As a francophile, I LOVE French cuisine! Bon Ami is a wonderful new country-style French restaurant at north end of Wash Park (Alameda and Pennsylvania). They have only been open for about six months.
Especially since Le Central closed a few years ago, Denver should warmly embrace this great new affordable French bistro!
Happy hour is amazing! (M-F 4PM-6PM) We set a reservation for 6 p.m., but got there about 20 minutes early. Discounts include half-off bottles of wine, and $10 shareable appetizers! (Get the mussels!)
Wine: they have a great selection of French wines at an affordable price point, especially when they're half off! We tried a full-bodied Cab-Sav from the Bordeaux region. It was excellent!
The wait staff was very attentive and helped make some great recommendations. We settled on sharing the moules at frites prepared in a garlic cream sauce. The mussels tasted very fresh, and the sauce hit the spot! They also offer a tomato sauce version. The fries were thin and crisp served with a mayonnaise sauce, Belgian-style. The mussels are one of the things I miss the most about Le Central, but Bon Ami does an excellent job. Bob ordered a cup of French onion soup. He really liked the flavor! You can tell they spend a lot of tender loving care in that complex recipe!
Aside from the major French staples including Boef Bourginion, Bon Ami offers a very healthy selection of crepes that can be eaten as a full sized entree. Bob ordered the Cordon Bleu crepe served in a mornay sauce, while Travis ordered the La Merise crepe which was filled with beef tenderloin covered in a gruyere cheese sauce. We all agreed that Travis' selection was the best crepe of the two.
I ordered the beef tips entree. I asked for the beef to be cooked rare, and the chef did a great job! It was served like a stew in a red wine, mushroom and cream sauce, pairing nicely with extra creamy and fluffy mashed potatoes along sauteed vegetables.
We skipped dessert completely, but I am excited to see what they offer the next time I visit.
Bon Appetit! They also serve brunch...which sounds so tempting!!!