8.5 La Bourse et (not ou) La Vie, 12, rue Vivienne in the 2nd, (Metro: Bourse), telephone and reservation system not quite up and running, is open for all three meals a day Monday-Friday and is about the best place I've been to in eons (disclosures follow*). When I came here just about two years ago under the old regime it was classic bistro food with a retro twist, now it's classic bistro food with modern products and twist. I had a terrible time deciding what to have.
The gougères and white Touraine (offered) I had while waiting for my dining partner (who had been with me the first week Spring had opened in the 9th) as well as the welcome I got from the Spring crew, really started me off on the right foot.
My lovely ex-co-host on the food website that cannot be named had the oysters gratinee and I the sliced foie gras on an impressively large artichoke heart - both just sublime.
Then my dining pal, who had asked if the pot-au-feu was a modest portion, got a plateful of tete de veau and garnish and I thought - "well there, that's a lot for a meal," but then arrived a huge pot of a knuckle with bone marrow, par-cooked celery and carrots and other goodies and I changed my mind, thinking I was so much smarter ordering the reasonable portion of wild mushrooms - until Daniel shows up at my elbow like the chef at a Zurich restaurant - with "the second portion, Monsieur." My god, what next? (PS. It will be my dinner).
My partner and I settled on the chocolate mousse to share for dessert and it was super.
*Disclosures: I and she have been with Spring from practically the beginning; I have raved about his food whether it's pigeon, coucou de Rennes, lobster-roll or butter; she has actually waitressed for him; Colette and I dine with Daniel & Marie on off-days, etc, etc, etc. Conflicts of interest pervade my write-ups and opinions. Take it for what it is, an opinionated opinion.
The bill: with two glasses of wine and two coffees offered, no bottled water and one bottle of wine, was 105 E. dB = 69.1
Go? If you can get in, otherwise you're nuts by definition.
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