La Bonne Soupe, New York City, still there and as good as ever

When I told my wife, Diana, I was going to La Bonne Soupe for a networking event she remarked, "is that place still there?" Well yes it is and as good as ever.

Open since 1973, La Bonne Soupe is a NY dinning landmark. I mistakenly expected the restaurant to be showing its age. Boy was I wrong. I had not been here in maybe 20 years and was happy to discover that La Bonne Soupe is alive and vibrant as ever. Attractive to the eye, filled with intriguing people and serving delish classic French cuisine

I recently learned that the phrase "La bonne soupe" has come to mean "The good life, with health, wealth and happiness." This restaurant embraces this in every way.

In case you are not familiar, La Bonne Soupe is a moderately priced classic French bistro on 55th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues, within easy walking distance of Rockefeller Center and Central Park as well as the great shopping on 5th Avenue and one of my favorite movie theaters The Paris on 58th by the Plaza Hotel.

There are three dining areas, the front which makes you feel just like you are in Paris, with tightly packed tables, elbow to elbow filled with great conversation. There is a back room that seats about 20, a perfect area for a small meeting or party like ours: and the large 2nd floor dining rooms. Oh there is a fourth area, you can dine outside in the front on a warm day. All in all they seat 125.

I had a delicious Mulligatawny soup to start which was among a selection of 5 soups on the menu. Three are standards and there are always two soups du jour. Practically everyone else in our group had the famous Soupe à l'Oignon, French onion soup topped with melted cheese, that was exceptional as well.

For my entree I really enjoyed the Poulet Rôti oven-roasted bone-in chicken breast with wild mushroom sauce, mashed potatoes and haricots verts. The dish was perfectly portioned, not to large. The chicken wonderfully brown and crisp on the outside while moist and tender on the inside, the potatoes were very creamy and with a pat of the fine butter they serve just perfect. The green beans were crisp and sweet. I was thinking after that to check out some health insurance quotes.

With my meal I enjoyed a nice glass of Pinot Noir, great with the soup, and a nice brown ale, perfect with the chicken. They have a small but good selection of wines and beers on the specials board and a full bar.

The menu at La Bonne Soupe includes every thing you could want in a French Bistro from savory crepes and fondues to Quiche Lorraine, Croque Madame, a Charcuterie plate and much more. They serve Brunch on Sunday and have a kid's menu as well.

In case you are interested, the meeting I attended was a gathering of the hospitality focused networking group Pronet run by Robert Putt and Jonathan Kramer. If you are in or serve the hospitality industry check it out here, http://www.pronetllc.net. It is a great group.