A clean bill of health and an outpouring of customer support have prompted the reopening of a wildly popular downtown lunch spot, La Bonne Soupe Café. On Wednesday, owner Daniel Pont will resume serving the French onion soup Zagat rated as the best in the world only months ago, as well as the sandwiches and other food that earned his restaurant Zagat's top rating in Sacramento. The cafe passed a Sacramento County health reinspection Friday, nine days after a restaurant inspector closed it up... Suzanne COACHPAUL 2009-10-21T16:03:05Z 2009-10-21T16:03:05Z

Daniel thanks for staying the course there's not many places in Sacramento where you can get the best for less...And your fan club is growing everyday, I can't help but hear and see it everyday as I poke my head into your cafe. Great to have you back your favorite [FACTOR]

COACHPAUL 2009-10-21T16:03:05Z CReubens 2009-10-15T05:08:47Z 2009-10-15T05:08:47Z

Hello Foodies! I'm Craig Reubens and I was the guy who held the boom microphone for the filming of Raphael Hitzke's great short award-winning film about Daniel Pont and his restaurant, La Bonne Soupe. The name of the film is "Vive La Food" (and it's also about another 1-man French restaurant in Sacramento, Cafe Rolle). Anyway, I did get to know monsieur Pont a little during our day's filming, and found him to be an exceptional individual. Not ONLY a terrific short-order (and high-quality) cook, but also a kind and humble person, and outstanding restauranteur. I wish him all the best!

CReubens 2009-10-15T05:08:47Z Dan 2009-10-15T00:15:14Z 2009-10-15T00:15:14Z

Writing about Pont and his passion for running the restaurant is worth an article, but the article as written seems to want to re-examine the issue of whether the inspection was fair. Fair enough. But the problem is that the reactions of the two sides, as described in your article, don't react to each other. Pont's explanations only make sense if the restaurant was shut down because the inspector thought Pont was rude or if he had violated food preparation rules because things were so hectic. You only mention the actual cause of the closing - cockroaches - once, and you don't talk at all about the severity of the issue. I'm not 100% sure on this, but finding just a couple of dead cockroaches is not enough to warrant a red card. What the inspector apparently found was more than that. So the rest of the article's discussion on the actual inspection focuses on when the inspector showed up, the alleged demeanor of the inspector, and then a confusing couple of paragraphs that are either non sequitiurs or are trying to insinuate that the inspector did wrong by showing up at a busy hour. Which makes me ask, what does any of that have to do with a reported infestation? The inspector alleges that the facility had an infestation. Does that kind of thing happen spontaneously during the lunch hour? If Pont had been less busy serving the customers, those cockroaches wouldn't have been there? I think it's fine to have an article about how great the restaurant is and how much devotion Pont has, and how quickly and thoroughly the problem was fixed, and also whether the county inspection process (and state health codes) are fair. But to try to address the actual inspection and then muddle it up to the point of whitewashing it isn't necessary.

Dan 2009-10-15T00:15:14Z Anthony Bento 2009-10-14T22:33:56Z 2009-10-14T22:33:56Z

It's incredible. Not only do you get soup better than you'd imagine, you get to wait an hour for it. Even if it wasn't that great, after waiting so long for soup, your mind will convince you that it is the best thing ever. Great soup + insane wait time = best dining experience in Sacramento.

Anthony Bento 2009-10-14T22:33:56Z Casey Kirk 2009-10-14T20:42:46Z 2009-10-14T20:42:46Z

Despite the closure and health issues, I really want to try this place! It seems that the owner has a true passion and love for food and the last thing he wants is to harm the health of his customers. I think it's awesome that the community rallied together to show their support. Great story, Suzanne.

Casey Kirk 2009-10-14T20:42:46Z MissPete 2009-10-14T20:42:26Z 2009-10-14T20:42:26Z

Bravo Daniel...................Don't let this change anything you do. You are such a breath of fresh air to our little corner of Sacramento. I have watched a lady, on the sidewalk across the street, painting a picture of your business..............can't wait to see it .................and most of all , have a bowl of your vergable soup. Miss Pete

MissPete 2009-10-14T20:42:26Z Suzanne Hurt 2009-10-14T18:25:28Z 2009-10-14T18:25:28Z

The story doesn’t dispute the county health inspector’s finding, which was the reason for the closure. Dozens of restaurants are closed down temporarily for failing to pass health inspections in Sacramento County each year. The story here is Daniel Pont and the devotion of his customers. There’d be no story otherwise. There’s more to a restaurant inspection and people’s reaction to this one than the inspector’s findings. The restaurant owner’s reaction to the inspection is relevant to the story, and the county’s response to his concerns were included.

Suzanne Hurt 2009-10-14T18:25:28Z Steven Maviglio 2009-10-14T16:54:19Z 2009-10-14T16:54:19Z

Awesome news. I'll be there on opening day!!

Steven Maviglio 2009-10-14T16:54:19Z Ali Tabatabai 2009-10-14T16:35:48Z 2009-10-14T16:35:48Z

I'm not seeing the one-sidedness. Pont and Rogers had ample space dedicated to their sides of the story. I think Suzanne did well to tell us a little more about Pont's background, afterall he's a beloved figure in community. And you can't justify leaving out the community outpouring resulting from Pont's situation. If anything, Roger's comments make Pont look irrational and overly stressed out in reaction to the health inspection. Overall, it's a good Sacramentan story for Sacramentans. My only complaint is what took Sacpress so long to cover it? ;-)

Ali Tabatabai 2009-10-14T16:35:48Z AyatollahGondola 2009-10-14T16:12:34Z 2009-10-14T16:12:34Z

Lots of restaurants get closed and most reopen after an inspection here. As someone who has seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of food facilities, I would like to say that you should be happy as hell to have a county agency looking out for your interests in this regard. Not only do the bugs or vermine cause the spread of bacteria in the establishment they are cited in, but that gives them safe harbor to spread to the businesses next door, or in the same block. It's hell to try and keep your business free of pests when your neighbor operates an incubator

AyatollahGondola 2009-10-14T16:12:34Z Pinelli 2009-10-14T14:10:19Z 2009-10-14T14:10:19Z

I am more concerned eating at fast-food places which employ young people with little training and no investment in their products. The crap they do to your food is worse than what some errant cockroaches might be able to inflict on french onion soup. There are more contaminants on the money that is exchanged across Msr. Pont's small cash register than on the roaches roaming the floor. I will continue to wait my accustomed 45 minutes for the single BEST lunch I have ever had--including the time I lived in France and Belgium. He is, bar-none, the best we have for lunch in this town. I wish him all the best and hope that he is fully recovered from his ailment.

Pinelli 2009-10-14T14:10:19Z Dan 2009-10-14T06:44:31Z 2009-10-14T06:44:31Z

Wow, could this article be any more one-sided and fawning of the restaurant owner? You practically make it sound as if it was the health inspector's fault for the problems. If only the health inspector hadn't shown up at a busy time, or on that particular day, or have been a little nicer, he/she wouldn't have found all those cockroaches? Really? Isn't it possible to be making great food and also not have completely effective pest control?

Dan 2009-10-14T06:44:31Z