Bistrot Des Tournelles

Édouart Vermynck’s wildly popular new Marais bistrot is already a classicI hope I don’t regret giving this one away. In just a few months, Édouard Vermynck’s beautiful new bistrot in the Places des Vosges & Place de la Bastille neighborhood already feels like home. As a trusted long-time restaurateur and a great guy in Paris, (Édouard founded L’Entree des Artistes) it didn’t take long for the local restaurant & natural wine industry family to fill the dining room the six nights a week. Édouart chose the retro fittings (think marble bar, century-old mirrors, art deco chandeliers) to create a warm, nostalgic & intimate space - it feels like it has always been there. With the candles and wine, it is like one big industry date night. The traditional a la carte menu by his Chef Geoffroy Lalangella isn't fancy, it just reads like a dream with classic eggs mayo, croque-monsieur Comté & jambon Prince de Paris, house-made grilled Andouillette, daube de boeuf à la Provençale, noix de Saint-Jacques au beurre blanc sauce, Limousin faux-filet steak, farm-raised chicken and even a (I haven’t seen in years) chicken Cordon Bleu. Every meat dish is followed by “au jus” and jus you get, as much as you want. There are two side dish choices of frites or puréed potatoes - choose BOTH. Plats are followed by Brillat-Savarin cheese and/or mousse au chocolat, crème brulée with Madagascar vanilla, and tarte tatin dressed with raw cream. As one of the forerunners of serving only natural wine, some of the gems on Ed’s tight list are Laval and Rupert-Leroy Champagnes, Valette Macon’s, Foillard & Dufaitre Beaujolais, Bernard & Ratapoil Jura’s and Clos Du Tue-Boeuf from the Loire. What to expect? It is busy, loud & lively, only one server. Tables are elbow to elbow. Easy and delicious. Nothing over the top. Every table knows each other, and… the owner. Maybe that is what we crave now. No BS. Just good satisfying food & great company. Although everyone is welcome, although it is packed with friends who all know each other, although it is a classic French bistrot - the local crowd would appreciate my saying out loud it is not for tourists, nor everyone.