Buben has also wisely limited his menu to fewer than a dozen choices for each course, and manages to present a wide range of French classics nevertheless. Those are the starters. And entrees are expected to include steak frites, steak tartare, roasted or grilled meats, a stew and the devilishly rich duck confit. Buben has added several hearty renditions of fish and scallops to this mix. If you don't dare consume such buttery luxury, order a bowlful just to smell.
Soups are a natural for a winter evening in a bistro.
Here they're big in size and flavor, packed with ingredients enough for a meal. The onion soup's broth is not so dark and beefy as you might expect, but delicate and sweet from slowly stewed onions, and sealed with cheese. Pistou, the white-bean soup flavored, like pesto, with basil and garlic, is here a light broth, with bits of macaroni and briefly cooked diced vegetables. If you want your salad cold, don't miss the julienned endive and pears with walnuts and blue cheese, everything crunchy and lightly slicked with walnut oil. And there's the bistro perennial, frisee with lardons and remarkably crisp, light croutons.