La Grenouille

We jokingly dubbed this classic French restaurant in Midtown the "temple of the flowers and white tablecloth." It's a wonderful place for a "pretentious" lunch with girlfriends or a romantic dinner. Opened in 1962, La Grenouille now caters to the children and grandchildren of its original patrons, some of whom have been coming here for over 50 years.

Impeccable "old-school" service, elegant floral decor, divine French food, and imposing prices — this is how we'd describe La Grenouille. Since the very beginning, this restaurant has been decorated by an unbelievable number of fresh flowers, a tradition that continues to this day.

We recommend: If you're feeling adventurous, ask the waiter for frog legs. If not, then try the halibut with fennel, lemon and Picholine olives; roasted duck breast with orange, red organic wild rice; or lobster and tarragon ravioli. They offer a fixed price menu for lunch ($52 for two courses; $67 for three courses) and dinner ($104). There's also a vegetarian menu.

Cuisine: classic French.

Atmosphere: bourgeois.

The crowd: Power brokers and their wives, "It" girls, elegant ladies overloaded with diamonds, well-known couture designers (we bumped into Carolina Herrera).

Key info: Men must wear sport coats, except to lunch on the second floor. Smoking is prohibited. They don't accept travellers checks.

Tags: La Grenouille