Yves Picot said the soupe a l'oignon remains the restaurant's best seller.

WSJ: Onion Soup and Old New York

In 1916, French and British diplomats secretly reached the Sykes-Picot agreement, carving up the Middle East into spheres of influence for their respective countries.

NPR: The Middle East and the West: WWI and Beyond

On one of those visits, I was joined by Mr. Picot, who, though he's turned over the reins to his son Yves, remains a daily presence.

WSJ: Onion Soup and Old New York

My first question was about how the restaurant had survived for so long, Mr. Picot explaining that it was a combination of attention to quality and lucky real-estate karma.

WSJ: Onion Soup and Old New York

His aspirations foundered on the rocks of British and French colonial ambition, notably the twin reefs of the notorious Sykes-Picot agreement of 1916 and the Balfour Declaration of 1917.

ECONOMIST: Lawrence of Arabia

Yves Picot has other, fonder memories from those days.

WSJ: Onion Soup and Old New York