By NicoElNino @ Adobe Stock
On his Substack, David Lebovitz, my favorite French food writer, lauds Chez Georges as a “classic bistro.” Debbie and I traveled with David in Paris and Switzerland, at the beginning of our adventures in France. David writes:
We don’t go to traditional French bistros as much as I’d like. One reason is that there aren’t that many in our neighborhood. The 11th arrondissement, where we live, is considered the “foodie” neighborhood in Paris where lots of young chefs have set up restaurants, which include, but aren’t limited to, Septime, Chanceux, Clamato, Adar, Mokonuts, Café du Coin, Automne, Yard, La Buvette, Le Servan, Martin, Le Rigmarole, Kubri, Oobatz, L’Ébauchoir, and The Hood, just to name a few. (And we still haven’t been to Châteaubriand, but that’s another restaurant of note, and there are others…)
Another reason is that over the years bistros became less-relevant due to changing eating habits which include shorter lunch breaks, a desire for “healthier” foods, younger people becoming more interested in cuisines from other cultures, and a decrease in disposable income; French salaried workers get les Tickets resto that pay for them to go out to lunch, up to €25. But not everyone, including self-employed people, gets that perk.
Add to that, consuming a slab of terrine, then steak-frites, then a plate of profiteroles for lunch, along with a glass (or bottle) of wine, well…you can consider the rest of the day shot.
Yet I love going to a classic bistro, with the host waiting at the bar, presiding over a oversized book scribbled with handwritten reservations (and you nervously hope they have yours!), the dulled-by-time zinc counters, an occasional dog on the leash, sitting on the floor waiting for a bite of something from the table, baskets of thick baguette slices that leave crumbs on the table when you rip into them, waitresses carrying piles of fries on steel platters to tables, and carafes of house red, even though my preference these days leans toward white. There’s something about red wine in a carafe that’s just so appealing in a bistro.
So how fun was it to go to Chez Georges, one of the Paris bistros that continues to thrive, filling up every day for lunch, with locals? Very.
Read more from David here.
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