Les Terrines

For many years, chef Gérard Vié held court at Les Trois Marches, the wonderful restaurant at the Hôtel Trianon Palace in Versailles. The venerable hotel underwent a renovation and a series of ownership changes—it was first rebranded as a Westin and last month joined the bizarrely named Waldorf-Astoria Collection—and Vié vanished. A charming man and a deft cook with a rare talent for and interest in vegetables, he has now resurfaced at this delightful new bistrot, Les Terrines. The cozy decor has a rustic predisposition, with a country ham on a serving stand in the middle of the room and dish-towel-style napkins. On a recent frosty, lead-gray day, I feasted on rabbit terrine, boeuf paleron (shoulder palette or upper blade roast) with carrots and potatoes, and for dessert a yuzu (a Japanese lemon-lime citrus fruit) macaroon. There’s also a pleasantly affordable selection of wines, all of it making Vié’s comeback bistrot a very welcome addition to the Left Bank.

97 rue du Cherche Midi, 6th, 01.42.22.19.18, Métro: Vanneau. Fixed-price menus €24 lunch, €34 dinner. Prices are per person without wine.

Originally published in the February 2009 issue of France Today.

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