On its Web site, the eatery describes itself as a place that serves solid French bistro fare of onion soup, French fries and steaming bowls of mussels "at non-exclusive prices in a low-key, congenial 'downtown' New York atmosphere..."
The Florent opened in 1985 in an old diner on a cobblestone street of meatpacking plants and gay bars. Today, the district is an area of chic boutiques, galleries and restaurants, that is driving Florent's rent to more than $30,000 a month.
