We were in Paris for the Paralympics, and on our first night we had time for a real meal. My wife suggested this restaurant as she had been here many times when visiting Paris for work. I had heard a lot about Chez Tony already.

When we arrived, we found the place empty inside. Tony came over from the terrace across the street nearly immediately and recommended that we sat outside, as the weather was great, and it was going to be stuffy inside. He was totally right after we (briefly) tried sitting inside first.

The menu is a blackboard that gets put on a seat close to you. They don't really do starters, and henceforth their menu is dinner. From snails and foie gras, via a beef tartare and cheese burger, the menu eventually leads to pieces of beef: filet mignon de porc (pork tenderloin), and escalope de veau. There is even fish and chips. My wife usually enjoys the cheese burger on her work trips.

The "piece de boucher" (butchers piece of beef) seemed the most appealing to us, and we ordered one each served medium rare. While dinner was being prepared our chosen carafe of a nice Côte du Rhône. I can't remember which one, but it was delicious, went well with our steaks, and it was empty by the time we finished our mains.

The steak was cooked perfectly medium rare, and the fries were nice and crispy. The peppercorn sauce had just the right amount of pepper to it.

We did find a little space for dessert, and shared a crème brûlée. Tony suggested, after tapping it with a fork, to wait a for minutes before enjoying it, so that the crème had some time to set. By this time, the restaurant had also filled up, and it was full when we left. Mostly locals too!

This is not a fancy restaurant, but one that does what it does well. No fuss, no snobby waiters, but good French cooking; and with a good ambiance.