La Sardine

This is the River West restaurant from the owners of Le Bouchon. In a beautiful space with more room than their original restaurant, this exposed brick dining room with an open kitchen is all a bistro should be. It has a very nice all French wine list as well as several interesting reds & whites by the glass. On one visit, I had the country pate with a beet salad. On another, I had the arugula & gorgonzola salad. The pate was very rich and enough to share. The salads are sufficient for two. The sauted sweetbreads with potato gnocchi & Madiera sauce is very rich and filling. The gnocchi,m however, were heavy and gummy. For dessert, the apple tart with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream was excellent. For appetizers on a previous visit, four of us shared the onion tart and the porcini risotto special. We also tried the entree of sauted wild mushrooms served with mashed potatoes. It was delicious. The sea bass special was cooked just enough to make it flaky yet moist. Previously, I enjoyed the grilled veal chop and the steak frites. For dessert, the chocolate fondant with a mint cream sauce was excellent as was the creme brulee.