"Bright Lights, Big City"

For a newcomer, New York’s Tribeca may seem intimidating. There are too many gleaming steel buildings and too many overpriced designer boutiques. The models and Wall Street transplants seated at the trendy cafes could make any fanny-pack toting, sneaker-wearing visitor to the city steer clear.

But with a new surge of more casual dining spots and stores, Tribeca has evolved from mere icy celebrity enclave to a warm neighborhood. One important place that welcomes people from all credit card classes is The Odeon. The hip crowds have waxed and waned, but The Odeon is still a special restaurant to New Yorkers and tourists alike, and an important part of enticing new people to the neighborhood of Tribeca.

Owned by restaurant magnates Keith McNally and Lynne Wagenknecht, The Odeon is the epitome of old-time glamour. New York Magazine named it “the original Tribeca hangout for the hip and fabulous,” and Frommers.com called it “a symbol of Tribeca sensibility.”

In a city of “reservations only," the hostess won’t stare you down with barely disguised pity if you go to The Odeon on a whim, hoping for a table. Most importantly, the food is delicious, French-American with something for everyone.

The minimalist menu has clear font and concise descriptions of their items. You can actually understand everything that’s on it: no fancy French jargon. There’s spicy chicken dumplings ($12), a three egg omelet with French fries ($15), and a tuna burger with wasabi mayonnaise and fries ($22). In the summer, there's an outdoor ice cream cart: it's homemade and only $4.

The décor is as no-nonsense as the food: the dining room is warm with rich mahogany paneling and pristine white tablecloths. The bar is inviting; full of people who look like they are engaged in fascinating conversations that you want to be a part of. The low ceilings and paneled floor permits conversations to echo off the walls, making the room loud it an exciting, not disruptive way.

The Odeon owns an enviable piece of real estate in one of the most real-estate conscious neighborhoods in the city. It has been on the corner between Thomas and Duane streets since 1981.

For the pop-culture buffs, The Odeon has the distinction of being in the credits of the long-running comedy show, “Saturday Night Live," and is featured on the cover of Jay Mcinerney's novel, "Bright Lights, Big City." The Odeon has been around almost as long as SNL.

It ushered in somewhat of a renaissance of the neighborhood, when everyone from painters, writers, politicians, businessmen, and their families moved into the area, (between 1970 and 1980, the population of TriBeCa jumped from 243 to 5,101.)

The Odeon isn’t trendy; it’s a New York establishment. Dining there allows everyone a great piece of the neighborhood of Tribeca, and a little piece of the entire New York experience.