I like À La Biche Au Bois for what it is, but I like it more for what it’s not.
What it is: A neighborhood restaurant between the Gare de Lyon and Bastille serving generous portions of hearty, traditional dishes, heavy on the game, with deep bowls of potato purée and piles of frites.
What it’s not: It’s not pretentious or trendy. It’s not expensive – 25,90€ buys an entrée, plat, and dessert.
It’s definitely not for the faint of heart. The first courses are almost all patés and terrines (I love the rabbit), in portions big enough to fill you up before your main event arrives, and most of these (the sanglier with chestnuts, the coq au vin, the escalope de veau, the cassolette de biche) could serve a small family. At this point dietary caution has clearly been thrown to the wind, so say yes to a couple of cheeses from the board, a Pont l’Eveque or Bleu des Causses maybe, before deciding between chocolate mousse, créme caramel, a dish of ice cream or the splendid Ile Flottante.
And it’s not over ’til it’s over: After the feast, a little Cognac will be offered. Take it, you’ll need it.
Then consider walking home.
À La Biche Au Bois 45 Ave. Ledru-Rollin, 75012 Paris, +33 (0)1 43 43 34 38
You’ve hit the nail on the head! Restaurants like this are what make eating out still fun instead of stressful… I’ll add this one to my list! Thanks!