Disclaimer: It's been 7 years since I last ate at La Traboulerie.
Even though it's been 7 years, I could tell you exactly what I would get if I went back. Salade Lyonnaise and Grillades à Trois Viandes. It's actually what I got the very first time that I visited.
It was my first week in Lyon, I was a tad homesick, and in that challenging situation where you can't really speak French from being out of practice, but you can't really speak English because your brain is working so hard to get back into French. Luckily, one of my friends from college, who'd participated in the same summer program years before, was in town, and took me to Rue Mercière to show me good spots to eat in the city. As we perused the menus, we decided on La Traboulerie. We both ordered the Salade Lyonnaise and Grillades à Trois Viandes. To this day, this salad is what I use as my definition of a salade lyonnaise, perhaps because it was my first, but I did encounter many more in the city, and it's still my favorite. Perfectly poached egg, thick salty bacon, delicious croutons, and fresh, flavorful greens.
Then they brought out the meat. Which was raw. As we two Americans sat there pondering where exactly we went wrong in ordering "grillade" and how best to politely explain that we made a mistake, and would pay, but would not be eating that much raw meat, I can't help but imagine the friendly waitstaff smiling at us from the back of the small facility. Not in an evil way, but in a "silly tourists" way. Then the hot stone appeared. And all made sense. Somehow we'd overlooked the "à pierre" indicating that we would be cooking the meat ourselves on the hot stone. Crisis averted, we set to cooking the meat with the salt and herbes de provence provided. Perhaps it's nothing special if you've grown up in Lyon, but it was simply delicious to me. So much so that it became my go-to spot whenever I wanted something hearty and homey.
The other reviewers mention that it's small, and you're likely to overhear the conversation of others, which is true. As a tourist, this was actually pleasant, since it made me feel more connected to the city, and it's not as easy for me to overhear conversations in French.
Also as a tourist, it's just a short walk from Place Bellecour, so it's an obvious choice for a meal when you've been visiting the tourist office.
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