Nocturne in Babylon: First bites

Nocturne, the new bistro-style spot in downtown Babylon, does have a pensive quality. And it's a fine little place to spend an evening.

The cuisine blends French and New American, as in the buckwheat crepe filled with duck  confit and finished with a sweet-tart blackberry gastrique. There's an updated and amplified version of salade Nicoise, too, with cuts of rare, pan-seared tuna. Steak frites arrives with hand-cut Parmesan-dusted fries.

Although the name suggests night, Nocturne also is open for lunch, Thursday to Saturday from noon until 3 p.m. Dinner is seven days, 5 to 10 p.m.

Nocturne, 111 Deer Park Ave., Babylon; 631-482-9909.