Bib of the Month: Baca’v, Paris

"Crossing the threshold, I feel like I’m arriving at a friend’s place, with bistronomy recipes and hearty dishes to mop up without restraint, set by a welcoming promise on the door: "As long as the lights are on, you can eat and drink." Its name blends baca (to eat in the Limousin dialect) and cave, signaling a cave à manger run by Chef Émile Cotte, an alumnus of Drouant and Les 110 de Taillevent, who opened it around 40 to serve sincere, generous bistro cooking. The menu champions producers from Cotte’s home region of Limousin in unpretentious plates and sharing dishes rooted in time-honoured French tradition; the house specialty is indisputably the pâte en croûte. Great value comes via a €41 set menu served at both lunch and dinner, and seasonality drives the table: autumn brings scallops, game, and hare à la royale; winter turns to truffles; spring to asparagus, with weekend deliveries arriving straight from those producers." - The MICHELIN Guide