Jubilee

Jubilee is an intimate,friendly, buzzing unpretentious bistro on the popular Sutton Place, Manhattan and anyone who loves French food should pay at least one visit.
Do book in advance- it gets incredibly busy during the week- and the weekends... I can only imagine!
I will have to return and try all the other dishes- they looked great, by my Crabes-Mou Sautes a l'ail were excellent!
In fact I had returned the following week (without rezervation, I'm afraid) and the hostess remembered me from the previous visit and did her best to accomodate me.
It's also great to be able to converse in French with the staff and, judging by the many languages spoken, the place is a hit with many European visitors (worked for me!).
I must try "Les Moules" next time but then everything looks equally appetising and I look forward to many visits.
The wine is inexpensive compared with what I saw elsewhere and if your pocket will allow it, I recommend the Louis Roederer Cristal Champagne which will set you off nicely!
I have no doubt that Jubilee would get a round of applause from any serious gourmet.
What can I say other than the clichéed : "I'll be back" !!!

Jubilee is a definite must for high quality food in NYC that doesn't break the bank, and that is just slightly away from the maddening tourist crowds. Nestled in the affluent neighborhood of Sutton Place, Jubilee made its bones years ago as a hot spot for that neighborhood's well heeled residents. After word spread about its moules, the place has become a mecca that even suburbanites in the know will trek for.
The owners are real French, and so is the food. Everything is excellent, from the salads, to the pates, to the chicken, to the authentic country french dishes. Forget the expensive wines of most NYC places - this is the kind of place where you do very well to follow the waiter's lead with the $45 bottle of wine to perfectly accompany your meal (the owners wouldn't have picked the wine for their list if not recommended).
And then there's the show stopper - the moules provencal!!! OMG, they're to die for! Accompanied by the obligatory (and excellent) frites, they're cracked and grilled on the half shell with the light but amazing provencal sauce. Those in the know pick the following menu - a light green salad followed by a double order of the moules provencal (with frites, of course) and a bottle of Rhone wine. Just heaven!
Before or after dinner, walk around the neighborhood, perhaps over to the East River and walk along Sutton Place. You won't see many tourists this way, and you'll get more of a feeling for quality New York City.