Photo courtesy of le bouchon

You can't have a classic French bistro without some good looking soupe à l'oignon gratinée.

Le Bouchon (1958 N. Damen. Bucktown. 773-862-6600). French.

(one star)

$$

Boasting a timeless repertoire of French classics, this, friendly French bistro is charmingly set in its ways. Porcelain roosters lurk at every turn, portraits of corkscrews line the walls, and offerings of French onion soup and steak frites fill the menu.

Luckily, there’s an old-fashioned appeal to much of what comes out of the kitchen, including extra-crispy frog’s legs, homemade sausages, and an unblushingly rich platter of veal sweetbreads paired with a poached egg and a Dijonnais sauce. A smart wine list and accommodating service keep the regulars happy.

Dishes We Liked: Sausage of the day with petite salad ($8), roasted frog’s legs ($10), poached salmon in tomato and cucumber beurre blanc ($20), fresh berries in crème anglaise $8

New restaurant reviews, updated to reflect critics’ recent visits, appear each month in Chicago magazine, in Dine, as well as on our website. Listed restaurants are rated from one to four stars, where one is good, two is very good, three is excellent, and four is superlative. Le Bouchon was previously one and a half stars. The review appears in the August issue.