Benoit (2nd)

Benoit
20 rue St Martin
01 42 72 25 76

Benoit is the perfect Paris bistro, or so we've decided. We ate there several years with local friends, and have been meaning to go back the whole time we've been here. But we kept delaying, thinking that since we'd already been, why go back so soon? Ah, but we were mistaken. Though there may be other bistros that equal its combination of elegant food and casual ambiance, I doubt there are many that surpass on either dimension.

Set on the pedestrian rue St Martin off Rue De Rivoli, you'd expect it to be almost a tourist trap, but somehow it isn't. Yes there are plenty of tourists there, but it's not oppressive, perhaps because the management appears to take everything in the stride while putting forth a terrific traditional menu, including a nice big cassoulet (white bean stew) and impressively meaty pork roast. Plenty of good wines by the glass, and a cheese selection that while not so broad was plenty interesting, with the strongest cheeses something akin to smelling salts.

It's not the cheapest bistro around, but boy for a good meal it's a reasonable value at about $75/head including wine for one of us. Reserve well in advance though, it's hard to get in.