Restaurants: Zucco le French Diner

*Zucco le French Diner
LOWER EAST SIDE
188 Orchard St., nr. Houston St.
F/V to 2nd Avenue, F/JMZ to Essex Street
Mon-Sat, noon-midnight; Sun, 11am-11pm

Zucco himself is raffish and awesome. The place is tiny, cool and serves basic, rich, traditional French food all day long. You can come early(ish) for cafe au lait and a tartine, any time for an espresso, or in the evening for escargots, steak frites and a glass of wine. There are a few tasty vegetarian options, by the by, although no one who's revolted by the smell of cooking meat should attempt it. Even when the neighborhood is at its horrible worst on weekend nights, the vibe here stays good.