Bistrot La Bruyere in the 9th: I Was Told It Was Good, the Laidbacks Were Not Exaggerating.

By Johntalbott


6.6 Le Bistrot Bruyere, 31, rue La Bruyere in the 9th, 09.81.22.20.56, closed Sunday and Monday, (Metro: St Georges) is a small (24-26 covers maybe) place in the new feng shui nabe that is one of these neighborhood plus places that keep seeming to sprout up all over.  The chef, one Loïc Buisson, a 26-yo, comes by it honestly, coming from L'Auberge du Nivernais, Le Bourg, 58220, Couloutre, 03 86 39 32 16, where his folks Andre & Mireille Buisson hold forth - and has served his time at Fauchon and at the Vieux Chêne.

We all looked at the menu (read carte) and quickly went in three very different directions.  But before we could do anything we were treated to divine slices of sauteed foie gras and the first of two bottles of Lestignac Red.


Monsieur, the sculptor, chose the bonito tuna that came with toothpick-sized slices of fried leeks that were astonishing and a parmesan "cookie"; Madame, the renouned chef, had quail pices with an egg (boring sounding eh, not on your life); and I had eperlan(t)s that were fried just right (but served not hot enough for me), with capers and mayo/aoili.  We all declared ourselves winners.


Then Madame had the pot au feu that came with the decade's biggest os, Monsieur the snackee of lamb with carrots; and I the sweetbreads with heavenly beans, my oh my.  Again, each of us declared ourself the winner.

At this point, we could not see our ways clear to digging into dessert and ordered coffee and the bill - which was for two courses each (on the 18 E and 28 E menus and 38 E a la carte), with the equivalent of two bottles of wine, fine bread, house-filtered water and 2 coffees - 94.32 E a couple.

Go?  Folks, if you miss this one, you are truly out to lunch.