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Exquisite French bistro food at Le Bilboquet comes at a price—patrons packed tighter than business class on Air France and high prices—but it's worth it. The pale yellow room is dimly lit, with clean white tables, plush blue banquettes on either side, and modern abstract paintings on the walls. Through the all-glass front, you can see older couples arriving in chartered Town Cars, along with trust-fund women with their tiny dogs. Luckily, the food is solid bistro fare—classic Parisian dishes, the equivalent of American comfort food. The best dishes are influenced by cuisine nouvelle—foreign ingredients or cooking styles. Regulars know to start with the smoked salmon with guacamole, an unusual French-Mexican dish served with sculpted toast points. Silky salmon with vegetables is served with a Cajun-influenced salt-and-herb-crusted top, with summer vegetables soaking up the fishy broth beneath. And Black Angus steak with pepper sauce is grilled to crisp perfection on the outside, marbled with fat inside, served with tomato salsa and a buttery gravy with black pepper you'll want to soak up with the salty frites. Look past the traditional bistro dishes—the riskier your order, the more you'll be rewarded. — Timothy Cooper

Le Bilboquet is named for that old-fashioned French game where you try to flip a ball on a string into a cup on the same stick.

Note
Reservations are accepted only for parties of four or more 

Le saumon fume et guacamole, $17; le risotto auz champignons, $14