Bar Blanc

"Bar Blanc offers a $7 espresso tonic, which is more complex than basic juice or soda, showcasing the quality of nonalcoholic cocktails available." - Laura Scholz

"Atop Little Sparrow in West Midtown, this French bar only serves steak frites (though the prix fixe menu also includes a table salad and bread). While the steak is solid, the meal as a whole isn't worth shelling out $50 (unless you really plan on taking advantage of the unlimited fries, which come with a tasty bearnaise). The real move is to hit the cozy Bar Blanc space for a classic cocktail. If you can picture it clutched in the hands of Don Draper, that drink is probably on the menu. Sipping a stiff Old Fashioned beneath dimly lit chandeliers, you might find yourself scanning the compact yet stylish blue subway-tiled room for a cigarette girl on her rounds. The only thing that will drag you back into the present is the French electronica as background noise. Food Rundown Bread It's a crusty baguette. If you love bread, you'll like it. photo credit: Amy Sinclair Salad They call it a simple salad, and that's accurate. Some leafy greens are topped with large slivers of cheese and a few drizzles of dressing that we couldn't really taste. So ask for extra dressing on the side. photo credit: Amy Sinclair Frites The fries are unlimited and served with a tasty bearnaise. But there are times we've been when they were so greasy (when you squeeze them oil seeps out) that we didn't even finish the small bowl. photo credit: Amy Sinclair Steak The steak is supremely tender, served medium rare, and easily the best thing about the prix fixe menu (other than the bread). Pousse-Cafe It's hard to find a bar that will make you a pousse-cafe and even harder to find one that'll do it well. The after-dinner cocktail isn't included in the prix fixe menu price, but add it on anyway. The colorful layers defy the laws of physics, and it's strong enough that you could potentially breathe fire after just one sip. photo credit: Amy Sinclair photo credit: Amy Sinclair photo credit: Amy Sinclair photo credit: Amy Sinclair" - Juli Horsford

"This steak frites spot sits atop another newly opened restaurant, Little Sparrow, in West Midtown. A $49.50 prix fixe menu with steak as the main attraction means there's no struggle when deciding what to order. But we're most looking forward to the full bar and Bar Blanc's assorted desserts like the gateaux basque. " - nina reeder, juli horsford

"Situations will arise in our lives (like a traffic jam that made you an hour late to your original reservation). But you gotta be smart about it, and heading to West Midtown to dine at Bar Blanc is really the smartest thing you can do when date night is in jeopardy. The small and stylish French bar is where we'd go to drink classic cocktails with a French electronica soundtrack. Très chic. It also serves a prix fixe menu of respectable steak frites, table salad, and bread. A $50 per person price tag will get you a better steak dinner around town. But when our choices are either a costly meal or a night of sleeping alone on the couch, we’ll take the prime rib and unlimited fries with a tasty bearnaise every time. " - juli horsford, nina reeder, jacinta howard

"Bar Blanc should open in the next few weeks. Bar Blanc is a cool and energetic spot, sporting plush velvet and leather seating, big speakers, and a mosaic tile floor. Fry considers it a 'steak friterie'. Bar Blanc's prix-fixe food menu includes a levain baguette and salade maison for the table, followed by steak with a brown butter bearnaise sauce and unlimited frites." - Beth McKibben