Bon Vie

Bon Vie certainly scores with its crispy Tomato Provencal Flatbread appetizer ($9), which surpasses most of the thin designer pizzas offered for firsts elsewhere. And the roasted beets, accompanied by green beans, cheese and almonds ($7) compete easily with many of the recently trendy beet salads I have had. I wish I could say the same about the immense but just OK Salad Nicoise ($13), where the seemingly unmarinated potato and tuna cubes and minuscule egg bits were slightly off-key. Although a few of the 15 entrées soar into the 20s, most fall comfortably within the mid-to high-teens, such as, for example, Atlantic salmon, presented somewhat unusually with mushrooms and capers in a lemon sauce. It was a tad salty, perhaps because of the caper brine, but French cuisine often is a tad salty for some American tastes. Bon Vie’s hefty portions of deftly seasoned, marbled beef easily meet the authenticity test, although those with tender palates should steer clear of the incendiary pepper steak. Steak plates come with a choice of one of the bistro’s several outstanding side salads. As befits a respectable bistro, Bon Vie has an interesting global wine list with one-third of the two dozen bottles under $30. Deserts ($5-$6) are French traditional with the dreamy lemon tart a fine choice among the crème brûlée, chocolate mousse, profiteroles, and cherry clafouti.