The Wine Bar at Bistrot Lepic is just as wonderful as ever. Perhaps just as importantly, you can actually go there and find parking – one of the few places left in town where this is true.
I asked my bartender Jay (who was my bartender earlier this year also) if I could take home any of the wine I didn’t finish, and he said yes, so I went with a bottle of the 2008 Domaine Berthier Saint-Amour ($39) which they were out of and substituted with a more recent bottling. (Note to Bistrot Lepic: your online menu prices are slightly outdated – not a big deal.) I love the freedom of having a full bottle because it lets me set my own pace (usually I enjoy a glass before dinner, and then slow down and sip during the meal, finally getting to enjoy the rest of the wine at home)Â
There’s something about December and lamb, so I went with the Carré d’Agneau Rôti Avec Sa Ratatouille Provençale, Jus à l’Ail ($32), a roasted rack of lamb, with Yukon Gold mashed potatoes piped onto the plate, Provencal ratatouille, and roasted garlic sauce. Three lovely chops, perfectly cooked to medium-rare, the meat being crisped on the outside, and tender on the inside with just the right amount of fat. The entire plate was served piping hot, even the piped (no pun intended) potato purée and the jus lying beneath on the warmed plate. Temperature is critical on a dish such as this, and it was a triumph in pretty much every way.
Just as it has always been, Bistrot L’Epic Wine Bar is maintained strongly in Italic in the Dining Guide.