During the 1970s and 1980s, the West Forties and Fifties were home to several dozen authentic French bistros — places that looked as though they might have been transported brick by brick from any of countless locations in Paris’s back streets and reassembled in Hell’s Kitchen. Regrettably, the majority of those places are gone, though one hanger-on from the era remains. Its name is Tout Va Bien, which translates ironically enough to “all is well.”
You descend a few steps from street level to a long narrow room. On your left is a red, tufted banquette flanked by a neat line of two-tops. To your right is a handsome polished bar. Down the center of the room is a small cluster of tables for parties larger than two. Posters and the occasional mirror adorn the walls.
The menu reads like a who’s who of bistro classics: escargots, coq au vin, boeuf bourguignon, steak frites. A good starting point is the moules provençales, a large platter of mussels on the half-shell that have been run under the broiler to crisp up their garlicky buttered crumb topping. For something with a little more cachet, open with the terrine de foie gras, three slender discs of the powerfully rich liver, which you slather across slices of toasted brioche.
The coq au vin arrives immersed in the thick burgundy-colored braising liquid in which the bird was brought up to temperature along with mushrooms, pearl onions, carrots, and whole small potatoes. The rack of lamb is realized as two double chops, each sporting a knob of tender meat that is redolent of rosemary.
Your apple tart is comprised of overlapping layers of the named fruit on a foundation of crisp pastry, the entirety brushed with a fruity glaze. Many diners opt for the chocolate mousse, possibly because of the size of the serving. You receive an immense dollop of the confection under a thick cloud of whipped cream.
Price range for dinner: $14 to $25 for appetizers, $23 to $55 for main dishes, and $12 to $14 for dessert. A three-course pre-theater menu priced at $38 per person is also available daily between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Tout Va Bien, 311 W. 51st Street, 212-265-0190, is open seven days for dinner, weekends for brunch.
