Relish And Quaff: Le Garde Robe

So Andrea and I clearly have been spending too much time together lately...I was about to sit down and write an entry about our favorite wine bar Le Garde Robe, when I clicked over to Relish and Quaff and saw that she had just written a post!

No matter...the place is so fantastic it is well deserved of two posts. I've now been to many a wine bar in this city, but every time I head back to Le Garde Robe. It has stayed at the top of the list for a few reasons: relaxed and casual atmosphere, consistently good and inexpensive wine and cheese, and smoked filet mignon. Yes, you heard me right. Smoked.Filet.Mignon. It's filet, that's smoked! Absolutely awesome. The texture is like soft, pillowy steak and the taste is a mix between a fine jerky (oxymoron?) and saucisson sec. Yum Yum Yum.

This wine bar was confusing to me the first time we visited because we didn't quite understand how to order wine...It's a mix between a wine store and a wine bar (more bar, than store) and the wines are lined up in shelves to the left with two prices on the bottle: one to stay, one to take away. Talk about exposing your margin! But this is pretty typical in France, I've seen a lot of 'wine bars' do it. Generally, it's minus 30% to take home. Really makes you think :)

I plan on going again tonight with a dear friend from Dannon US. I can't wait to see what they have in store for me!