Boucherie Roulière

I have eaten in a lot of dining rooms that try this hard. Boucherie Roulière is one of the few that pulls it off without looking like it is trying.

The room is exactly what you want it to be: Saint-Germain corner bistro, butcher up front. We were seated near the back, given menus we hardly needed, and brought a small bowl of olives without being asked.

We started with house-cured beef carpaccio, which set the tone — generous, unfussy, and confident enough not to crowd what was coming. With it we ordered an Argentine malbec the waiter chose for me, and were glad of both.

Then the main event: côte de boeuf for two, the dish that puts Boucherie Roulière on every short list. There was a thumb of butter melting into the cross-hatch, and a single sprig of thyme on top, and not one thing more. The signature touch — the bone-in côte, charred and rested long — is not a gimmick; it is the reason to come.

For sides we asked for skin-on fries, twice-fried and hash browns the size of a hubcap. Both arrived hot, both arrived early, both were exactly large enough to overdo it. We overdid it.

Dessert was tiramisu, just barely too much, mostly because the waiter raised an eyebrow when we hesitated. He was right to.

I will be back. With company, next time, and a longer reservation.