le rivage is very good, enjoyed my meal there. my personal favorite in new york is la bonne soupe, 55th and 6th. also had a enjoyable meal at a 24 hour place once, pigaille. i think it's on 47th/48th and broadway/7th?

I haven't seen my favorite mentioned here, (forgive me if it has) but we discovered Fleur de Sel by accident and fell in love with it. It's very intimate and each dish is a like a little jewel:
http://www.fleurdeselnyc.com/menus.html

I wasn't going to respond since the OP has already decided on Daniel. But since others have continued with their favorite places I guess I'll add to it for future reference.

La Petite Auberge on Lexington Ave, a place that's been around for 30 years. Kind of an old school French restaurant serving reasonably priced meals, especially their pre-fixe dinner menu: http://www.lapetiteaubergeny.com/

We are most likely going with Daniel, though we find somewhere more interesting to us we coulde change. FYI, we may go to a more casual bistro place also and La Bonne Soupe peaked my interest early on in my research. Keep the suggestion coming. :-)

I am quite fond of L'Absinthe @ 227 East 67 (2-3 aves) which may be booked on open table.

curious...that's it! i was trying to think of the name but couldn't...had a wonderful, (and relatively inexpensive) authentic meal at le petite auberge in february! i mean really, if it wasn't on lexington avenue, it could have been in any small town in france!

Our very favorite Manhattan French Restaurant is Les Restaurant Sans Culottes East. It is located in the East side of Manhattan on the West side of 2nd Avenue just north of 57th street. It is a country French place with IMO very good food and great prices. Although unpretentious, It is attractive with a relaxed yet fun atmosphere. Before ordering, the table is presented with a large rack of a variety of excellent French country sausage, a crock of pate and a basket of whole vegetables. Eat all that you want. The fixed price multi course lunch menu is under $15 and the fixed price dinner menu is under $25. Of course with these prices, wine is extra. There is also a good variety of ala carte items. Even if you order only ala carte, and the most expensive things at that, $100 will easily cover two people with wine.

There's a cozy French bistro on the UWS, La Boite en Bois. They have a prix fixe menu but I'm not sure about wine pairings. It' s located just a step away from Columbus on 68th (towards the Park.)It's a great neighborhood place.