An unofficial historic monument, Polidor is not so much a restaurant as a snapshot of a bygone era. The decor has not changed substantially for at least 100 years, when Verlaine and Rimbaud, the bad boys of poetry, would come here for a cheap meal. The bistro would continue to be a literary lunchroom for decades: In the 1950s, it was dubbed “the College of Pataphysics” by a rowdy group of young upstarts that included Max Ernst, Boris Vian, and Eugene Ionesco; André Gide and Ernest Hemingway were reputed regulars. The menu features hefty bistro standbys like boeuf bourguignon and blanquette de veau (veal stew with white sauce), but if you look carefully you’ll also find lighter fare like salmon with basil and chicken breast with morel sauce. These days, the arty set has moved elsewhere; you’ll probably be sharing the long wood tables with other tourists, along with a dose of locals and fans of Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, as certain shots were filmed here. Though the food is not particularly memorable, the ambience is unique.