“The garden, tucked behind the restaurant at the end of a tunnel, is undeniably romantic.”

This West Sider might excel at cassoulet and coq au vin, but as soon as the thermometer hits 70, neighborhood Francophiles forsake these gut bombs for dainty frogs’ legs ($12) bombed with garlic and parsley and the assortment of house-cured fish ($18.50 feeds two). Where better to eat this light fare than in the bistro’s tree-lined outdoor oasis, to the soundtrack of a gurgling fountain? 12 West 14th Street, 212-647-8553

“When you come in you need to feel comfortable”, says owner Camelia Cassin, who greets everyone at the door of this cozy restaurant on the ground floor of a narrow five story 19th century building on heavily trafficked West 14th Street. During the spring and summer, dining is available in the stone covered and tree-shaded garden reached through a tunnel next to the kitchen.

“Gavroche feels like a country house somewhere in France, with exposed brick walls, dark wood floors and lantern lighting. The restaurant also has a lovely backyard with a stone fountain, ivy covered walls, and a herb garden, that seats 55 under the stars.”

Gavroche is one of the few restaurants on this strip that are open for lunch, so when you get the urge for some hearty, home-style cuisine a la Francaise, stop by for a plate of coq au vin or steak frites. These traditional French bistro dishes are available at dinner too, along with free-range roasted chicken, duck terrine and braised lamb shanks. Names for the street urchin in Les Miserables, Gavroche owes its 2004 opening to manager Camelia Cassin. A French- country ambience pervades the small dining room, its bistro tables covered with blue-and-white-checked linen towels. In back, the garden terrace accommodates additional diners in warm weather.

“With lantern lighting and an ivy-covered garden, Gavroche feels like a French country house. Traditional dishes include sauteed skate in white wine and shallot sauce, plus contemporary plates like carpaccio of Scottish salmon.”

With its hearty straightforward staples, Gavroche indeed warrants the bistro tag, accepting the bistro’s mission of feeding you well, as opposed to giving you food fro thought. Of playing to your stomach instead of your imagination. Gavroche presses a largely familiar repertory of dishes into the service of that mission, which it executes more dependably than many other New York restaurants with similarly modest but noble ambitions. Until autumn arrives and a chill settles in, Gavroche has another virtue: a garden out back with trees, a three-tier stone fountain, candles and space for about 55 people to dine.

“A snacker’s paradise of wooden boards laden with charcuterie, raw-milk cheeses or smoked fish.” It's on a scummy stretch of 14th Street, but out back, under the stars and beside the multitiered fountain, Gavroche feels like France. The fare is refreshingly straight forward, especially the goat-cheese tart, fries, and Belgian-chocolate gateau.