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There are those restaurants in New York where not a soul in the establishment, from host to patron, looks a day over 30. This is hardly the case at La Mirabelle, the unstuffy French mainstay on the Upper West Side, where the median age on any given night hovers well above 50. Many of these patrons have been returning for decades to bask in the doting treatment of Annick Le Douaron and her family, transplanted Bretons who brought over their love of well-prepared bistro fare, fresh ingredients, and informal hospitality. The roasted duckling with Mirabelle plums is crispy, juicy, and fatty, a paragon of poultry virtue, while the sweetbreads (calf's thymus glands) are as rich and satisfying as any on the Continent. Close your eyes while sipping the broth from the Friday bouillabaisse special (served with a generous helping of lobster) and it's not hard to imagine you're tasting the original recipe from a fisherman’s kettle on the beach. The space is cozy but never cramped, always brightly lit and decorated with paintings of rustic Gallic scenes. Le Douaron claims to know everyone who comes in, but will always greet new customers with a familial, welcoming "bonsoir." — Stephen Weiss

Duckling with mirabelle plums, $22; sweetbreads, $23.50; bouillabaisse, $35