Earlier this summer, I visited a new-ish Parisian spot that scratches two important itches: restaurants near tourist attractions and restaurants opened in August.
If your Instagram feed (like mine) is mainly Parisian restaurant accounts, you’ll be well aware that most restaurateurs shut their doors and go on a much-needed vacation this time of year. And while that’s all well and good for them, if you’re visiting Paris, you may notice a dearth of good places – or really, any places – to eat.
Enter Le Bon, La Butte, a new bistro on the picturesque, cobbled rue Lepic of Montmartre. As it’s located in a tourist hub, just a stone’s throw from the Sacré Coeur basilica, this restaurant will be maintaining its regular opening hours all summer long, and its arrival in this neighborhood is very welcome indeed.
I visited this spot on one of the hottest days of the year, so I was thrilled to start things off with a chilled glass of natural white wine as I perused the menu, with its selection of bistro classics like charcuterie, nettle soup, and steak, alongside a few trendier plates, like ceviche with yuzu and even a vegan plate with spelt, lentils, edamame, and curry oil.
But I looked no further than a French classic I’ve always wanted to try…
… frogs’ legs.
This once-popular bistro staple is actually surprisingly tough to find on modern French menus. At Le Bon, La Butte, they do justice to the traditional recipe: dredged in flour and fried, the frogs’ legs are served atop potato purée with a parsley and black garlic emulsion.
Both the frogs’ legs and the pièce du boucher – a simple, well-cooked steak served with the same mashed potatoes – boast more copious portions than you’ll find in a lot of modern Parisian restaurants.
Dessert followed in the same vein: simple, fresh strawberries, cream, and sorbet with a buttery crumble made this revisited fraisier a welcome, lighter treat… albeit with a slightly industrial note I couldn’t quite define.
While I wouldn’t necessarily cross Paris to dine at Le Bon, La Butte, it’s good to know there’s a tasty bistro in a neighborhood so plagued by places to the contrary, and it will certainly rank high on my list of places to eat in Montmartre.
Le Bon, La Butte – 102 ter Rue Lepic, 75018