Albuquerque, NMFrench

A downtown French bistro on Gold Avenue that Gil's Thrilling Blog rates as excellent for classic bistro cooking done with care. The kitchen runs a cream of mushroom soup, veal scallopini Normande, and chicken cordon bleu, with a jambon-beurre baguette at lunch and beignets to close. Order the veal Normande or the jambon-beurre, and save room for the beignets dusted at the table.

A Northeast Heights French restaurant established in 1996 and now cooked by chef Daniel Little, covered by Gil's Thrilling Blog for its traditional bistro plates. The French onion soup draws particular praise, alongside a slow-cooked cassoulet and a proper croque monsieur. Order the onion soup and the cassoulet, and settle into a room that has held its French bearings for nearly three decades.

A family-run French bistro that relocated to the Mountain Run center on Eubank in 2013, praised by Gil's Thrilling Blog for its pastry work and Parisian plates. The pain au chocolat is a signature, and the kitchen turns out double-fried frites, beef bourguignon, moules frites, and steak frites. Order the steak frites or the moules, and take home a pain au chocolat for later.