L’Ecole (CLOSED)

Proving that homework can be mouthwatering, this staid yellow-and-crimson dining room has been the training ground for students at the French Culinary Institute since 1984. Top cooks turned academics oversee would-be toques, who turn out cheapie three-course prix-fixe lunches and five-course dinners (from 8 to 9pm). Although the culinary creations—dishes like escargots with herb butter or panfried cod with yellow tomato coulis—may not always make the grade, L’Ecole offers the thrill of sampling a future master’s work, accompanied by first-class service and a 15-page wine list.