Le Petit Célestin

A lively Marais bistro near the Seine

I’ve been asked a few times over my writing career to share tips for discerning - from the outside looking in - whether a bistro was any good or not. It’s an appealing fantasy, this notion that one could scan a menu or a dining room and collect enough evidence from the sidewalk to feel truly confident about walking in or walking away.

In reality, it’s a …