Local and Legendary

By Amy Rosen

Grab a Seat at a Historic Bouchon in Lyon

The cafeteria-style lighting at Daniel & Denise Bouchon Lyonnais makes for an inauspicious welcome. Crammed at long, shared tables, diners are digging into plates piled high with sausages, calf brains and sautéed tripe. The room itself is steamy and rowdy – yet at this bouchon, as with others around town, you’ll find the most convivial service and some of the best food in France.

Inside one of Daniel & Denise’s bouchons in the Croix-Rousse neighbourhood

©Thomas Behuret

Found only in Lyon, bouchons are a specific type of restaurant, created to provide 18th-century horse groomers, coach drivers and the city’s famed silk workers with hot, hearty meals as early as 4 a.m. Today, there are only 20 true bouchons in the city, according to L’Association de Défense des Bouchons Lyonnais (Association for the Preservation of Lyonnais Bouchons), which certifies restaurants as “authentic” each year. However, many establishments gave themselves that title long before the preservationists arrived.

Lyon and the Saône River

ROOTED IN HISTORY

In the old days, bouchons opened at 6 a.m., dishing out rich, yet affordable meals to workers, like headcheese and pork along with a glass of morning Beaujolais. Though the hours of the restaurant have changed – these days people aren’t hankering for tripe stew in the wee hours of the morn – the unique atmosphere and spirit remain. Tables are purposely close-knit so that you can strike up a conversation with strangers, join in a sing-along and share rustic plates of lusty Lyonnais specialties.

Daniel & Denise’s chef Joseph Viola

©Thomas Behuret

FAMOUS CHICKENS GET STAR TREATMENT

At Daniel & Denise that might be pâté en croute (foie gras, sausage and jelly wrapped in a buttery crust), or Bresse chicken – “the best in the world,” boasts our waiter – elevated with morels and a woodsy, wine-based cream sauce. Sides of Lyonnaise potatoes and gooey mac and cheese instantly rocket their way into “best-of” territory. Meanwhile, old-fashioned desserts like crème brûlée and floating islands, two sweet and creamy classics, are why dessert may have been created in the first place. “A Lyonnais customer is a difficult customer because he has such a refined palate,” offers a proud local to my left. And to that we all raise our glasses in a toast to the workers and the gourmands – and the bouchons of Lyon that cater to both.

Daniel & Denise’s award-winning pâté en croûte

©Julien Bouvier

WHAT’S ON THE MENU

The food of Lyon is so regional that the city itself is often featured in the names of dishes, as seen with these bouchon classics:

Salade lyonnaise

Frisee tossed with fatty fried bacon, a poached egg and warm vinaigrette.

Saucisson de Lyon

A big cured pork sausage studded with lard and peppercorns, often served with crusty bread and glorious cheeses, and is a local favourite.

Quenelles

Pillowy whitefish dumplings baked in a rich seafood bisque.

Pike quenelle with sauce Nantua

©Julien Bouvier

Soupe à l’oignon lyonnaise

A twist on French onion soup with a broth enriched with egg yolk and port wine.

Bresse chicken

The area’s prized birds, known as the most delicious chicken in the world, with appellation d’origine contrôlée (or AOC) status.

Lyonnaise potatoes

Sliced, fried, soft, crispy, salty and browned.

Pink praline tart

In Lyon, many desserts are pink, based on the local love for pink candied almonds. (The praline tarts, in particular, stole my heart.)

Bugnes lyonnaises

Delicate fried pastries dusted in icing sugar. Lovely with tea.

Pink praline tarte tatin

©Julien Bouvier