Later in this post, I will tell you about the delectable dinner we had of ‘Le Steak Tartare, Beouf Bourguignon, Coq au Vin and L’ Opera’.
And I will tell you that the service was impeccable.
And that the atmosphere was cozy.
I will also tell you that we WILL be back to this little Nashville gem, Once Upon a Time in France !
We discovered this tiny bistro by accident. We were in Atlanta, dining at a French restaurant and it was so delicious that I said to Bob, “I wish we had something like this in Nashville.” So I googled French food – and voilà !
My mother is French and her maiden name is Champagne. How could I not love all things French. My great grandmother only spoke French. (a little family history here.)
We stopped in one night, several months ago, but it was so packed that we decided to have dinner at another place. When I walked in, I knew I had to come back. I’ve never been to France, but I felt as though I stepped into a French bistro. They nailed it. Of course they did, they are French! Read their story.
We planned on going back but Covid happened and they were closed, as so many restaurants were. I was thrilled to see them open again, so we gave it a try.
But I digress, I have to tell you that Bob and I were supposed to be in France this past May for our first anniversary.
But again, Covid.
Tonight as we dined, I was telling Bob that a dream of mine would have been to travel to Paris and spend a year in a French cooking school. He said, “I had scheduled for you to take a class in French cooking while we were in Paris, as a surprise.”
I cried before the first course arrived. That’s the kind of person he is to me.
~ Dinner tonight ~ started with drinks.
I had the Champagne French Martini. A delightfully refreshing vodka, pineapple juice, raspberry liquor and Champagne mixture. I had two, to be exact.
Bob had a French house wine and a Belzebuth, one of the strongest beers in the world at 13% alcohol. It was tasty and worth a try.
Dinner began with Le Steak Tartare
The presentation was lovely. The ground beef was surrounded by capers, shallots, cornichons, Dijon, with a tiny eggy yolk on the top. We mixed it together table side with Tobasco, black pepper, Worchestershire and it was served with a warmed toasty bread. Delicious!
Bob chose the evenings special of Beouf Bourguignon. What can be more French?
The beef was tender and full flavored with wine, served over linguine, with carrots. He loved it!
I had the Coq au Vin. The chicken was slow cooked in red wine with carrots, mushrooms, pearl onions over linguine. Wonderfully flavored with a taste of home. It reminded me of my grandmother’s meals. We both had enough to bring a bite home for lunch!
We aren’t big dessert people at restaurants, mostly because we are always far too full! We chose a small dessert, because we knew we would be reviewing the meal. L’ Opera, almond sponge cake with coffee and chocolate filling. Not too sweet and just about perfect!
Romantic evening and one that deserves an encore!
Before I sign off. I have to tell you about these shoes. Bob’s shoes.
Omg. I can be dressed with 5″ heels and who gets the attention? Bob does. He is stopped all the time – “I LOVE YOUR SHOES”, they say. Men and women alike comment on his shoes and want to know where he got them.
Tonight was no acceptation. The hostess noticed and commented. Our served noticed and had a positive remark. A member of the staff left his post to come over just to tell Bob, “I love your shoes and want a pair just like them!”
~ Kat
