After opening restaurants around the world, putting out cookbooks, and being on TV for decades, Daniel Boulud is someone you're probably familiar with, even if you're not sure how. His celebrity status and longevity in the food world make any of his projects notable. But Le Gratin doesn’t feel like just another notch in Boulud’s belt. Located in the Beekman Hotel, this restaurant has a lot of classics like Dover sole and steak frites. Somewhere serving French standards is nothing new, but you get the feeling that Le Gratin is more personal to Boulud than some of his other restaurants. This place is inspired by bistros in Lyon, where the chef grew up, and nothing on the menu seems like a throwaway dish. Prioritize anything labeled as a Lyonnaise specialty. Always start with the salade Lyonnaise with crispy pork belly and chicken livers, and be sure to get the chilled watercress velouté. It comes with little pieces of smoked trout and roe on crunchy toast points that take the dish to another level. A Gruyère-mushroom béchamel served with a pike quenelle is the ideal sauce to dip some bread in, and the one non-negotiable order is the plate of escargots. Instead of serving them in tiny pools of melted garlic butter, the kitchen fries the snails in tempura batter and pairs them with pig trotter croquettes and spinach-herb coulis. Just like the pastrami at Katz’s, the escargots will become the dish this place is known for. With its mirrored walls, cigar-colored banquettes, and flowers painted on wall tiles, Le Gratin’s vibe is much more Parisian bistro than fine dining establishment. Still, this place is a great choice to celebrate any relationship status-related occasion. We understand the urge to spend your money at the latest hot opening helmed by some up-and-coming chef, but this restaurant will remind you why everyone knows Boulud’s name in the first place: for cooking French food better than most people on this planet.