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Thursday 11am - 2pm Friday 11am - 9pm Saturday 11am - 9pm

Rue 6 Bistro

Name: Rue 6 Bistro
Address: 109 E. 6th Street, Columbia, TN, 38401, US
Telephone: +19315482477
Price range: $$$

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Southern roots. French soul. A small, w**e-focused bistro for lingering evenings.
24-seat Prix Fixe Dinners (~2hrs)
By Reservation
Lunch = walk-in

09/24/2026

CHOUCROUTE GARNIE — RUE 6

French cuisine has never been one cuisine.
Travel around France and the food changes with the landscape, climate and people next door. Nowhere is that more obvious than Alsace, where French and German traditions meet. Choucroute Garnie—sauerkraut slowly cooked with w**e, pork and sausages—is one of the great dishes of that borderland.

At Rue 6, we followed the same principle: cook from where you are.

So our choucroute had Riesling, juniper and sauerkraut, but it also had Benton’s Bacon & Country Hams l from Tennessee and Conecuh sausage from Alabama. Not because we were trying to “Southernize” a French classic. Those were simply great regional ingredients from our part of the world.

Every fall, around Oktoberfest, it came back to the Rue 6 menu for a few weeks—usually with a glass of dry Riesling or a Belgian Piraat.

RUE 6 CHOUCROUTE GARNIE
Serves 6–8
¼ cup duck fat or lard
1 lb Benton's bacon, cut crosswise into strips
1 link Conecuh sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 bratwurst, halved
4 knockwurst, halved
1 lb pork tenderloin, cooked & sliced
2 lb sauerkraut, drained
Chopped garlic, to taste
2 bay leaves
5 whole cloves
½ tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp juniper berries
1 tsp black peppercorns
1½ cups chicken stock
1½ cups dry Riesling
1 lb new potatoes
Salt & pepper

Melt the duck fat in a large Dutch oven. Brown the bacon and sausages in batches; remove.
Add garlic briefly, then the sauerkraut, bay, cloves, caraway, juniper and peppercorns. Nestle the bacon and sausages into the kraut. Add stock and Riesling. Cover and gently braise until the flavors come together, about 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, cook the pork tenderloin—we often used the Instant Pot—and boil the new potatoes until tender. Add both near the end (last 20 min) so they warm through without disappearing into the kraut.
Taste before adding salt; the meats and kraut bring plenty of their own.

Pile everything onto a warm platter and put it in the middle of the table with grainy mustard, rye bread and Riesling—or a Piraat.

That's dinner. Not an errand.

Bonne fête de la bière !

09/16/2026

BLED CREAM CAKE WITH BANANA
Kremna Rezina, by way of the South

I’ve set a goal to visit the mountains, sea, and w**e country of Slovenia once I complete chemo next year. In the meantime, I’ve been binge-watching Slovenian travel videos and repeatedly seeing this cake featured. So when we made the famous cream cake from Bled, I couldn't stop thinking about banana pudding.

Not because the two desserts are particularly alike. Kremna rezina is architectural—crisp puff pastry, a generous layer of vanilla custard, whipped cream, another sheet of pastry, and a snowfall of confectioners' sugar. Banana pudding is softer, sweeter, humbler, and unmistakably Southern.

But somewhere in that combination of vanilla custard and cream was something deeply familiar.

So I added banana.

Not much. The idea isn't to turn Bled cream cake into banana pudding. A few pieces tucked into the custard are enough to occasionally remind you of it. The puff pastry remains crisp, the cream stays light, and the custard is still the heart of the dessert.

Sometimes a dish doesn't need reinventing. It just needs one small thing that makes it feel like yours.

THE CAKE
Serves 8–10
Puff Pastry
2 sheets all-butter puff pastry
Confectioners' sugar, for finishing
Vanilla Custard
2 cups whole milk
1 vanilla bean, split (or 2 tsp good vanilla extract)
6 large egg yolks
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
Pinch of kosher salt
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp dark rum
1–2 ripe but firm bananas

Cream
2 cups cold heavy cream
2 tbsp confectioners' sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

PREPARATION
1. Make the Pastry:
Heat oven to 400°F. Roll pastry slightly larger than an 8-inch square pan. Bake between sheets of parchment weighted with a second sheet pan until deeply golden and crisp. Cool completely, trim to fit pan, and set one sheet in the bottom.

2. Make the Custard:
Heat milk and vanilla until steaming. Whisk yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt until smooth. Temper eggs with hot milk, return to pan, and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until thick and glossy. Whisk in butter and rum and cool slightly.
See Comments for Rest of Recipe...

08/13/2026

Even though we’ve closed our doors, we are honored to learn that Rue 6 Bistro earned an OpenTable 2026 Diner’s Choice Award.

Rue 6 was always built around a simple idea: that dining could still be an evening, not an errand. A few courses. A bottle of w**e. Conversation. No rush. A table worth lingering over.

To everyone who embraced that idea and allowed us the privilege of taking care of you for the evening: Thank You🥂

08/12/2026

Gambas aux Tomates Rôties
Shrimp with Roasted Summer Tomatoes & Fried Garlic

When tomatoes are at their best, they don't need much.

This was one of our favorite first courses last summer: thick slices of ripe tomato, roasted until just beginning to soften, topped with quickly sautéed shrimp and finished with hot fried garlic and Ch*****ne vinegar.

Simple ingredients. A very good tomato. And about 20 minutes.

Serves 4 as a first course

Ingredients
• 2 large ripe summer tomatoes
• 12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2–3 tbsp olive oil, plus more for the tomatoes
• 1½ tbsp Ch*****ne vinegar
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Piment d'Espelette

Method
Heat oven to 450°F.
Cut the tomatoes into thick slices, about ½–¾ inch. Arrange on a sheet pan, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle lightly with olive oil.
Roast for about 15 minutes, until hot and softened but still holding their shape.
Meanwhile, season the shrimp lightly with salt and pepper. Heat a little olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat and cook the shrimp for 2–3 minutes, turning once, until just cooked through. Remove immediately.
Place the warm roasted tomato slices on each plate and arrange the shrimp over the tomatoes.
Return the pan to high heat with about 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the finely chopped garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant and beginning to turn golden. Don't walk away—garlic goes from golden to bitter very quickly.
Immediately add the Ch*****ne vinegar to stop the cooking. Swirl the pan for a few seconds, then spoon the hot garlic-vinegar dressing over the shrimp and tomatoes.
Finish with chopped parsley and a light dusting of Piment d'Espelette.

Rue 6 Tip:
Don't roast the tomatoes into a sauce. We want them warm and yielding while still retaining their shape. And that last splash of Ch*****ne vinegar is important—it catches the toasted garlic at just the right moment while bringing acidity to the sweet summer tomato.

Bon appétit.

08/04/2026

📖 From the Rue 6 Kitchen

Pistou Vert de Rue 6
Rue 6 Green Sauce

This vibrant green sauce found its way onto everything from soups and eggs to grilled meats and sandwiches. Like many of our favorite recipes, it was rarely measured—just tasted and adjusted until it felt right.

Here's a home-sized version.
Ingredients
• 1 to 2 medium shallot, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tbsp Ch*****ne vinegar
• ½ cup Castelvetrano olives, pitted
• 2 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup flat-leaf parsley, loosely packed
• ½ cup fresh mint leaves, loosely packed
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil (more if needed)
• Juice of ½ lemon
• ½ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp Pastis (optional, but highly recommended)

Method
Combine the shallot, garlic, and Ch*****ne vinegar. Let sit for at least 10–15 minutes to lightly pickle while preparing the remaining ingredients.

Pulse the olives and capers in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl.

Add the parsley and mint to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped—but not puréed.

Combine the herbs with the olive and caper mixture. Stir in the olive oil until the sauce is loose and spoonable.

Fold in the pickled shallot and garlic along with all of the vinegar.

Add the lemon juice, salt, pepper, and a small splash of Pastis. Stir well and taste. Let the pistou rest for at least one hour before serving to allow the flavors to come together.

Rue 6 Tip:
This isn't meant to be perfectly smooth. We prefer a rustic texture with visible herbs and small pieces of olive and caper. It should taste bright, herbaceous, and savory, with the mint adding freshness rather than dominating. Don’t be afraid to add a bit more parsley if not in balance with strength of mint. Depending on which farm you source your mint, its profile can be stronger or weaker.

Keeps refrigerated for up to one week. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Bon appétit.

07/24/2026

Rue 6 Turnip Purée

One of the questions we hear most often is, "How do you make your turnip purée so creamy without the bitterness?" The secret is surprisingly simple: ghee.
Here's our recipe to make at home.

Ingredients
• 3 lbs fresh turnips, peeled and cut into evenly sized pieces
• 3–4 tbsp ghee (adjust to taste)
• Heavy cream, warmed (about ¼–½ cup, or as needed)
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black or white pepper

Method
Peel the turnips and cut into evenly sized pieces.
Pressure cook in an Instant Pot on High Pressure for 3 minutes, then quick release.
Drain thoroughly. Return the cooked turnips to the warm pot or spread on a sheet pan for a few minutes to allow as much steam and moisture to escape as possible. The drier the turnips, the creamier the purée.
Add the ghee and blend with an immersion blender (or food processor) until completely smooth.
Slowly add warm heavy cream until the purée reaches your preferred consistency.
Season generously with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Rue 6 Tip:
Ghee is the ingredient we never skip. Its rich, nutty flavor softens the natural bitterness of the turnips without masking their earthy character, creating a silky purée that pairs beautifully with braised meats, roasted chicken, or simply a spoonful on its own.

Bon appétit!

06/29/2026

One last digestif.

À bientôt.

06/26/2026

This Saturday, we’ll be setting the table one more time for lunch.

French onion soup, jambon beurre, cheese and charcuterie, and a thoughtfully chosen selection of w**es by the glass for $10.

Lunch 11:00 til.

We’d be delighted to see you🥂

06/25/2026

We’re opening up our cellar this week🥂

If you’ve been looking for our Famrstead Red now’s the time to drop in and grab your bottle🍷

**e **e

06/20/2026

Radis au beurre

Prevail Bakehouse baguette + Butter + Red Thread Farm radish

Address

109 E. 6th Street
Columbia, TN
38401

Opening Hours

Thursday	11am - 2pm
Friday	11am - 9pm
Saturday	11am - 9pm

Telephone

+19315482477

Website

http://www.rue6bistro.com/, https://www.opentable.com/r/rue-6-columbia

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