Bistro & Cie

I don’t normally eat at chain restaurants. I certainly don’t want to pimp one. But this one is a bit different. The food is not the best in the world and it will never get any Michelin stars, but the quality-to-price ratio is off the scale. It’s a company called Bistro & Cie. And they have seven restaurants in Paris that all operate under an Ikea-like philosophy—good food does not have to be expensive.

Last weekend I had the pleasure of being introduced to this company at Bistro de la Muette in the 16^th arrondissement. The restaurant itself is well decorated in a fusion of urban chic and old-world French. It is rather large and can accommodate numerous groups at the same time. We sat in a private, candlelit room decorated in burgundy and black, being warmed by the fireplace (that actually did have a real fire burning in it).

Each of the seven bistros works the same way—the menu is entirely fixed at the price of 33 euros. This includes an amazing amount of food. You get a champagne kir, a starter, a main course, a dessert, a bottle of wine for every two people and a coffee. Portions are large, especially the desserts, and I saw wait staff freely refilling kirs even after the starters had been served.

You would think that a bistro that operates in such a manner would offer a choice of three items for each course. Not so; you may even have difficulty deciding what to order. The wine menu is particularly extensive for this type of restaurant. We got a rich 2004 Bordeaux.

Food options are interesting. Starters include foie gras, crab artichoke, veal ravioli, escargots and oysters. Main courses cover everything from shrimp to duck to steak to lamb and fish. I had the duck with green peppers and mashed potatoes. Desserts are, of course, very good. I had a macaron noisette with ice cream. The millefeuille is enormous. But the best dessert appears to be the profiterole—three huge profiteroles with a little pitcher of melted dark chocolate. Need I say more?

The Bistro de la Muette is located at 10 Chaussée de la Muette in the 16^th near the Metro La Muette and the RER Boulanvilliers. Call 01 45 03 14 84 for a reservation. It’s the perfect place to take out-of-town guests looking for traditional French food, to hold a birthday party or to go for a Friday night date without breaking your piggybank. To find the other six Bistros around the city, visit them on the web at bistrocie.fr.