Fancy though it may be, Eleven Madison Park is surprisingly lively. But make no mistake, this is fine dining at its most serious.

For your next special occasion/fancy night out dinner in SoHo, consider the French fine dining at Le Coucou.

Wildair is a casual wine bar on the Lower East Side, attached to the acclaimed tasting menu restaurant Contra.

Daniel is a New York City fine dining classic. Save it for a special occasion and eat in the salon, where things are a bit more laid back.

We like this tiny French restaurant on the Lower East Side so much we almost didn’t want to tell you about it.

Manhatta is a prix-fixe restaurant on the 60th floor of a building in FiDi, and an ideal special occasion spot.

Time after time, Per Se proves to be one of New York's most iconic and impressive restaurants. However, it has some serious service issues we'd like to address.

Frenchette is an upscale French bistro in Tribeca. Think of it as an updated version of The Odeon or Balthazar.

Ruffian is a tiny East Village bar with a huge natural wine list and a short menu of really good Mediterranean food.

A sexy Greenwich Village restaurant with an unusual French menu. Your next date night should be at Mimi.

Raoul’s has been a Soho institution since the '70s. If you can’t have a good time at this French bistro, you probably can’t have a good time anywhere.

Mountain Bird is a poultry-focused French bistro in Harlem, run by a Japanese couple. Sound interesting? It is. It's also excellent.

Babs is a nice restaurant in Greenwich Village that serves excellent Basque food, but it’s not perfect for everyone.

When it comes to FiDi, Augustine is pretty much as good as it gets. Think Balthazar, but for bankers, and with somewhat better food.

Balthazar is a Soho institution - a French bistro that will get the job done for almost any situation.

Dirty French is a Lower East Side French restaurant from the people behind Carbone, and like that place, dinner here is definitely an event.