This is not the first time I’ve evoked the surprising fact that good bistro food is hard to find in Paris.
Many of the city’s bistros and brasseries are serving up sub-par fare (to mostly tourists), while top chefs are deviating from tradition in favor of innovative cuisine or fancy neo-bistros which, while awesome, aren’t always what I’m looking for. As a result, my list of good, homey, cozy bistros in the city is woefully short, and I’m always happy to add a new one, like Le Troquet.
This restaurant has everything I so love about true bistros: a cozy dining room, a chalkboard menu, and generous portions of delicious food.
The Southwestern flair is evident from the start: on the night of my visit, a simple appetizer of lentils with vinaigrette and a fried egg was topped with a sprinkling of Espelette pepper, the local chili pepper so beloved in the Basque country.
Slightly lighter options for starters including marinated salmon with red cabbage and an almond topping.
Mains were, by and large, of a meatier persuasion: pork tenderloin, braised lamb saddle, and this ris de veau or veal sweetbreads with a smoked jus and Basque Espelette pepper.
Sides are hearty and homey, like potato gratin.
Desserts, meanwhile, run the gamut from gourmet chocolate mousse with exotic fruit tartare…
… to homey rice pudding with prunes…
… to fresh, house-made soufflé.
This bistro is nothing fancy, but that’s why I like it.
Le Troquet – 21 Rue François Bonvin, 75015