Description
Ballard's Bastille Cafe and Bar crosses the upscale American concept of bistro with the homestyle neighborhood operation the word describes in France. Its decor evokes the grand Paris of the Gare du Nord and the Galeries Lafayette: Rivet-studded steel arches salvaged from a bridge frame the wide-open room, which is tiled up to shoulder level in white ceramic rectangles lined in black grout. The cooks do their best work when they keep it simple—the lamb burger, salade du toit, and peanut butter ice cream with praline are solid.
