Claudette, the elegant cottage styled Provencal influenced restaurant, has been on my bucket list for a while.

Before outside dining in New York City wraps up I wanted to pay homage to charming Claudette.

I usually do not find myself around lower 5th Avenue. Recently, I mapped out a nice walk on a beautiful afternoon and our final destination was Claudette.

We were delighted we made the journey. The year-old Claudette is an appealing, intimate restaurant with a delightful vibe. The restaurant shows full frontal and opens onto lovely sidewalk dining.

We hit up Claudette around 2 in the afternoon so it wasn’t too crowded in the compact dining room. Diners were nursing  cocktails and Rose.

The restaurant offers a $28, 3 course luncheon special.

David decided on the Salad Nicoise and we shared my three courses.

We started with a spring salad of arugula, hearts of palm, string beans, onions, accented with mint and savory mustard seeds. The salad was truly wonderful and delicate.

The shrimp, prepared in a bag with couscous and vegetables, was unbelievably flavorful. The shrimp were sweet and tender and the entire dish was perfectly prepared.

David’s Nicoise was the most impressive presentation of a Ahi Tuna Nicoise I have seen. It consisted of luscious Ahi tuna, whipped eggs, haricot vert, crispy potato, mint and chives ($19).

We were offered three choices for dessert and selected a fabulous creme brûlée with a whisper of orange blossom.

Claudette is named after the 91-year-old mother-in-law (and mentor) of Reine Sammut, the chef of La Fenière in Lourmarin, France. Claudette owner, Carlos Suarez, ate a meal so memorable he sent the original Claudette chef, Koren Grieveson, who departed Claudette in March, to work in Sammut’s kitchen.

I would most definitely pay a return visit to Claudette. The sister restaurant, Rosemary’s, is only a few blocks away, but it is a completely different dining experience.

Claudette 24 5th Avenue and 9th Street New York City. Reservations on OpenTable.com. Open Monday-Friday 11:30am-11pm. Saturday and Sunday 10:30am-3pm and 5:30-11pm