If there’s a simulacrum of a Parisian cafe with a higher fidelity to the real thing, anywhere in the Pacific Northwest, we’d like to see it. Le Pichet is spot on in every way. The interior is a study in understated elegance, from the zinc-topped bar to the haughty waitresses with their Cuban seamed stockings.

This kitchen pulls off typical bistro plates exceptionally well. Nothing here misses a beat: breakfast, for instance, brings oeufs plats (two eggs and ham, covered in gruyère and broiled in a shallow baking dish). Dinner is similarly masterful; there’s usually some kind of chicken or pork or veal sausage available, bursting from its casing and served atop choucroute (the Alsatian way) or, sometimes, white beans.

For dessert, chocolat chaud is the only way to go. It’s not hot chocolate so much as a cauldron of melted chocolate, crowned with a fluffy halo of whipped cream, and it’s so sweet it could soothe a broken heart. Le Pichet’s French-focused wine list was one of the first in the city to offer multiple size options for many of their wines. It’s well set up to match the food and the bistro vibe, and to encourage trying multiple glasses or “Pichet Pours” throughout the course of your meal.

The one caveat is that this is fairly simple bistro fare, so if you’re particularly adept in the kitchen, then you might feel like you’re paying a lot for something you could make at home. Even so, Le Pichet offers a full-fledged experience, which is worth a small surcharge, n’est-ce pas?