After losing Friend of A Farmer to a new location in Sea Cliff and seeing renovation work on the Grist Mill stalled, the opening of a new restaurant is welcome news for life on Old Northern Boulevard.

Last week, Bistro Citron, a casual French restaurant located on 1362 Old Northern, opened its doors for business. The co-proprietors, Dean E. Kois and Richard Grace, said the cuisine is typical French bistro, along with the usual American offerings, such as steak and fries. The restaurant is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. On Sundays, it will offer a brunch and dinner. Bistro Citron will serve both daily specials and a chef special.

"We think it's a great location," said Kois, when asked why he decided to open a business in Roslyn. "Plus, it [Roslyn] needs a new restaurant. When Friend of A Farmer moved out, we felt the village could use another restaurant to fill the void."

For his part, Richard Grace cited the quaintness of the village, a sentiment that numerous small business owners have also made when giving their reasons for relocating to Roslyn.

The Old Northern Boulevard location, he added, is also "very accessible" to the North Shore and the other parts of Long Island. In addition, the demography of the surrounding communities was a major factor in the move. Such demographics "fit well" with the restaurant's broad menu, Grace said.

"Some people may want a salad," he noted. "Some people may want steak and French fries. Some people may want veal or fish choices. The surrounding community is so diverse. Our restaurant is for anybody to come in at anytime."

Bistro Citron will seat up to 95 people. Its interior features a bar area and two dining areas. The back dining area is quite large and includes a generous view of the duck pond. The owners said that outdoor seating would be available during the summer months. The bar has a marble top and columns behind it. In addition, the dining area has stained glass windows, giving Bistro Citron, in Dean Kois's opinion, "one of the most beautiful interiors of any restaurant."

The owners reiterated that the restaurant is not "high end," but one that is modestly priced, and suited to compliment anybody's taste. The owners also noted the large amount of time they spent in putting the property into operating condition.

Toward that end, the new owners remain excited about the move to Roslyn, but the time spent preparing the restaurant's opening has led Kois to express his "dissatisfaction" over the parking situation in the village.

Specifically, he is unhappy with the way the village treats customers and business owners and workers alike concerning parking regulations.

"It seems the village parking officer lurks behind trees and buildings and just waits for the meter to expire," Kois said. "Seconds after expiration, a ticket is issued."

Kois added that during construction work on the restaurant, there were times when he couldn't "get workers to do work because every time they work they get a ticket. They could be up on a ladder and when they realize the meter is about to expire, they run to the meter, only to be outpaced by the [ticket] officer."

"It's not that we want to break any rules and get away with it," he said, "it's just that there should be some sort of leniency when the time on the meter has expired."