Bienvenue To the Neighborhood Bistro

Good. Real good.

Three simple words make up the French bistro’s motto. 

Bistro Byronz lets its food speak for itself. The restaurant on 5412 Government St. is serving Baton Rouge some of its French heritage between two pillowy buns with a side of Louisiana flavors. 

The restaurant lives in a quaint cafe-au-lait colored building faced with black-trimmed French windows. The canopy above the entrance doors begs for visitors to stop by for a treat.

White eye-catching globe lights. Creaking wood floors, tables and chairs. Vanilla ice cream-colored tiled walls with black crown molding.

The coziness induces the urge to mingle for hours.

Sit down, get comfortable and prioritize. The first step is ordering a heaping plate of bleu-cheese chips. The stack of home-made chips coated in a bleu cheese veloute sauce and crumbles will make you excited to taste the rest of the meal. Bleu cheese isn’t my buddy, but I’m ready to bust out the best friend bracelets for this tantalizing appetizer. 

Once you’re done licking your fingers, gaze at the menu and prepare yourself for the maybe-I’ll-get-this’s and the but-this-looks-amazing’s. 

Prior to my first visit to Byronz, I scanned the online menu and was set on ordering the almond and cranberry chicken salad sandwich, but being the debris-style-sandwich junkie that I am, my stomach was quickly swayed by the bistro’s debris sandwich served with mashed potatoes and gravy.

Tender hand-picked pot roast is sandwiched between two grainy cushions and slathered with a trio of cheese. I followed my waiter’s guidance and substituted the mashed potatoes for sweet potatoes soaked in a brown sugar reduction. The salty bun sponged with the potatoes‘ sweet sauce combined with the juicy homestyle roast and cheesy triumvirate makes the sandwich more of an experience than food. 

Burgers like the Beaucoup Burger and Byronz Burger are another strong-point of the bistro. The two-hand Beaucoup Burger is topped with bleu cheese or mixed cheese drizzle, spinach leaves, fat tomato slices and Byronz’s skinny frites. The patty, blanketed in a generous amount of cheese, has an excellent grilled flavor, and the twig-like fries are addictive.

Bistro Byronz has separate dinner and lunch menus that offer various other $10 to $15 dishes including soups like sweet corn and crab, soul entrees like Abita root beer pork chops and hamburger steak, and salads like the Asian-infused Wasabi Chicken Salad, which my mom claims is the “best salad she’s ever had.” A limited brunch menu is also available for early-risers. 

After indulging, you’ll be incapacitated by the flavorful food, casual conversation, 1920s French bistro atmosphere and maybe a few glasses of wine. Stomach stuffed. Mood elated. 

By the time you walk out the doors, you’ll understand Bistro Byronz's motto and probably be muttering it as you rub your belly. Good. Real good.

Visit Bistro Byronz on Government Street and at http://www.bistrobyronz.com/.

Byronz's Debris Sandwich with mashed sweet potatoes