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Hidden in a townhouse off of First Avenue, this unassuming French bistro has held steady since 1994 as one of the few decent restaurants among Sutton Place’s bland mix of anonymous pubs and sushi joints. The place is always packed, and even with a reservation on a weeknight you may need to wait—the servers, too, are almost impenetrably snooty. Inside, the décor mimics the French countryside with homey furniture. The menu covers brasserie basics—including unremarkable renditions of steak au poivre, poulet roti, and cold poached salmon—but most diners go for the mussels. A half-dozen preparations range from the standard marinière to a Portuguese-inspired version studded with crumbles of chorizo, and arrive (if you like) with hot, crispy frites. Jubilee’s version of steak tartare is also excellent, piquant from mustard, but the restaurant’s signature soupe de poissons, smooth and complex, is the most surprising flourish of vibrancy on the otherwise predictable menu. — Helen Rosner

Soupe de poissons, $10; mussels, $14.50; artichokes & zucchinis, $7.50