One of our favorite restaurants, before, during, and after the pandemic has been bistro du marche. For anyone not familiar, it’s located off the downtown la jolla track, down the street from the local elementary school. Basically on the cusp of where the residential turns into the commercial.

It’s a great spot to decompress after an all day field trip with a glass of wine. Not that I’m speaking from experience.

It’s a traditional french restaurant in the best sense of the word. The food is simply phenomenal, without any unnecessary fanfare.

Every meal, both in restaurant and to go, starts with warm french bread… that can’t be missed. It is so good, we are always tempted to order more, and would, if we didn’t know if would prevent us from enjoyig the rest of the meal.

Seriously though… it would be worth it to go just for the bread alone.

On wednesdays we tartare. And so does bistro du marche. And that’s while you will always find us there on wednesdays. We love tartare, and this tartare is the epitome of classic. Not to mention… instead of toast points, bistro’s tartare? Is served with french fries. Why doesn’t everyone do this?

Pro tip? Go on a wednesday.

If there’s octopus on the menu, you can pretty much bet that we’ll be ordering it. That is, unless we’ve tried it before and don’t like the preparation. Definitely not the case here. We always order the octopus.

I’m sorry, but sometimes, you just want to order the chicken. And when, and if, you do you want perfectly cooked chicken, braised in a sauce you want to lick the pan for, and sered with mashed potatoes and vegetables that aren’t mushy.

So yes, bistro has an excellent dessert menu, but their specials?!? yes please. This pear tart was (no pun intended) tart without being bitter and sweet from the fruit, not from additives. The chocolate sorbet was not overly sweet but perfectly balanced. The two together? Chef’s kiss.

And now? I’m ready to make a reservation and head back. On a wednesday, natch.