Chez Georges.

This week’s Grub Hub recommends the ultimate in French traditional dining—Chez Georges. Nestled awkwardly in an elongated corner space near a church in the Second, Chez Georges is a hidden gem, closed off from the world by crochet curtains. Much like my review for Chez Françoise, I hate to give a good secret away. . . but here goes:

I first stumbled upon Chez Georges almost five years ago while racing to get somewhere with the kids. I remember peeking through the little holes in the curtains’ design and seeing older French couples dining happily. The menu posted by the door was handwritten in that thick cursive French and I knew I had to eat there.

When I finally had a good enough excuse to eat at Chez Georges, I was not disappointed. There are two dining rooms, the one in the back being darker and more intimate. Mirrors and small lamps adorn the walls. It’s fine dining, but still casual and relaxed. You will be served on what looks like grandma’s fine china instead of mass-produced, plain, white restaurant dinnerware.

And being served at Chez Georges is a pleasure. You won’t find the typical snobby men that you will at other French restaurants. Instead, you may get a friendly, elderly woman in comfortable shoes as your server. She will gladly help you decide what to order for your meal.

The menu is all very traditional. Appetizers include mushrooms (champignons à la grèque), ham, lentil salad, herring and foie gras. They are served in large, golden brown, depression-era glass bowls. Your server will bring the appetizer over to your table where you can take as much as you like. I imagine that you are supposed to act with a certain amount of decorum and restraint and only serve yourself what you think is a proper amount of food, which probably means less than what a French person would serve himself. I do admit to sneaking little spoonfuls of the appetizers ordered by the other people in our party.

For my main course, I had the cote d’agneau grillée (grilled lamb) with a side of green beans. The lamb was cooked to perfection and was nicely tender. They also have duck steak, beef steak, salmon, sole and coquille St. Jacques.

The desserts at Chez Georges are just as fun as the appetizers. The millefeuille and profiteroles are enormous and, of course, very good. The cheese course is also worth trying.

We drank a 2004 Château Haut-Vigneau merlot with our dinner and took our time savoring every flavor and enjoying the atmosphere. Diners at the restaurant are laid back and upscale. For our Friday night dinner, there was a 4-year-old eating with her grandparents who was better behaved than some of the adults eating around us.

Chez Georges will set you back about 60 euros a person, with first courses and desserts costing around 10 euros each and the main course costing around 30 euros. The wine list is very good and you can ask for their assistance in choosing a good wine to go along with your meal. It’s a great place for Sunday dinner or to impress out-of-town guests with an authentic traditional French meal.

Chez Georges is located at 2 rue du Mail in the 2^nd arrondissement. It’s small and fills up fast. You’ll definitely need a reservation—call 01 42 60 07 11.