Coastal Virginia Culinary Awards Winner 2024
From the Nov.-Dec. 2024 issue of Coastal Virginia Magazine:
Parisians sobbing into their cafés au lait over the Summer Olympic Village’s gastro-fiasco can find succor—and classic French comfort fare—at this archetypal bistro. Bonjour, Croque Madame and Escargots Bourguignon. Je t’aime, Salmon Rillettes, Salade Nicoise, Steak Frites and Veal Blanquette. Comment ça va, classic cocktails à la Boulevardier and good wines priced so modestly, they’ll make you blush like a Loire rosé.
Partners David Everett (chef-owner) and Adam Steely (GM-co-owner) have turned their Merchants Square mainstay into a destination for Gallic gaiety at breakfast/brunch, lunch and dinner, but there are American intonations via New England Clam Chowder, House-Made Meatloaf and, every Thanksgiving, a Turkey Trot running race. A vintage cooking show of that supreme ambassador of French cuisine, Julia Child, might be playing over the bar, tying it all together. Ooh la la! Observes
one devotee: “Very classic bistro presentations.
No foof, no tweezers, just delicious food.”
