56Tati Bistro

Chef/patron Laurent Brion comes from Poitiers, France, where butterfat is not a food, it's religion. Chef Brion's charming bistro is old school French in the best sense: tiny, cramped, noisy, and yes, le patron mange ici. He is a man obsessed with flavour and his restaurant is a labour of love. Eat his chunky duck terrine with pistachios, close your eyes and you could be in Paris. Same with his classic French salad frisee aux lardons et Roquefort: The finest blue cheese in the world partners with crisp little chunks of fatty pork to make lettuce fun. Chef also demonstrates his mastery of la cuisine francaise with a quintessential classic French throwback: creamed mushrooms on puff pastry. He roasts black cod perfectly with scads of long-cooked garlic, and serves it with truffle-scented mashed potatoes. Even his bouillabaisse is unimpeachable, strong tomato-based broth with nicely cooked fish, and properly served with rouille to spoon on toasted baguette slices and drown in the soup.