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6 très chic new French restaurants we’re dying to try

This year has brought a wave of bistros, brasseries and Franco-flavored mashups serving classic dishes in casual and high-end formats

A breath of French air is stirring up the summer crop of new restaurant openings in the pandemic’s wake. Basically, we’ve noticed French restaurants sprouting up all over.

That certain “effortless chic” energy of Paris is part of the reason Walter and Margarita Manzke decided to open Bicyclette Bistro in Los Angeles. Their inspiration: Comfy bistros that chalk daily specials onto blackboards.

“The energy of Paris is unlike any other,” Walter Manzke reminisces. “From my first encounter in 1990 when I hadn’t the means to dine within fancy restaurants, I would find myself sitting in a Parisian bistro or café and watching Paris life, drinking as much champagne as I could afford. It’s a passion shared with Margarita, who is a self-admitted ‘casual kind of diner.’”

Bicyclette Bistro, opening with classics like steak au poivre, profiterole au chocolate and an all-French wine list, is just one of an ample handful of new French restaurants we’re dying to try, including Brasserie La Banque in Charleston, S.C.; Venteux in Chicago; a new-and-improved version of Joel Robuchon’s experimental L’Atelier in Las Vegas; and Mes Amis in Hollywood.

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