La Grenouille

It’s true that the Masson family, who’ve presided for decades over this last of the venerable midtown French restaurants, have been in a state of not-so-quiet turmoil in recent years (the matriarch, Giselle, died at the age of 89 five years ago, and the former front-of-the-house man, older brother, Charles, was banished from the premises). It’s also true that the quality of ageless mid-20th-century specialties on the famous frog-decorated menu, like lobster bisque, grilled sole, and crêpes flambées, can go up and down with the passage of time. But the clientele is as loyal as ever, the famous flowers are still delivered each morning to be placed in tall vases around the famous dining room, and as long as the family manages to hang onto the midtown townhouse off Fifth Avenue, the gilded, rose-scented, essentially French pleasures of this fin de siècle fine-dining landmark will endure.