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Words by Jane Black

Love gourmet food but don’t always want to splurge? Good news: Top chefs are revisiting the bistro format.

It’s Tuesday night, and you’re in the mood for a great meal. But it’s Tuesday night, so you really don’t feel like sitting th rough a six-course tasting menu—never mind spending $100 a person. there’s no time to cook, and a pizza just won’t do. All you want is some good food that won’t break the bank.

It’s a situation that more and more of us find ourselves in every week, and at last the world’s top chefs are responding. In New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Seattle, our brightest talents are rushing to provide simple food at lower prices. Even in Paris, long the bastion of white tablecloth s and fussy service, haute chefs are trashing their vaunted Michelin stars to open casual bistros where the food remains stellar but the atmosphere is laidback. Maverick chef Yves Camdeborde is the reigning king of the French capital, thanks to his “gastro-bistros” La Regalade and Le Comptoir. And last year, when Alain Senderens opened an eponymous bistro to replace his famed th ree-star Lucas Carton, he declared that he had been “freed from the straitjacket of super luxury.”

Why now? First, as diners we’ve all become better informed. We understand the value of organic and locally grown food. And th ough we may cook less, most of us cook better. We watch the Food Network, voraciously devour cookbooks and, as a result, we know what tastes good. When we go out, we expect only the best.

In Boston, it’s historically been impossible to offer high-quality food at low prices. Unlike New York, the city restaurateurs can’t count on all-day foot traffic; some neighborhoods get the power lunchers while others get the dinner crowds. And with out volume, you can’t make money on less expensive food. But so high is the demand for better priced bistros that chefs have begun taking risks. Last year, Jacky Robert, one of the city’s most famous French chefs, opened a downscale bistro that offered solidly good soups, escargots, roast chicken and steaks—all at prices under $20. It’s been packed for lunch and dinner since opening day.

Other top chefs around the country have come to the same conclusion. In 2004, San Francisco star Vietnamese chef Charles Phan, who fed power brokers and hipsters alike at his Mission District institution, the Slanted Door, closed up shop to open an ultra-casual café and takeout at foodie mecca the Ferry Building. New York’s most celebrated restaurant of 2005 was noodle bar Momofuku, where a delectable bowl of ramen costs just $13.

And in Seattle, chef Shannon Galusha’s new spot, Veil, offers a menu that maxes out at $31—th ough most entrées, which might include Kobe beef cheeks with red onion cream and tomato confit, range from $22 to $26. “We wanted an approachable, food-driven restaurant where people can come in once a week, not once a year,” says Galusha. Not surprisingly, with food this good, the Veil has been lifted. Open just four month s, the restaurant has already been transformed into someth ing of a destination.

Good food from top chefs at affordable prices? It makes perfect sense to me. Or, as the French might say, vive la révolution!

th ree “star” restaurants

Taste exceptional food at these chef-owned bistros that put a premium on good value.

Veil, Seattle

French Laundry alum Shannon Galusha specifically chose an off the beaten track location so that he could afford to create his ideal restaurant: a cooler-than-th ou joint with great food at great prices. the priciest entrée (rack of lamb) is $31, but most, including homemade truffled agnolotti, hover around $26. 555 Aloha St, 206-216-0600, www.veilrestaurant.com

Momofuku, New York City

Under-30 chef David Chang had cooked for New York’s best. But when it came to opening his own place, casual was his mantra. Twenty-seven lucky diners (the rest form a line out the door) perch on high stools to eat Chang’s unctuous pork buns and slurp giant bowls of ramen that are big enough for two. 163 1st Ave, 212-475-7899, www.eatmomofuku.com

Petit Robert Bistro, Boston

For 20 years, chef Jacky Robert was Boston’s hottest haute chef. then in 2005, he th rew it all away to open an old-fashioned bistro that serves authentic, inexpensive French food. Value-loving Bostonians have embraced the concept. the lamb cassoulet ($14.75) and juicy flank steak teamed with frites ($19.75) are already classics. 468 Commonwealth Ave, 617-375-0699, www.petitrobertbistro.com

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