La Lunchonette

Prior to an early dinner one recent Saturday night, we spelled the word "beloved" just like everyone else. As it turns out, though, it's actually spelled L A L U N C H O N E T T E, a pretension-free French restaurant in West Chelsea that writes its (rarely changing) specials on a chalkboard, offers tiny half bottles of red wine, and serves wholesome, flavorful dishes like beet salad, long links of lamb sausage, and perfectly cooked salmon topped with roasted garlic, the latter two served with a sloppy side of scalloped potatoes. With the exception of us, every person who walked in the door knew one another, the owners, the chefs, or the waitstaff. But now that we know what the name really means, we're hoping it won't be long before we're warmly embraced as well.