I have mixed feelings about Bistro des Augustins. On the one hand, it provided me some of the most…read morecomforting and delicious food that I enjoyed in Paris. On the other hand, it made me realize that my mother was a terrible cook.
Bistro des Augustins is a small, cozy venue offering both indoor seating and terrace seating near Pont Neuf. It serves a small number of curated dishes, including a wonderfully traditional Bistro Gratin in a homey ceramic dish served piping hot with a brown crispy cheesy top, herbs, spices and chicken. You can also get it with salmon.
My brothers and I only saw my mother use our gas range to light her cigarettes, sanitize needles to remove our splinters, and make s'mores during the summer months when she couldn't muster the energy to take us 'outside camping.' I mean, all she had to do was borrow a cookbook, which I'm sure were readily available from maybe a neighbor or in any local bookstore or the public library. How hard is that? I was the only kid who brought a can of tuna and his own monogrammed can opener to school every day. Every day. And mom convinced me that the tuna holster she got me for my birthday was cool and hip. I was a naive mercury-filled fool, although I did become a very fast runner in junior high school because of the tuna holster.
The interior décor of Bistro des Augustins is informal and vintage bistro style - wooden tables, traditional chalkboard menus, and soft lighting - creating a relaxed and comfy ambiance.
My eyes have been opened to what's possible. Thank you Bistro des Augustins for expanding my culinary horizons.
Five stars.