Regulars grumble about the uneven cooking at Le Balzar, but they continue to be regulars because they can't resist the waiters' wry humor and the dining room's amazing people-watching possibilities. It attracts politicians, writers, tourists, and local eccentrics. Despite being purchased by the Flo group several years ago, causing great uproar among Rive Gauche intellectuals, this remains one of the city's classic brasseries, the perfect stop before or after a Woody Allen film in a local art-house cinema. Don't expect miracles from the kitchen, but stick to evergreens such as snails in garlic butter, French onion soup, and panfried veal liver with sautéed potatoes. Métro: Cluny-La Sorbonne.