We didn’t book a lot of repeat restaurants from our last trip in 2008. Chez Michel and Le Severo were the only two; I don’t count Chez la Vieille because it’s under new ownership.

Last night we returned to Le Severo and were reminded why we didn’t hesitate adding this tiny bistro-style restaurant dedicated to French beef (Limousin, to be exact) to our itinerary. That owner William Bernet is a former butcher tells you how seriously he takes his beef and its preparation; he selects and ages all the beef he serves as the lone waiter. Besides Bernet, the only other staff is the chef who works tirelessly throughout the evening plating dish after dish of perfectly cooked and seasoned beef.

We started with steak tartare, something we stupidly failed to do last time, and boudin noir (from Christian Parra). The tartare was soft as silk, seasoned with just enough mustard, Worcestershire, and Tabasco not to overwhelm the beef’s intensely beefy flavour (grass-fed beef naturally tastes more beefy than grain-fed; which should come as no surprise that an animal will taste more like itself when it eats what it’s genetically programmed to eat). The best steak tartare I’ve eaten? I’ll let you know in a couple days . . .

Last time at Le Severo, the côte de bœuf (€80 for two) wasn’t available; seeing it this time on the blackboard menu ended any discussions. Oh, M. Bernet, I must thank you for serving the best beef I’ve tasted. Charred almost black on the outside, bleu inside. Chewy. Not that horrible grain-fed mush steakhouses in the States serve. And perfectly seasoned with little crystals of grey salt from Brittany. I’m not a big steak person, but I could eat here weekly. And I’ve haven’t even got to the fries, which are hand-cut, crisp, and, again, the best I’ve had.

Reservations are a must; but Le Severo is one restaurant I will always return to whenever I’m in Paris.