Why I won't go back: Cramped quarters and abysmal service.
You HAVE to order: filet de boeuf au poivre
Tony's Tip: If you have the asparagus, ask for the hollandiase sauce on the side - otherwise the dish will be smothered in it.
People come here for the classic French bistro experience. And the food. The food is very good. Excellent in fact. It is the savior of the restaurant. Almost compensates for small, tight tables/counters and disjointed, if not wholly incompetent service. Almost.
After several days of extravagant tasting menus down in the Bordeaux region, we were looking forward to some more traditional meals in Paris. On a recommendation from a well-traveled friend, we booked Le Bon Georges, which had long ago earned a reputation for great food in an authentic setting. Arriving on time, we walked into a cute, "cozy" (to be kind) establishment, where we were promptly led to the back of the restaurant - to a tight counter space in an overly bright room. We shut that down immediately. The next attempt was a small table for two in the room next to the bar that was bookended by the stairs (with waiters coming and going) and a stack of dinner plates on a serving station that waiters were constantly drawing from. Nope. They finally said, "pick anything you want," and we settled into a two-top in that room which was less claustrophobic than most other options.
As for the rest of the evening's mishaps, enjoy this rundown:
- wine list presented in the form of a heavy, 6-inch thick book and a smirky "good luck"
- the "sommelier" - a kid of about 30 - comes back after two minutes to see what we'd like. I ask if he has a cab/merlot blend. He shows me the cabs. I say, yes, but with merlot. Merlot? He appears not to have heard of this varietal. I reiterate, we would like a red blend. Blend? Another concept lost in translation. I finally shoo him off and settle on a red from Margeaux, asking when he returns if he's got an opinion on the 1995, 1996, or 2000 vintages. His response - 1996 was "a good year" lol. I'm pretty sure the real sommelier was off for the evening and they said to this guy, "you be sommelier tonight." The vintages are all similarly priced, so I go with the 1995.
- after I taste, he decants it, then attempts to leave the glass decanter on the edge of the small table. I suggest that might not be wise, and how about leaving it at the serving station. Of, yes, good idea.
- bread was served, but we had to ask for butter, which took 10 minutes. Butter arrived with the bread at the table next to us.
- at some point prior to dessert, our glasses were empty and I had to flag him down to see if we had any wine left (I knew we did). He claims he had forgotten. I also can't guarantee that he didn't mix up our wine with the couple's next to us - similar decanters, similar color.
- it took a while for our dinner plates to be cleared, and then there was a long gap between dessert and the bill being presented. At least 20 minutes of downtime. Fine, except we had been chatting with our neighbors, and a hostess stopped over to rush us out almost as soon as we paid since they needed the table.
Look - it's just hard to fully enjoy a meal with such a clown show going on around you. That said, the food was indeed excellent. I had an onion tart encased in bacon as my starter, and it was a perfect combo of sweet and savory (Tony's bonus tip: try any onion-based dish at a great restaurant - it's a wonder what chefs can do with this typical garnish as the main event). My wife loved her seasonal asparagus as well as the white fish entree she ordered. I went with the classic steak au poivre and it did not disappoint. A perfect medium-rare, tender, with an au poivre sauce so good I soaked it up with the bread AND the fries. Speaking of which, these were classic medium-cut fries that were crispy on the outside with a touch of salt that we both devoured. And about that dessert - yes, we did the cliche thing and ordered the pot of chocolate mousse, as did most of the restaurant. It's as big as your hand, but also creamy and airy, not dense. We polished off half of it, feeling good about the damage done.
Having loved the food, why did I land on 3 stars and a bon voyage to Le Bon Georges? In the end, there are A TON of great bistros in Paris. You can find many that will crush it on the food while giving you a little more room to enjoy it with a more professional attempt at making your fine dining experience unforgettable in a good way. No need to put ourselves through that again. read more