Park Avenue Bistro (CLOSED)

The classic French fare is so fine at this banquette-filled Flatiron standard, it’s a pity the service doesn’t always measure up. The excellent duck confit salad, however, may be reason enough to tolerate the chill—the tender poultry, with frisée greens and lardons in a tart sherry vinaigrette, is definitive. So is an exemplary coq au vin, featuring fall-apart tender chicken slow-cooked with pearl onions and mushrooms. Recommendable on the lighter end are plump scallops, which get an oniony kick from chive oil. Desserts are equally good: The flaky crust that encases Park Bistro’s apple tart surrenders promptly to your fork.