Sorrel

Duck confit

The kitchen's most reliable anchor — long-cooked leg with crispy rendered skin and a rich, lightly acidic pan sauce

Steak frites

A properly cooked bistro cut with good crust and house-cut fries — the benchmark dish that tells you whether a French kitchen is honest

French onion soup

Rich, deeply browned broth under a properly gratinéed gruyère lid — a cold-weather staple that earns its place on the menu