When you've lived in Paris long enough, you know how to recognize a life-changing bistro. You don't necessarily need to be told about it beforehand, or rely on word-of-mouth before trying it out. And you certainly don't need to have read about it first. Sometimes, you go for a walk in any old particular direction, as one tends to do in Paris, and there it is, just waiting for you. Your perfect bistro, sitting off in a corner in the most improbable place.
My perfect bistro is Le Petit Sud-Ouest on the humdrum Rue Duban. I just spotted it today. Sometimes you can tell by the build-up of stickers from serious guides and defunct magazines. Sometimes you can tell from the wear and tear of the tiled floors, or the patina of the tables. Other times, it's the menu that pulls you in, that tempts you toward a table. In this case, it was all of the above, although I have to admit that any place serving a terrine de creme caramel has got to be quite serious. This restaurant is Basque, so that means lots of duck, terrines, foie gras, outrageously unhealthy salads and lots of serious meat cooked with sheer reverence. Although main dishes range from 19 euros to 35 euros, they advertise a prix fixe menu for 26 euros (including a digestif!), which certainly sounds like a steal. I will check back and report once I find out if it is.
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