This restaurant has been around long enough that it goes through phases. It’s reliable until it’s perfectly fine, then suddenly — like now — it’s great again. Brothers Oliver and Nicolas Poilevey have turned their late parents’ tatty old spot into a place everyone wants to go, to drink excellent wine by the bottle and revel in a kind of classic French bistro cooking that rarely presents with such gusto. Oliver, who oversees the kitchen, has smartly dialed back the Asian and Latin intrusions in favor of the classics. The pâté en croûte shows exemplary craft, and specials taste of the season, not a cooking experiment. (I’m still thinking of their cream of pea soup from April.) Ocean trout en croûte is exhibit A for why people love French food — the medium-rare flesh is lush, the crust is crisp, and the shallot-infused butter sauce demands a finger swipe. With its blue tile floor, cheek-by-jowl tables, and flea market posters and art peppering the sunflower-yellow walls, not an inch of space is wasted inside this box of joy.

Price: $$$
Address: 1958 N. Damen Ave.
Website: lebouchonofchicago.com