Le Nord

Le Nord Review

Should you want to keep some change in your pocket and still sample cooking by Paul Bocuse-trained-and-supervised chefs, four Bocuse bistros are distributed around Lyon's cardinal points. Le Nord specializes in Eastern cuisine, with specialties including dishes cooked over coals and excellent fish and seafood. The decor is classical turn-of-the-20th-century brasserie with wooden benches and panel walls.

For cooking from around the Mediterranean amid bright sun-drenched colors, Le Sud is the Bocusian homage to southern Europe. 11 pl. Antonin-Poncet, 69002. 04-72-77-80-00.

The rollicking L'Est is set in the old 19th-century Brotteaux train station and cooks up a travel theme, thanks to a menu that includes dishes from all over the planet and a decor flavored with railroad memorabilia, paraphernalia, and a soupçon of nostalgia. Gare des Brotteaux 14, Les Brotteaux, 69006. 04-37-24-25-26.

L'Ouest exults in a postmodern wood-and-steel design, a fitting setting for Bocuse's maritime culinary adventures in the islands of the Atlantic, Caribbean, and the South Seas. Quai du Commerce 1, Villefranche, 69009. 04-37-64 -64-64.