Bistrots à vins, unlike salons de thé, are an ancient institution, traditionally working-class sawdust-on-the-floor drinking haunts. Some genuine bistrots still exist, such as Le Rubis and Le Baron Rouge, unpretentious and catering for everyone. The newer generation, however, which ironically owe their existence in large part to the English influence, have a distinctly yuppified flavour, and are far from cheap. Most serve at least a limited range of dishes or plats, often deriving from a particular regional cuisine, and specialize in the less usual and less commercial wines, again often from a particular region. Some, like Le Baron Rouge, sell good, inexpensive wine from the barrel if you bring your own containers. The basic idea is to enable you to try wines by the glass.
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