We ended our day at Cafe Loup -our absolute favorite restaurant in NYC. It's on 13th Street in the West Village a few blocks from the subway station and it reminds me (as someone else noted) like a restaurant interior from a Woody Allen movie. Ad photos of the restaurant shows it brightly lit but I've never been there when it looks that way. 
Instead the lights are dimmed which ups the atmosphere, the ambiance is cozy, and the overall feel is that of a tried and true neighborhood hang-out (it's been open for 20 years) that caters to an interesting mix of artists, writers, and the occasional actor and manages to avoid the pitfalls of NY pretentiousness. (The A.J. Liebling quotes on the back of the wine menus should serve as proof).
The owner/chef was into organic wayyyy before it became a buzz word and how's the service you ask? I would describe it as always attentive but never hovering.
We limped in about 5:30PM tired and thirsty. Obviously in dire need of a stiff G&T to prop us up. (Boodles if you have it...no? Okay, let's go with the Bombay Sapphire.)
The staff bustled about setting up for the dinner crowd (they also do a brisk brunch/lunch business) while we sipped our drinks and chatted with Jim, the bartender, about nothing in particular watching him dance about restocking bottles and getting everything arrange just so for the evening rush. 
There were a few other customers seated at the bar too: an older, arty couple deep in conversation and a man dressed in expensive tweed sporting shaggy hair, and a craggy face who was nursing a beer and reading the NY Post. Soon we were joined by a trendy looking group of thirty-somethings who evidently worked or at least sometimes worked at Esquire magazine. They took over one end of the bar and proceeded to enjoy their Friday evening wind-down session with a good gossip and discussion of the latest in current events. They were a lively, funny group but we eventually turned our attention to the menu and began to peruse the specials and contemplate the possibilities.
The menu at Cafe Loup is primarily French bistro fare supplemented by daily specials that allow the chef to be creative. One of my favorites on the menu is is the heirloom beet and goat cheese napolean salad -it serves as my benchmark for beet salad. Another occasional indulgence is an appetizer order of the house pate. 
It's always a large portion (for me anyway) and could easily be a full meal when combined with the crusty bred and cute little cornichons, tomatoes and olives served along with it. But that night, I was looking for simple, not rich and filling so I went with the restaurant's signature hamburger and pomme frites while the Professor opted for the salmon off the special menu. Of course the food was yummy and even though we'd been eating most of the day, everything seemed to disappear without much effort (except the pomme frites, there was a ton of them and between the two of us, we still couldn't finish them!).
By the time we were ready to leave, the place was packed with early diners and Jim was hopping to keep up with the drink orders. We said our adieus and started back to Hoboken where we boarded the train home. Sigh...What a great day.
Til Later,
Plain fresh bread, its crust shatteringly crisp. Sweet cold butter. There is magic in the way they come together in your mouth to make a single perfect bite. - Ruth Reichl
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