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With its 10-odd small tables, timbered walls, and short but well selected menu of bistro classics, Cosette is a reminder of the NYC of the 1950s-1980s, when French food ruled and a good, reliable neighborhood bistro wasn't as rare as it is today. Inside the cozy room, parents eat with their pre-teenagers, older friends catch up over a bottle of wine, and lovebirds wait for the Gallic charm to rub off and give their date an extra soupçon of romance. It's hard to go wrong with the French onion soup. Its tangy broth capped with molten cheese, this is a version by which others should be judged. For entrees, the sole meunière, floured and then fried in an ample supply of butter that then forms the basic of the sauce, is simple, verging on delicious. Red-meat dishes, such as the steak aux poivre, are also satisfying—and a good value. When the weather takes a chilly turn, the very fine cassoulet doesn't disappoint. Closer to a soup than a stew, this long-simmered combination of white beans, sausages, and meats takes the bite out of the cold. — John Rambow

French onion soup, $7; sole meunière, $19