I didn't know this until this summer, but apparently this place is named after the french comedian/director Jacques Tati. They also have a movie poster for one of his films when you first come in. Kind of neat. Better than picking something like "Wild Thing". Have to tip my cap to the owner on this one.
The scene is still pretty mixed, but does lean more heavily to the young side. The musical selections are always pretty decent. You can hear anything from some indie rock stuff to miles davis stuff from the 2nd great quintet.
The service is casual and friendly. They have an all girl crew working here. One is a holdover from earlier in the year, but the rest seem new. They all kind of share. So you can get served by any of them, especially on a busy night. Some of the waitresses are pretty hot as well. The Saturday night crew is particularly noteworthy. There are 2 blonds and a brunette who will give anyone who's a little bit of pervert a bit of exercise for their neck muscles. I have to tip my cap to the owner on this one as well.
The wine list here is pretty well stocked. I've never been disappointed by the wines I've had here. Like a lot of places a lot of the better wines are in the $80-$100 or above range. However, unlike a lot of other places you can still work the wine list for a really good choice in the $40-50 range. I had this really great California Zinfandel there and it was about $48. They also have a Malbec there that they sell by the glass, which is really good. I had a glass and i could smell the bouquet without doing anything to it. I think a bottle is in the low $40 range.
The appetizers are always pretty good. The snails are really good as is the salad with bits of bacon/ham. They also have an antipasto platter which has a little cheese, some cured meats, a grilled pepper, some olives, grilled calamari, grilled shrimp, ... . I know that this is not authentic french bistro fare, but the ironic thing is that the french bistro does antipasto better than a lot of Italian spots.
I think there's been some change over in the menu. I don't remember some of the things that are on there from before. But in any event, aside from the foray into the pasta, its standard french bistro. The cassolulet here is really hearty. I almost didn't finish. The serving size is pretty decent -- noteworthy since most portion sizes are shrinking as the economy goes into the shitter -- and the cassoulet is in the medium range for richness. So its not as heavy as the cassoulet at Pastis for example, but it's not a light weight either. They also have this monk fish that they prepare like a lobster, which is quite good. It might actually be the lightest main on the menu. I say lightest because the most of the mains are really rich or filling. Take the black cod. I thought that this would have been pretty light, but I think they cooked it in a lot of butter and it comes with this truffle oil mash potatoes -- so it was pretty hard to finish. I'd say the fall back options on the menu would be anything with frites: the steak, the bavette and the mussels (when they're in season -- months with an r in them).
The deserts are pretty decent. The coffee was a real weak point during my earlier visits. But one of the new girls is doing a lot better job. The coffee is decent now -- it would definitely be better than Starbucks now -- so its drinkable.
This is definitely a medium price range place, your looking at $100 or so for dinner with a few glasses of wine. They also have a decent looking fixed price menu on Sunday to Wednesday for $25.
Overall, not too shabby. A nice little spot to go for dinner for two or for bigger groups if you're looking for a french bistro with a younger scene.
Rating: 1 Bunny
Notes on the Bunny Rating System:
- 0 or no Bunnies, it's a waste of time; don't go.
- 1 Bunny, the place is worth checking out.
- 2 Bunnies, you should go out of your way to check out the place; the food is really good and the place is cool.
- 3 Bunnies, you absolutely have to go there; the food is exceptional and the place is really cool
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