June, 2013.

I am here buying wine which can be surprisingly stressful so the second night I thought I owed myself a real dinner . This is the only Michelin-named place in town, but I also have some history with it. Over 20 years ago, accompanied in the middle of winter by three buddies, I arrived here for my first visit to Burgundy, shortly to be badly bitten by the bug. Fresh (and lucky to be alive) from four hours on the autoroute, we tucked in around this bistro’s fireplace and the first thing we were served was oeufs meurette. It was soothing and delicious then and it still is now.

Chez Guy has changed hands and names, and it is better and worse than the simple traditional cave it was in 1992. Tone is upgraded to first-floor department store and the service is neutral and pitched a couple of notches upscale vis a vis the village, but in a way perhaps diffidently asking forgiveness and suggesting focus on the food, which is delicious.

A respectable amuse-bouche of fish puree on a crispy chip with asparagus sauce preceded the fixed menu entrée of …ta-da!… oeufs meurette. This was kicked up a notch by tiny boiled onions, parsley, and mushrooms. The eggs were a bit underdone even for me, but the overall effect almost erased the shiny pink surroundings. Main didn’t disappoint like I expected it to, a soft “12 hour cooked” slice of beef on a background of carrots and beef glaze. I mopped up the last bit with the standard baguette. There was a baked crème dessert with nutty ice cream and fruit syrup that was perfectly okay.

Two glasses of Burgundy wine representing half the red wine-by-the-glass menu were ordinary, but my standards are a bit silly from two days of tasting at producers. The whole thing was a completely reasonable $65. Why bother with the silly plastic pretentiousness when you cook this well? 7.9