[Food:3/5]

Experimental flavors excite my taste buds.

Exquisitely plated dishes dazzle my eyes.

Scoring an almost-impossible reservation gets my blood pumping.

But it’s the solid neighborhood restaurants that capture my heart and I might just be in love with Jane.

All the right ingredients make Jane a neighborhood go-to. The food is consistent and well prepared. Portions are generous and prices are reasonable. The atmosphere is casual and attractive. The service is congenial and efficient.

One of Jane’s most impressive feats is that every meal they serve – lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch – is executed with equal aplomb. Jane achieves mass appeal without over-extending its menu boundaries. While there are enough choices to keep a wide array of diners happy, just as its name implies, at Jane, things are kept simple.

At lunchtime, the salads and sandwiches reign. The Chopped Market Salad with chicken is my personal favorite, but the Grilled Chicken Salad and Steak Salad are not far behind.

Hefty sandwiches either come with salad or a mound of Jane’s signature rosemary fries. The Jane burger, another Jane classic, is available at both lunch and dinner. While it’s a solid burger, the zesty sauce that graces the burger at The Smith (one of Jane’s sister restaurants) gives the patty a lot more flavor. There are also a few omelet selections that nicely complement the rest of the lunch menu.

If you’re in the mood for something a little fancier, a handful of dishes – Chatham Cod, Hanger Steak, and Risotto – are also available.

You can indulge in a starter either at lunch or dinner, though the list of small plates doubles at night. You can’t go wrong with either the Goat Cheese Flat Bread or the Gnocchi.

For dinner, I have a hard time passing up the Big Pot of Mussels and the rosemary fries that so perfectly soak up their tarragon, Riesling, and mustard broth. You’ll be hard-pressed not to find something that appeals to whatever your whim might be – the Chatham Cod and Steak Frites have expeditiously satiated my own cravings.

For Saturday and Sunday brunch, over a dozen breakfast options are added to Jane’s lunch menu of salads and sandwiches. While there’s Vanilla Bean French Toast and a handful of egg scrambles, the Benedict Johnny is particularly tasty. Poached eggs sit atop maple apple chicken sausage and corn cakes.

Oh, and the best part about brunch (other than the amazing cranberry and nut bread?) . . . if you eat after noon, your meal comes with a complimentary brunch cocktail.

This Jane might be simple, but she’s far from plain.

Jane

www.ctrnyc.com/JANE

100 West Houston Street

New York, NY 10012

212.254.7000