Recommendations

Upper East Side Euro heaven (or hell, depending on your POV).
Guide: Euro (Giancarlo)
Location: UES

Strengths

• A great scene, complete with fabulous Europeans, decked out NYC shoppers, and the occasional celeb.
• Solid bistro food. It won't win any awards, but it satisfies.
• Turns into a bit of a party after dinner.

Shortcomings

• The service is mediocre at best; at worst you may want to strangle your rude French waiter.
• It's small and cramped. It's named for an old game where you flip a ball on a string into a cup, and moving around in this place is about as easy as playing that game while riding a unicycle.
• Expensive.
• They only accept reservations for parties of 4 or more.

Insider tips

• Go for a very late lunch. It's a bit less crowded.
• Try the steak au poivre or the Cajun chicken and don't miss the frites.

Anecdotes

• This is not the place to go after a breakup, when every patron and staff member can hear you dish, or after a cosmetic procedure, when you're keeping a low profile- you come here to see and be seen.

Credentials

• Zagat gives them 20.