for cuisine that is a far cry from anything you'd meet at your average New York cafe.

Taken from the French word for 'cafe,' Bouchon is like no other you've visited before so before you step through its doors, throw your preconceptions out the window. Everything on the menu of Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery screams authentic French patisserie. You get the impression that it has been very difficult for the famed chef to sprinkle on the casual, his restaurant , after all, is located in the open-mall corridor of the Time Warner Center and you can't get more casual than that.

Leaning slightly more towards the French than New York,
Keller's masterly ambitions shine through when he takes the ordinary and makes it extraordinary. A tuna sandwich, for example, is here called a tuna niçoise tartine. There's a cashew butter and apricot jam sandwich or for $45, the foie-gras terrine, whose prep involves soaking a duck's liver in milk overnight. For your little one at home, there are also foie-gras doggie biscuits (I kid you not). Always full of business-types, casual diners and those who trek across the city for a tasty bite, Bouchon Bakery is simply a delight.