L'Ourcine

L'Ourcine Review

Sylvain Danière knows just what it takes to open a wildly popular bistro: choose an obscure location in a residential neighborhood, decorate it simply but cheerfully, work extremely hard, set competitive prices (€34 for three courses at dinner, €26 for two courses at lunch), and constantly reinvent your menu. The real key ingredient is talent, though, and Danière has plenty of it, as demonstrated by his updated duckling au sang (in blood sauce) with celery-root puree, and a popular crémeux au chocolat (chocolate pudding) to finish things off. Locals mingle with well-informed tourists from Texas or Toulouse in the red-and-cream dining room, and you can watch the chef hard at work in his small kitchen. The only flaw is the inconsistent service, but one of the small producers' wines should make that go down more easily.