Bar Breton.(Restaurant review)

Good food can be found in perplexing places, and this casual French bistro, opened not long ago by the chef Cyril Renaud, sits in what must be Manhattan's last characterless quarter--an area that some maps sheepishly call Midtown South Central, a grungy zone between Koreatown and the Flatiron district that's quiet in a decaying, rather than leafy and cloistered, kind of way. Across the street from Bar Breton, there's a Quiznos, and, above, the refulgent Salon Santa Cruz. Inside, Renaud has constructed a cozy homage to his native Brittany, complete with faux fireplace, but, incongruously, a flat-screen TV hangs over the bar. The other night, a basketball game between the Celtics and the Bulls enhanced the feeling that this latest venture by Renaud, who has been nominated for a James Beard award and who for nearly a decade ran the Michelin-star-rated (and recently closed) Fleur de Sel, is akin to Michael Jordan suiting up for the Washington Wizards.

This is happy news for the diner. Although the service at Bar Breton can be erratic (and if you're unfortunate enough to be wedged into one of the booths up front, you'll yearn for a middle-of-the-row coach ...