Bistrot La Minette

The reverie wasn't quite as seamless when it came to the main courses. The trout amandine was one classic perfectly rendered, its sweet Idaho fillets crisply seared and glazed in lemony brown butter with toasted almonds. A tall tarte, whose fluted crust was filled with goat cheese and leeks, was a pleasant enough option for vegetarians.

But a simple grilled entrecôte (rib eye) was a letdown, too skimpy for $29 (the priciest entree), and with a soupy potato gratin. The braised lamb shank was a bit dry and underseasoned, its flageolet beans undercooked. And two of Woolsey's most intriguing entrees were disappointments.

The clove-scented boudin noir wrapped in puff pastry was admirably homemade, but this big blood-sausage pig in a blanket was missing enough of a sauce to keep it moist. The striped bass ballotine, a steamed roulade of salmon mousse wrapped in bass fillets and an outer layer of cabbage, was like a cooking-school assignment gone awry. Rolled far too thick, the center had the undercooked texture of a chalky salmon pudding. A treacly date puree of sauce "Rabelaisien" only made matters worse.

For a more successful bistro fix, I was thrilled with the rabbit, deboned and neatly rolled inside a saddle package, then tenderly braised with a mustard cream, over homemade tagliatelle noodles. The duck a l'orange, likewise, was a nice update to the famous dish, the seared breast (as opposed to a roasted whole bird) splashed with a sweet-tart citrus sauce over earthy slices of Jerusalem artichokes.

Woolsey's career has partially focused on pastry, and he delivers some straightforward but well-wrought desserts. A rich house-churned caramel ice cream gilded the lightly caramelized apples and buttery brisée crust of his tarte Tatin. The delicate crisp of sugar-glazed puff pastry made the perfect mille-feuille sandwich for ripe berries and whipped cream enriched with crème anglaise. Freshly fried beignets were perfectly light orbs of nutmeg-scented dough rolled in warm sugar. The pot de creme made with Michel Cluizel chocolate was an irresistible cup of dark-cocoa silk, the ultimate chocolate pudding.

Timeless as they are, desserts like these may not be enough to save the cafe-bistro from its slow demise in France. But Philadelphians, at least for now, are happy to lap them up.