For an elegant, slightly pricey French meal, David Beran’s traditional bistro along Santa Monica’s Main Street wows with flawless service, first-rate cocktails and a five-course prix-fixe tasting menu ($95 or $125). The standard offering includes seasonally inflected dishes like steak tartare and chicken rillettes with mushrooms, while the pricier option centers around pressed duck, Pasjoli’s most popular dish. Compared to previous meals I’ve had at Pasjoli, the newer format offers more value for your money—and ultimately translates into a far more satisfying meal. The decadent duck fat caramel adds nuanced flavors to the apple tart served at the end of the $125 menu, while the supplemental chocolate soufflé serves an indulgent end to the $95 menu’s dainty preparations of beef, chicken, pasta and seafood.
Though I’ll miss the foie de poulet, available on an older menu, you can still find the same chicken liver mousse served alongside slices of bread at the bar. There, you’ll also find other à la carte standouts, including a Gruyere-based grilled cheese and duck frites, plus mini cocktails for those who’d like to sample multiple drinks without tipping over by the end of the night.