Date night at French bistro

What sets Jacky’s Table apart from Petit Robert? Degrees. Petit Robert is fairly affordable and fairly casual. Jacky’s Table is even more so of both; the website calls it Petit Robert’s little brother. This suits its location, in Brighton, lodged squarely between the Boston University and Boston College campuses. A back-to-school menu for students is $19 for three courses of onion soup, chicken Cordon Bleu, chocolate mousse, and the like — the stuff of old-school romance. For anyone looking to sweep a classmate off his or her feet, this one’s for you.

The restaurant is in the former Zocalo space, a vast dining room and a cozy bar area featuring foosball and works by local artists, the two connected by an awkward space containing a few booths. Decor is simple — terra cotta-tiled floor befitting a Mexican restaurant, yellow and brick walls, red banquettes, subtle but patriotic red, white, and blue lighting along one side of the restaurant.

The fare is proto-French, a feast of pates, steak frites, coq au vin, and other stalwarts. It’s rich, often garlicky, not infrequently topped in bubbling cheese, and completely satisfying with slugs of red wine or French beer. Servers make a big deal of food being served family style — “like in a French home.’’ Many, if not all, of the dishes are meant to be shared.

A plate of rich pates features pork rillettes, chicken liver pate, and a pate de campagne made with pork butt, pork fat, and chicken liver. They’re served with pungent mustard and cornichons, but no toasts on which to spread them. We use the slices of baguette from our bread basket, which are excellent, warm, and just crisp enough without cutting the insides of your mouth. Jacky’s Table gets them from Montreal’s Au Pain Dore; whole baguettes are also available to take home for $2.50.