La Grange wants to be the Parc of Bucks County. If the kitchen could cook French food more consistently, it might have a shot.

In the final days before opening La Grange in Yardley this spring, executive chef Peter Woolsey queried ChatGPT (“just for giggles”) to see what kind of menu it might write for a French brasserie. The resulting menu suggestions, with the typical soupe à l’oignon, escargots, and steak frites, was not unlike the one Woolsey himself had already crafted for this 210-seat Gallic-themed behemoth perched on the rise of a onetime farm-turned-strip mall in Bucks County.

The task was hardly a challenge for the culinary know-it-all bots of AI. Most brasseries are formulaic compendiums of classic French comfort foods, along with a busy raw bar shucking oysters, and drafts of Kronenbourg bière and carafes of vin rouge flowing through boisterous dining rooms that pulse day and night with an unfussy energy.

“It’s kind of analogous to an American diner where you know what to expect before you go,” said Woolsey, 47, who would know partly because he married a French woman, but also because he made his name in Philly as the former chef-owner of Queen Village’s well-regarded Bistrot La Minette, as well as La Peg and Gabi.

The best brasseries are ultimately most distinguished by their status as vibrant community hubs, as is the case with Stephen Starr’s Parc. “Parc is exactly the vibe we’re going for,” said co-owner Marc Masso, 47, citing its lively vibe, vintage style, and accessible appeal. Masso also owns Newtown’s Italian-themed La Stalla along with his father, Vincent Masso, 70, who is a partner here as well, along with commercial kitchen designer Michael Geonnotti, 57.

The glassy western facade of La Grange (which means “the barn” in French, similar to “la stalla” in Italian) peers out through the red umbrellas of its terraced patios to capture brilliant sunsets across the street over the neighboring fields of Shady Brook Farm, a popular pick-your-own agritourism destination. Their idea for a vintage Euro concept, built into the restored stone bones of a historic barn that occupies half the structure, wisely retains a touch of soul from the original property amid an otherwise cookie-cutter new retail center.

With $3.5 million dollars invested in its spaces that have been Frenchified to the hilt with a sea of bentwood chairs and marble tabletops, its name cast in brass letters across black-and-white penny tile beneath floating tin ceilings (soon to benefit from the expected arrival of needed soundproofing), La Grange is well positioned to bœuf bourguignon its way into Bucks County hearts. The potential is clearly there. But the kitchen is off to a rocky start.

The bœuf bourguignon was, in fact, one of the better plates at La Grange. A fluffy mound of mashed potatoes ringed by lardons, mushrooms, and tender nubs of flavorful, wine-infused beef, it would have been fantastic if it were served hotter, and with more gravy. But this was among the least of my complaints.

Though brasserie menus are always built on a familiar template, that doesn’t mean they can be done well with robotic ease. To turn out 350 to 500-plus meals a day, a pace this newcomer is already hitting on weekends, requires a level of consistency I’ve yet to see, not to mention basic familiarity with the cuisine.

It is a shame to go to all the trouble to make both the veal stock and baguettes in-house only to serve a French onion soup disappointment like this: a sloshy, underfilled bowl whose cheesy crouton raft had tilted like a shipwreck sinking to the bottom of a brothy brown lagoon.

Another painstaking preparation, a Bordelaise sauce made with red wine and demi-glace, would have been better with the steak frites had it not had the viscosity of motor oil. But even that would not have compensated for the fact that my guest’s $38 coulotte steak was cold by the time it was served. (My colleague Michael Klein had better luck with his rib eye version of the steak frites in May, pictured above).

This kitchen seemed equally flummoxed by à la minute dishes that demand delicacy and speed, like an otherwise fine fillet of trout meunière that was ruined by a fistful of scorched almonds in “brown butter” that had also burnt to black.

Woolsey has reunited several longtime associates from his previous stops to help manage this kitchen, but La Grange is much larger than his other projects. And with 40 people on this suburban culinary staff, most with little French experience, the learning curve has been steep. At a follow-up dinner, I spotted Woolsey behind the raw bar helping a young shucker. But ... crunch! A chip of shell was still hiding beneath my briny Cape Cod oyster. And then came another errant bit, a whole pink peppercorn intended to decorate the ice, that found its way onto a mollusk and sent my guest into a minutes-long coughing fit.

My companions were nonetheless in good spirits because they’d spent time pregaming at the bar, run by Danielle “Weezy” Messina, where they enjoyed the affable beverage manager’s company as well some Hendrick’s martinis my friend praised as a generous pour of “gin clear waters served extra-dry, super cold, with a lemon twist and a dagger of olives." I passed on the gimmicky pink smoke of the bubblegum cocktail for a duck fat-washed old-fashioned that would have been excellent had it not been for the three giant ice balls jammed into the tumbler that threatened to bonk my nose with every sip.

A solid French wine-by-the-glass list was well-suited to dinner, including a Hugel pinot blanc that was the perfect pairing for a sausage-laden Alsatian choucroute garnie special. It was a tasty rendition of an ultimate brasserie classic whose snappy Rieker’s wurst and juniper-laced sauerkraut I savored, though I could not convince my wife to try it after our server had fixated on an extended, gruesome description of the process for extracting the caul fat used to wrap the accompanying crépinette patty.

This second meal showed some modest improvement with the basics, beginning with fresh puff pastry for vol-au-vent cups brimming with mushroom ragout — black trumpets, morels, king oysters, and creminis — that tumbled out in flows of earthy cream flecked with tarragon and snappy green favas.

The beef tartare was zippy with mustard and silky from being hand-minced. The croque monsieur was a spot-on rendition of the classic ham sandwich built with a double layer of béchamel that gets gratinéed on top with Comté cheese. The goat cheese and asparagus quiche’s custard was smooth and creamy. The tagliatelle Bolognese was a decent safety choice for those who’d rather be eating something Italian.

And yet, so many issues persisted. The raw bar’s lobster salad was overdressed with mayo. There was more cucumber than tuna in a clumsily chopped tuna tartare that cost $26. The tuna atop the Niçoise salad was weirdly pasty from being cooked sous vide. The seared scallops were too small (and overcooked) for an entree that hits $42. La Grange’s rich sauce Américaine might have redeemed this dish had the kitchen mustered the courage to actually pour it on the plate, rather than serve it timidly on the side in a sauce boat where it congealed as it was forgotten.

Dessert is one course where La Grange showed marked progress. My first meal had brought pitiful attempts at both crème brûlée (its thinly sugared crust barely torched) and cannelé (the usually crisp fluted pastry bobbing like a soggy sponge in custard). But the sweets at this return visit hit the mark, from a decadently rich milk chocolate mousse topped with whipped cream and a chocolate sablé cookie, to a boozy scoop of cognac and prune ice cream, and a wedge of apple tarte layered beneath a scalloped fan of roasted autumnal fruit.

It’s the kind of finale you’ll see on any typical brasserie menu. But Woolsey, who’s a skilled baker as well as a proven chef, is capable of giving it the kind of knowing, human touch that AI will never replace. Let’s hope the rest of his team at this potentially important new addition to Bucks County’s dining scene can rise to that level soon, too.

915 Antique Alley, Yardley, Pa. 19067, 215-550-6911; lagrangeyardley.com

Open Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m.-10 pm ; Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday brunch, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Dinner plates, $26-$52.

Wheelchair accessible.

Gluten-free options: At least 50% of the menu is gluten-free or can be modified.

Menu highlights: goat cheese croquette salad; shrimp cocktail; croque monsieur; quiche; beef tartare; mushroom vol-au-vent; foie gras terrine; beef Bolognese; bœuf bourguignon; choucroute garnie; tarte aux pommes.

Drinks: The bar program is one of La Grange’s best assets, with strong, French-themed cocktails drawing crowds (aside from the insipid bubblegum cocktail) and a comprehensive wine list with affordable glass pours as well as reserve options (although the system isn’t always functioning).