Le Bar Lyonnais

I really enjoy this elegant restaurant.
ordered
appetizer
crab cake
es cargo
sea bass and steak for main entrée
cake with alcohol in the sauce. (forgot what it’s called)
received complimentary cream of mushroom soup. it’s really good.
I enjoyed the appetizer dish more than the main entrée.
next time I will either get the the prefix menu or just drink and appetizer.

I came here in December with my girlfriend and another couple. It was memorable enough that I still know what we ordered. Mr. Perrier was in the front, and had a lovely conversation with my girlfriend, who is fluent in French. The service throughout the meal was outstanding.
The highlights of the meal were the escargot, which came in a fantastic garlic champagne-​butter and the dessert. The roasted octopus and my girlfriend’s scotch salmon were excellent, and I had a wonderful mixed drink before the meal (Diablo? I can’t remember the name). The cheese course and my entrée, the stuffed quail, left something to be desired, but overall it was a great pleasure to dine at Le Bar.

My new favorite crème brûlée in the city (Standard Tap’s is a very close second)! Specks of vanilla bean all throughout, great consistency, wonderful not too thick, not too thin layer of sugar on top torched to perfection and topped with a sweet succulent strawberry and a piece of edible gold (runs you $ 10 but it’s so worth it).
Le Bar is a very demure, classy spot to bring a date, conduct a business lunch/​dinner, or even dine alone. Vibe is very chill, laid-​back, and intimate with the soft lighting and French-​inspired lounge décor. The bar and bartender were all very classic, upscale bar looking and seemed more than capable of making any drink. I mean, you just walk in the place and smell money, sophistication, and wonderful food.
Bottom line: I. MUST. COME. BACK… and I must bring a sweater because it was quite nipply in there.

My trip to Le Bar Lyonnais was totally unplanned. The roommie and I had just finished dinner, and she was craving crème brûlée as usual lol. I remembered that Le Bec Fin was close by and thought they should have the best crème brûlée in the city — it did not disappoint!: A perfect creamy custard with a thin crunchy burnt sugar top! It was also adorned with edible gold — -ooooo fancy! – tastes like paper, but pretty nonetheless.
Because my indecisive butt can never make a choice, I opted for the 3 cake sampler. I ordered the 1. Le Bec Fin (Rum-​Soaked Chocolate Génoise, Chocolate Butter Cream), 2. cheesecake, and 3. Schuss (Joconde Cake Soaked in Raspberry Punch, Filled with Sour Cream & Raspberry Gelée). My fave, surprisingly, was the cheesecake, followed by the Le Bec Fin and Schuss. The cheesecake was so rich, yet it did not feel too heavy or dense. I think it was the best cheesecake I’ve ever had – but it could use some raspberry or strawberry sauce on top (by looking at other diners’ plates I know they have this sauce in stock… so ask for some for a real treat!)
I love the vibe of the bar too — very old fashioned, very classic – gin martinis and cognacs were served by a very dapper bartender – you could tell this man knew how to shake up a good cocktail. I think I would come back just to sip a martini at that bar and inhale all of the sophistication in that tiny room – I overheard two tables speaking fluent French-​nice!
The service was very friendly, however I did feel like the waiter tried to over suggestive sell the coffee/​cappuccino — no no, just dessert please.
Other patrons seem to like to come to the bar to order dessert only as well. I guess if you are not ready to splurge on the whole 7 course french meal, then Le Bar Lyonnais is a nice option to sample the type of cuisine Le Bec Fin has to offer. I guess I’m waiting for that baller to «upgrade» me to Le Bec Fin… until then I’ll stick to dessert at Le Bar Lyonnais.
Only drawback: it was FREEZING — turn the AC down s’il vous plaît!

Wow, fancy schmancy. My very first visit (and definitely not my last) to Le Bar Lyonnais was a great one. Although I was only there for one drink with a business contact, I left with a very positive impression.
Walking up to Le Bec Fin’s door, I hesitated. I wasn’t sure if I should try for the door or ring the bell, as I had heard in the past that the door was kept locked and ringing was required. I went for the door and it turned out to be open. A hostess led me down a flight of stairs into the bar area. My boots sunk into the plush carpet and my inner diva swooned.
My slightly dirty martini tasted like mermaid tears, even after Georges walked through the empty bar area, glanced over and made a flagrant remark about our selections. I wasn’t sure if he was referring to my martini, my companion’s diet coke, or both. I was actually just happy to be acknowledged by a Philadelphia icon (he was actually quite gracious when we were introduced, although I delighted in seeing his famous personality come to life as he paced back and forth through the room).
I eagerly look forward to my next visit.

It’s almost got a 4 star but I’ll stick with 3.5 and you will see why as follows:
When we first arrived, we were greeted professionally and nicely, as any restaurant would. We took a seat at the table and my partner went to use the restroom. As I settled myself in, I realized I didn’t have a menu to work with, nor a drink menu. Trying to get the attention of the waiter that was there was not successful. When my partner came back, she wondered what I ordered, I said nothing, I didn’t even see the menu yet. We finally was able to wave the waiter over and asked for the menu. He stood there looking at us in a very awkward manner, and then asked us what we would like to drink and order. I responded, maybe you can start us off with some water and a menu. He then asked is there something else other than water that you would like. I just simply replied, maybe if you bring the menu I can tell you what I want.
We decided what we wanted and he tried to take down our order by memory, I guess he thought that we were just going to order one dish or something, I’m not sure. But when we started rolling our 4^th appetizer out of our mouths, he asked us to hold while he went and got his pen and paper. Even then he managed to miss one of our orders. Fine.
A little bit into our first course, we overhear him telling the couple 2 tables down from us about their daily specials. Wait a minute, how come we weren’t made aware that there were any specials? Ah, then I realized they were an older white couple, one with extreme *bling* around her fingers, wrist, and neck. I get it now. We got the attention of a waitress and she was able to repeat the specials to us. We wanted the Razor Clams that we overheard, and for the rest of the night the waitress was the one that waited on us, which I feel she did a great job on versus the first guy.
First we had the Mushroom Ravioli and the Duck Confeit. We liked both, but as a suggestion, you should start with the Duck before the Ravioli, because the Duck is a cool and refreshing dish, whereas the Ravioli is warm and more overpowering on the pallet. Second came out the Escargot, the Foie Gra and the Razor Clams. Escargot was good, but I have to say Parc was better even though Parc served less of the actual Escargot and more of the broth. The ones here are simply butter and garlic. The Foie Gra was good but a tad undercooked for my taste. Now come the Razor Clams. They were huge. Aside from Chinese restaurants, this is the first place I saw to have Razor Clams, and they did a great job on it. Perfectly cooked and double the size you would see them normally.
Our entrees finally came out, but we were in a rush to catch a show. We did mention to them that we had to be out of the restaurant by 8pm. They served us the dish about 7:45pm, just missing the mark on enough time to eat. I ordered a burger, don’t ask why, I was just craving it and we also ordered the Monkfish. Let’s say they were less desirable than the appetizers. For me I would trade both those entrees in and request for them to make the Razor Clams as an entrée. I was only able to get 2 bites into the burger, it was cooked to the temperature that I asked, however they added too much horseradish so i was unable to enjoy it much. As for the Monkfish, it was a bit bland. I was unable to capture any flavor at all from it, but it could have been possible that I lost a few flavor taste buds from the horseradish.
In the end, we had a satisfying meal. They could have downsized the plates a little to accommodate the table size and maybe replaced the first waiter guy. I’m guessing either he was new or he’s not use to serving down at the bar where us regular folks eat.

Descend the stairs into a rustic French inn, where the wine is always superb, the conversation is splendid and the incomparable French comfort food is perfectly cooked with masterful technique, the best ingredients and the probable addition of magic.
Le Bar Lyonnais is my favorite restaurant in Philadelphia and has been for nearly a decade. The old world charm has seen me through special evenings in college and many, many expeditions back to Philly, where I’ve tended to gravitate towards dinner at the bar. I’ve sat next to rock stars, business people, retired teachers, designers and the list goes on. Most have been extremely friendly as we’ve been drawn together in the pursuit of excellent food and old world charm.
I can honestly say that everything I’ve ever ordered at Le Bar Lyonnais has been delicious, without exception. That being said, if you are in luck and Chef Georges Perrier is at Le Bar Lyonnais when you are there, be sure to solicit his opinion (for food and wine) and keep an open mind. His selections will nearly always blow your mind. It’s clear that the man truly adores the food at his restaurant and wants his guests to enjoy the fare as much as he does.
The menu changes seasonally, but some classics remain. The classic crab cake is buttery, large and delicious, and the Cassoulette D’Escargots Au Champagne is served in an adorable little pot. That hazelnut, champagne and garlic butter sauce is so good I generally wind up soaking up everything with the excellent breads. The portions are generous and reasonably priced (for the quality and execution) with gorgeously simple presentation. All of your tastes will be engaged as the you smell the titillating aromas, see the wonderful food, taste the amazing flavors, feel the textures on your tongue and hear your own delighted exclamations.
BEST SEAT: At the bar
PARTING THOUGHT: I was delighted to hear that Chef Perrier will not close Le Bec-​Fin (and Le Bar Lyonnais), but it sounds like Le Bar Lyonnais will close for extensive renovations in August 2011, so if you were hoping to check it out, time your visit accordingly!

The food was good, the service nice, the place was a little less upscale than the Bec Fin. It was easy to get reservations. When I went though, there were flies. Hopefully, they have cleared that problem.
If you are looking for Bec Fin quality food but for a fraction of the cost, I would try Le Bar Lyonnais.

I was an hour early for my dinner at Le Bec Fin, so of course I had to visit the Bar Lyonnais, what’s a bored, thirsty and hungry fella to do for an hour?
I was pleasantly surprised that at 6pm on a Tuesday it was happy hour! YAY! Drinks were $ 6, at least the ones on the little menu, so I ordered a French 75, and perused the food too. I ordered the steak tartare. It was divine, citrusy flavors throughout, some herbs and a few vinegary tastes here and there which must have been pickle chopped very fine. The gaufrette potatoes on the side were lovely.
The ambience here is definitely more casual than upstairs at Le Bec Fin, and if I weren’t eating dinner that night upstairs, I would have attacked that whole cocktail menu!
Only one gripe: the bartender was kinda sloppily dressed and groomed, and seemed rather shy and very quiet. Wonder if he had a late night the night before. He also described the gaufrette potatoes as «potato chips.» Well, they ARE potato chips, but gee whiz, those 2 words should not be uttered together in this place!

Stopped into Le BecFin without a reservation and was offered seats at the bar downstairs. It’s a small, but cozy environment and we had a great experience. We ordered off of the 40^th anniversary four course tasting menu from upstairs and everything we had was quite delicious.
We had: Roasted Spanish Octopus with Chorizo and a curried squash soup, Olive Oil Poached Salmon and Roasted Flat Iron Steak, a cheese course and then desert off the regular menu.
Overall, despite the fact that we were seated at the bar, it still felt like a find dining experience. The bartender and waitstaff were attentive and our courses came timely. I had two nice glasses of wine, while the fiancée sampled the bacon infused bourbon drink on the menu.

I wish I had the great experience that many other reviewers have had here — I had been looking forward to eating at this restaurant for an insanely long time. My husband and I had considered eating upstairs, but didn’t want to deal with dressing up that much. And when I found out that you could order from the regular Le Bec Fin menu anyway, it seemed like a no-​brainer.
First off, I was not in love with the atmosphere, and our table was cramped in a weird corner which was uncomfortable. Our server seemed like he was trying extremely hard to do everything right — but his overeager effort was a little off-​putting. And one of the more unfortunate aspects of the meal was when I ordered from the shortribs off the regular Le Bec Fin menu, and was served the Le Bar Lyonnais shortrib entrée instead. Not only was it not what I wanted, it also was not that great.
Everything else was fabulous though. I had a sweetbreads appetizer that was heavenly, and the dessert was out of this world. Probably the best dessert that I have EVER had — and I eat dessert probably 99% of the time when I eat out.
For both the appetizer and the dessert, maybe this would be 4 stars if my expectations had not been so high (I was actually so disappointed, I went to Alma de Cuba for a 2^nd dinner to cheer me up) (that worked, by the way). but I trust all of you Philadelphia reviewers — because the food in Philadelphia is awesome — so I will definitely give this place another chance someday.

Le Bec-​grade food, but affordable and in a more chill environment, yay! We had a good assortment of dishes, from fries to foie gras to sweetbread… all were excellent.

My favorite restaurants typically have outstanding food, in a relaxed environment. Welcome to Le Bar Lyonnais, downstairs at Le Bec Fin.
The menu is slightly less formal and ranges from a burger to fois gras. Definitely try the snails– prepared a little differently from the escargot you’ve had at other french restaurants– sitting in a garlic broth that was un-​be-​lieve-​able! I dont know if we were meant to drink the broth like a soup, but we did. It was that good. And Im going to fall in love with any restaurant that offers seared fois gras! The lamb and the carpaccio and the steak were all delicious, but the best thing at the table absolutely had to be the duck. Get the duck. I didnt order it but… the Crispy Duck Confit with Spaetzel was so good i think i had more of that than my perfectly cooked (slightly underseasoned, but thats what table salt is for) outstanding quality steak.
I cannot remember what we had for dessert but i know it was delicious.

This dark, intimate downstairs arm of Le Bec Fin is hardly down market from its grandiose sister. Aside from the much more affordable prices, I rather prefer the private, low key atmosphere (or perhaps we were just lucky to dine undisturbed on a rainy and desolate Tuesday evening).
To start out, the french onion soup came with a thick, rich layer of slightly charred cheese and tasted as good as the ones I had in Paris. For entrees, the rabbit stuffed with fois gras was a delectable combination, and veal smothered in a buttery sauce was a harmonious blend of tastes and textures. Wine list prices were on the high side though, and desserts were a bit disappointing (would recommend the multilayer Wendy). Service was impeccable, and the classic silverware a nice touch. Overall, this was a fine way to have a lovely, quiet evening with delicious French cuisine without breaking the bank (avg $ 30 entrée, $ 10 appetizer, $ 6 dessert, $ 13 wine).

I popped into Le Bar Lyonnaise with the GF for an after dinner drink and was pleased with the space almost immediately. It’s dark, quiet and comfortable; ideal for warm glass of wine at the bar.
We had only been there 10 minutes or so when the GF started elbowing me in the side in an effort to point out that Chef Perrier was sitting a few seats away from us at the bar. Chef Perrier, who is almost a caricature of himself, was fantastic company, and after a bit of conversation, he insisted on ordering us a dessert plate and a plate of petit four. Needless to say, the desserts were delicious.
In addition, we had several glasses of wine, all of which were delicious. The only concern is that the list isn’t huge and the cheapest glass of red I can recall was still $ 12.
I can’t wait for the opportunity to return for a proper meal and update this review to 5 stars!

Mike B. covered most of our visit. We stopped in after a wonderful dinner, wanting a classy place to go less we cancel out our great dinner experience. It was warm, dimly lit, and felt immediately exclusive. It seems that we were there on a slower night, as when we arrived there were few other costumers, though «regulars» soon filled the small space for intimate dinners.
Sitting at the bar, we meant to only have one glass of wine (this place is NOT cheap, and we had already split a bottle at dinner) but quickly got sucked into a conversation with the delightful, and opinionated, Chef Perrier. When we had to admit that we had never eaten at Le Bec-​Fin, he lightly scolded us, and then had desserts sent to us — on delightful plate of assorted petit fours, and sample plate of a flourless chocolate cake (I’ve never had one so light), a smooth, layered opera cake (which put our previous restaurant’s tiramisu to shame) and a crunchy-​topped coffee cake the bf loved. Had a been less self-​conscious in this intimate space, I would have taken photos.
This is a great place, and sure-​to-​impress a special someone. Just watch out with the wine — the bill adds up fast!

Called to make reservations, and had them confirmed by an actual person at about 3 pm. Our reservations were for 9:30 pm. When we arrived there wasn’t anyone to help us, which felt strange, so we just wandered downstairs. We were told our table wasn’t ready, and asked to wait at the bar. The female bartender (who seemed to know a lot of «regulars») was apparently training a new person that night, and we watched her berate him for the way he was washing glasses, asked him if he was on crack, and made many other nasty comments that we weren’t expecting to hear at such a «nice» place. She was twitchy and very… amped up.
It took us 15 – 20 minutes to get our drink order taken (and the bar sat *8* people?). After sitting there for about 45 minutes, we were told they had lost our reservation, and asked if we wanted to dine upstairs. We were given both the upstairs and downstairs menus to review (apparently upstairs costs a lot more) and sat there for *another* 15 minutes, just waiting for something to happen. After being there for an hour, we just left. We got outside to the pouring rain, and someone chased us out, saying that they «now» had a table ready for us, but we just opted out. We were left to wait for too long.
They comped our drinks (as they should), but for the prices they charge, the service should be *impeccable*. They way they handled the normal mistakes that happen was kinda boorish, and the bartender berating her charge was classless. I’d avoid this place.

Great restaurant week
03/​18/​2008
Some restaurants ace their restaurant week debuts (many people try a restaurant for the first time during Restaurant Week), others make them complete faux pas — and I am happy to say that Le Bec Fin, or rather Le Bar Lyonnais, does the former. LBF doesn’t participate in restaurant week but Le Bar does, and my friend and I were seated in the mezzanine in the technically-​LBF area. For that reason, I can’t comment much on the ambience of Le Bar other than that it looks really, really dark (I saw it in passing to and from the restroom). What I love most about LBF/​Le Bar is the service — you get just as great service for restaurant week even though you’re paying a fraction of what you would normally pay. The portions are quite small, yes, but they still taste great and they are still beautifully decorated. The food themselves often become the conversation pieces. You still get some choice over the dessert, but if they don’t have on the Restaurant Week menu what you might want (say, the 24K gold-​flaked «Opera»), then you can request for it. Ask nicely, and quite truthfully, the staff will be nice to you regardless, but it’s just nice to be nice especially when they are being so nice :) $ 35 for a 3-​course meal at a restaurant like this… best $ 35 one could spend.
Pros: Restaurant Week — food, presentation, décor, and as usual, SERVICE SERVICE SERVICE
Cons: not even the usual con of the price (which is worth it anyway but still) when you go during restaurant week!

I was on a tingly food high for DAYS after eating here. I began with the mushroom ravioli (full portion), followed by the ballotine of rabbit (tasting portion) and the quenelle. I cannot even adequately describe the LAYERS of flavor in each dish.
The service is impeccable. Contrary to another review, we actually *did* have three waiters simultaneously lifting silver domes off of our dishes. Our main waiter is a food historian who is writing a book on, among other things, the history of foie gras. How cool is that?

Friends recommended Le Bar Lyonnais to me, Le Bec-Fin’s less ostentatious downstairs bar and dining room, where one can enjoy a private, semi-​casual environment and still get at world-​renowned Chef Perrier’s menu. (I was sold: my chief gripe with LBF was with its overzealous service.)
Made reservations, and arrived early. While waiting for my dinner date, I ordered a drink to calm my nerves, which the über-​cool bartender comped!
After munching on slices of bread, tasty meat, and sun-​dried tomatoes, we started on a tuna tartar that was superb: caviar I expected, but watermelon threw me off, yet the combination worked. And ravioli stuffed with seafood? What a treat. My entrée was an moist leg with a delightful duck confit cooked to perfection. For dessert, we «shared» a diabetes-​inducing slice of chocolatey cake. (Not my thing, but she liked it.)
Our server didn’t bring water or offer refills until requested, but everything else he did (and didn’t do) was fine, including leaving us alone, so we had time[1] to converse and savor the evening. Even though my date was the most annoying ever[2], I will consider Le Bar Lyonnais (especially over LBF) for my next special occasion.
[1] about two hours, according to the receipt
[2] just kidding!