The moment you close the door behind you and step into Chez Nous, you’re transported to a cozy bistro  in Paris. Chez Nous has been serving lick your lips amazing classic french food  at reasonable prices for over 25 years.

Jessica chose Chez Nous for dinner with me and Ilyse last Friday to celebrate some very good news. Ilyse and I picked up Jessica, who had called ahead at 7:30 p.m. to see if there was a wait — there was not. The restaurant is tiny and only takes reservations for parties of six or more but if you show up and there is a wait (as there often is), they will call your cell when a table opens up.

We parked at my office downtown and walked over to the restaurant at Neches between 5th and 6th. The stars must have been shining on us that night because we got a sweet corner table right away. The last time we had all been at the restaurant was for Ilyse’s birthday over a year ago. We vowed that next time it wouldn’t be that long.

I love the staff at Chez Nous — very French, very fashionable, and  while sometimes the service can be a little too French, on Friday night everything was perfect.

We already knew we would all order the Menu du Jour — a $25.50 three course deal that I’ve never been able to pass up. It comes with a choice of soup, salad, or pate; one of three entrees — Friday it was steak, salmon, or trout; and creme caramel, chocolate mousse, or brie.

We all knew what we were getting for the first and second courses — the amazing Salade Lyonnaise — a house salad with vinaigrette and a perfectly poached egg on top — and the Steak Maitre D’ — grilled chateau loin steak with parsley, pernod, shallot, and a garlic butter medallion on top.

We were all ready to put in our order for dessert but the waiter told us to take our time and enjoy the meal — no need to rush. The staff were constantly refilling our water, checking unobtrusively to make sure we were ok, and generally made us feel like we could stay as long as we wanted.

Meals at Chez Nous always come with a side of grilled tomato, squash, and a couple of pomme dauphine, a mashed potato formed into a ball and then covered in pastry and deep fried.

Its been two days and I keep thinking about that seared and perfectly salted juicy steak. Mmmm.

For dessert, we shared chocolate mousse and profiterolles — they let us order one dessert not on the menu du jour since we ended up going with two instead of three — very nice. The mousse is delicious and chocolatey and tastes light.

A nice benefit of a wonderful evening at Chez Nous — the happiness continues when the check comes. Everything is priced really reasonably — especially if you go for the daily menu. Our bottle of wine was $30 and it wasn’t even the least expensive on the list.

I can’t wait for my next visit to Chez Nous for an evening of wine, rich food, and laughter. Who’s in?