Crafting a thematic restaurant based exclusively on soufflés is ballsy. (More than that it takes a great pair of eggs.) But this bistro swells with a pastoral charm that draws women with a ferocity that ladies nights never do. (Nothing releases male soufflé anxiety more effectively than a being a rare guy amongst a klatch of stunning, chattering Park Cities women—soothing somehow.)

Thus Rise No. 1 celebrates the soufflé with shrewd élan. Choose from savory selections such as the manly herb and spicy sausage. Too much puff macho? Then go for the escargot or the sun-dried tomato or even the gruyère-jambon, rocking as it does with culinary freneticism. Salads (Niçoise) are exquisitely balanced and well-composed. There are French artisanal cheeses, too, and French wines in flights.

The vibe is quirky French country. The vestibule is flanked with ceiling-high wooden shelves stocked with an odd assortment of knick-knacks. There’s a chandelier composed of wine bottles and a waist-high stone wall that gives rise to a sickle-shaped sweep of sculpted trees with spindly branches. The open kitchen smolders with ovens calibrated specifically for baking soufflés. It’s among the most distinctive dining spots in the nation. Rise has starred in CBS’s Inside Edition and it’s a favorite haunt of George W. and Laura Bush. And that’s no Grecian bull.