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Dining in Paris


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Working my way through this thread for restaurant suggestions.

In the meantime, are there any places y'all can suggest as the best in paris for the following dishes? Haha!

French onion soup

Steak frites

Duck confit

Steak tartare

Blanquette de veau

Sole meunière

Boudin noir

Soufflés

Foie gras

Salade lyonnaise

Escargot

French food is so distinctly regional that you won't find the best examples of things in Paris. My advice is to look for Parisian specialties (Boulangerie/Patisserie/Viennoiserie, a Fromagerie (hell, you can find amazing wines and cheeses in Carrefour, where I would go on Day #1 to stock up on things (such as bottled water) for your hotel room (seriously, if you're content with things like Coteaux d'Aix en Provence or Cotes du Rhone, you can find excellent bottles of wine for under 10 Euros - if you start chasing classified growths, you'll pay more than you do here)), Michelin-starred or Bib-gourmand restaurants with tasting menus, a classic brasserie, an outdoor cafe on Champs-Elysee, etc.) Trying to locate the best example of all the things you list would be a fool's errand, but you might find some, and I would concentrate more on finding good restaurants; not individual items per se). Do not assume that every baguette you buy in Paris will be of quality, or even baked where you buy it - they truck in a lot of these things from central wholesalers, so caveat emptor on baguettes (and that applies to pretty much the whole of France)).

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French food is so distinctly regional that you won't find the best examples of things in Paris. My advice is to look for Parisian specialties (Boulangerie/Patisserie/Viennoiserie, a Fromagerie (hell, you can find amazing wines and cheeses in Carrefour, where I would go on Day #1 to stock up on things (such as bottled water) for your hotel room (seriously, if you're content with things like Coteaux d'Aix en Provence or Cotes du Rhone, you can find excellent bottles of wine for under 10 Euros - if you start chasing classified growths, you'll pay more than you do here)), Michelin-starred or Bib-gourmand restaurants with tasting menus, a classic brasserie, an outdoor cafe on Champs-Elysee, etc.) Trying to locate the best example of all the things you list would be a fool's errand, but you might find some, and I would concentrate more on finding good restaurants; not individual items per se). Do not assume that every baguette you buy in Paris will be of quality, or even baked where you buy it - they truck in a lot of these things from central wholesalers, so caveat emptor on baguettes (and that applies to pretty much the whole of France)).

Oh I know it is probably pointless to find 'the best' of these dishes, I was just curious if it would help nudge me in the direction of a place I had not considered before.  Thanks for all of the other tips too!

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Had a longer write-up but screwed up the pictures which caused the post to delete.

Just got back from Paris...incredible city just tough in 100 degree heat (hottest three days since 2003).  Most restaurants don't have AC so keep an open mind.  Lunches were quick and on the go.  Definitely try Cojean (www.cojean.fr), a local chain there that's sort of like a Pret a Manger with healthier, fresher, more unique options.  Two dinner highlights were Ellsworth and Bistro Paul Bert.  Ellsworth is a four month old restaurant in the Palais-Royal area, a close walk from the Louvre.  The chef is Canadian and it had a new-American, Rose's Luxury type vibe.  Highlights were the broccoli, squash blossoms, and bone marrow.  Bistro Paul Bert would be my neighborhood bistro if I lived in Paris.  They take reservations by phone only.  Anthony Bourdain did a feature here on a No Reservations episode featuring their steak frites (which are legit).  Had a chilean sea bass ceviche and steak au poivre.  Glasses of Bordeaux are 5 Euros!  Ended the trip at Laduree...don't skip the Kouign Amann.

Ellsworth

http://www.ellsworthparis.com/en-main

34, Rue de Richelieu, 75001 Paris, France

Le Bistro Paul Bert

18 Rue Paul Bert, 75011 Paris, France

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I think you can get all those dishes at L'Ami Louis. Maybe not the best but certainly the most expensive.

L'Ami Jean gets their tippy-top shelf grass-fed, 4+year old 30-day dry aged beef from the venerable Hugo Desnoyer.  It ain't cheap either.

Go to Le Boudoir (MOF chef 8th), Le Verre Volé (corkage & boudin noir 10th), Du Pain et des Idées (bread 10th), Gilles Verot (charcuterie 6th) and buy foie gras on Ile st Louis at La Petite Scierie to take back home.  Walk around Le Marché D'Aligre and get a bite at L'Ebauchoir in the 12th. All the markets are with the while.

Mintwood's grilled confit calves heart salad is the best version of a Lyonnais salad around.

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Listen to PF.

Oh, and for heaven's sake, if you're going to be in Paris for a week, get an apartment. Buy a pintade from Desnoyer. Roast it carefully. Rest it longer than you think. And enjoy one of the most incredible bites of bird you'll ever have.

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L'Ami Jean gets their tippy-top shelf grass-fed, 4+year old 30-day dry aged beef from the venerable Hugo Desnoyer.  It ain't cheap either.

Go to Le Boudoir (MOF chef 8th), Le Verre Volé (corkage & boudin noir 10th), Du Pain et des Idées (bread 10th), Gilles Verot (charcuterie 6th) and buy foie gras on Ile st Louis at La Petite Scierie to take back home.  Walk around Le Marché D'Aligre and get a bite at L'Ebauchoir in the 12th. All the markets are with the while.

Mintwood's grilled confit calves heart salad is the best version of a Lyonnais salad around.

My good friend Thierry Bruneau owns L'Ebauchoir. Definitely make a stop there. Thierry and I worked together at Citronelle many years ago. Also try his wine bar across the street Le Siffleur des Ballons. 43 rue de Citeaux 75012.

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Best version of a lyonnaise salad I've had in either Paris or Lyon. Mintwood Place's roasted chicken consommé was better than the pale broth at Camdeborde's comptoir too.
Yes, rent an apartment and buy food from the storefronts/markets and go to La Grande Epicerie for an epicure's FAO Schwartz experience.
The revelation for Americans traveling to France (and most of Western Europe) for the first time might be that you can buy the same food in the marketplace that you will get in a restaurant. Not so much here.
Go to a fish monger (Aux ecailles d'argent 19th, market at Denfert-Rochereau 14th) and it rivals the Baltimore aquarium or Arthur Ave in the Bronx.
Get an early 3am cab and go to Rungis and you'll never be able to shop at a store again.

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A group of six of us just got back from a ten day holiday in Paris, Rhone and Champagne where we got to experience the 2015 vendange. It was a pretty awesome trip. High points listed below including some of the restaurants, wineries and wine stores we visited along the way.  As always, lots of foodporn on Instagram @mmusikerrd

Paris

Restaurant Kei Kei is one of our favorite spots in Paris and we try to make a stop there on every visit. Japanese-French fusion with a four course tasting menu at lunch for 52€ that is a real solid value for a lovely one michelin star restaurant. The food is very fresh and light with minimal use of butter, dairy or beef. They also have a great wine list.

Jacques Genin another "must stop" for us in Paris. In lieu of an actual lunch our group of six indulged in chocolate chaud, pastry and caramels for "lunch". Their confections are superb as are the pastry. Notably the lemon tarte and Paris brest. They had to roll us out of there but it was totally worth it. Note only the shop in the Marais has a tea salon.

Le Comptoir du Relais The ultimate Parisian experience. Our group of managed to snag an outdoor table with no wait (virtually unheard of) for some late afternoon gluttonous snacking and drinking. Must gets are the "all you can eat" terrine of pate campaign, cheese plate and the iberico and melon soaked in sangria.

Chocolats Chapon  They have chocolate mousse to go in a cone. #Dropthemic

Le Coq Rico Antoine Westermann's all chicken restaurant that has an outpost opening in NYC. This meal was sublime in its simplicity. We started with the foie and terrine and a 2013 Fourchaune Premier Cru Chablis. We got both a roasted Bresse and a Cou Nu for the table to share plus some of all of the various side dishes. This was too much food for six people but it was great. Comes with a bracing salad of mixed greens and fries. Plus we ordered the mac and cheese, seasonal vegetables and sauteed mushrooms. All rinsed down with a 2005 Grand Cru Chateau La Fleur Pourret from Saint Emilion. For dessert we went old school, Floating Island and the Vacherin.

Hexagone There is a lot to like here but it is a restaurant that is about 85% of the way to being perfect while some dishes just miss the boat. There is always one flavor note or condiment that is a little off- not necessarily bad but just not exactly right. The food was visually stunning and the service was excellent.  We were seated in the back of the restaurant near the kitchen and it was hot and uncomfortable as well as noisy. We ordered a la carte and the meat courses were the weakest of the night. We all agreed we would have been much happier doubling up on either an appetizer or a fish course.

Rhone

Les Saveurs du Marche, Vienne We got there just before they closed between lunch and dinner service and so we ordered off of their "light" menu that was mostly cold salads and lighter entrees. Several of us got the gazpacho and salad lyonnaise which were both excellent. For dessert they brought out plates of local melon and some stinky cheese (a theme of our trip). In season, French melon might just be my favorite food on the planet- it was juicy and beyond fragrant. We didn't really go there for the food however, they have a crazy wine list with really reasonable prices. We had two bottles, a 2005  Domaine Jamet and a 2010 Domaine Rostaing Ampodium.

Le Cottage at Domaine de Clairfontaine, Chemin du Marais Unremarkable and not particularly memorable meal. Nothing was bad but nothing was great either.

Restaurant La Pyramide by Patrick Henriroux, Vienne Two michelin star relais and chateaux. We opted to do the shorter tasting menu which was still a ton of food. It included foie gras with figs, rud mullet, lamb roulade, cheese course and a chocolate-chartreuse mousse cake. The cheese course was incredibly impressive. They have a rolling cheese cave that each time it opened filled the dining room with a pretty pungent wave of cheese stink. The meal included several different amuse bouche and mignardises. We had our second bottle of Domaine Jamet, this time a 1995. Impressive food and impressive service but also low key without being over informal.

La Vineum, Paul Jaboulet Aine, Tain L'Hermitage This is a combo wine shop, tasting room and restaurant. We started with a tasting and stayed for a leisurely lunch. The tasting included: 2007 La Chapelle Hermitage, 2007 La Petite Chapelle Hermitage, 2012 Les Junelles and 2011 Le Chavalier de Sterimberg, 2011 Domaine de Thalabert. We stayed for lunch and while all the food we ate was fantastic, it was pretty unanimous that their burger and fries was by far the best choice. This was a sick burger- chef's father is a butcher and he thinly shaves the beef rather than grinding it. Served on a brioche bun with homemade mayo, local cheese, iceburg lettuce and roasted tomato. The fries were perfect and served with tarragon mayo.  Note: we went on a much needed hike later in the afternoon up through their vineyards up to the eponymous La Chapelle. The scenery is stunning and well worth the trek.

Valrhona Chocolate Factory, Tain L'Hermitage We rolled out of Paul Jaboulet and over to Valrhona. They offer a 10 Euro self-guided tour and told us there would be "lots of samples" to try. That was an understatement. There was a reasonable number of samples on the tour which we enjoyed. But we should have skipped the tour because once you finish the tour you go into the gift shop which has unlimited free samples of EVERY product they sell. It was a bit overwhelming. It was delicious. Note to anyone thinking of visiting- skip the self guided tour and enjoy the all you can eat gift shop experience.

Le Bateau Ivre, Tain L'Hermitage Newly opened wine bar and shop right on the river. We befriended the owner's father at his wine shop up the street (where we bought a case of assorted vintage, single vineyard Selosse) and met him for an aperitif. He selected a bottle of 2014 Bugey Cerdon Benardat Fache for us to drink. None of us had tried this type of wine before, but it is traditional to the region and a really lovely demi-sec sparkling rose that was very enjoyable.

Le Mangevins, Tain L'Hermitage A French restaurant with a Japanese chef. They have a tiny price-fixe menu that changes daily. Two choices each for appetizer, entree and dessert. Everything we ate was just delicious. Highly recommend.

Note: Wineries and whole towns in Rhone are closed during vendage and so things were pretty dead. It was still restful and pretty to drive around. But there wasn't much to see or do. In retrospect we might have been better off staying in Lyon and just going to Tain L'Hermitage for a day trip.

Champagne

Brasserie La Banque, Epernay Our first stop in Champagne for a light lunch. This place looks like it would have a great evening bar scene with a huge champagne list and great indoor and outdoor spaces. The beef tartar was a hit with those who got it and the (we are pretty sure) duck fat fries were a great addition to it. Also delicious was the generous skate wing and lobster and potato salad.

Hotel Les Avises, Jacques Selosse Estate   We stayed at Les Avises and had two really excellent dinners and three lovely breakfasts at the hotel. Despite the fact that there are signs up saying there are no tours and no tastings, we did manage to sweet talk our way into a short tour with Anselme and a tasting with him of some of his experimental blends. It is a beautiful little hotel and the food is really delicious. We could have happily had every dinner there. Four course dinners are 60 Euros, which was very reasonable.  Breakfast is especially good including warm from the oven homemade croissants, pain au chocolate and chaussons aux pommes and eggs to order. You can also have vintage Selosse for breakfast if that is your thing. Note that they will sell individual bottles of champagne but selection is limited and if you order off the wine list, which has an incredible selection, you have to open the bottles and drink them on premises. No amount of sucking up will move you up their waiting list.

Rotisserie Henri IV, Ay - Traditional French rotisserie in a pretty setting. Those of us who didn't opt for a salad left in a bit of a meat coma.

Restaurant Racine, Reims - Relatively new restaurant with a young Japanese chef who has worked at a couple three Michelin starred restaurants. The offer a fixed price menu. The food was superb and beautiful- everything was fresh and light with minimal cream or butter. We were blown away and can see how this restaurant is destined for great things. They have a really well priced wine list so as if we hadn't had enough to drink already we paired the meal with a Domaine Rostaing 2011 Ampodium and Pierre-Yves Colin-Amorey 2013 Saint Aubin.

Note: We hired a guide/driver for Champagne who made all of our tasting arrangements and lunch reservations and who we highly recommend. He not only stalked down his neighbor Mssr Prevost in a last ditch attempt to get us a tasting (he was in a clos picking) but also put up with our crazy American whims with extensive good humor. He also travels around with a paparazzi-worthy SLR and documents your trip which he later shares with you. DM me for details.

We arrived in Champagne during vendange and so that made things a little interesting and tastings difficult to schedule. Some would likely prefer not to come at that time of year since many places are not open, but we loved seeing the towns and wineries in action. We were able to pick/eat grapes, see a crush, and even watch fermentation tanks bubbling away. It was pretty awesome. Our first morning in Avise was the first morning of the vendage and each day we experienced the traditional church bells ringing at 7 am and 7 pm to signal the start and end of legal harvest.

In Champagne we did tastings at:

520 Champagne et Vins, Epernay Our guide arranged for us to do a with the store's owner of some smaller producers. This included: Cedric Bouchard 2011 Roses de Jeanne Blanc de Blancs La Boloree, Jacques Lassaigne 2006 Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature and Bereche et Fils Reflet de Anton Brut.  Each was very different but the Cedric Bouchard was definitely a favorite. 520 is also a fantastic wine shop with a great selection.

Pol Roger -  They don't normally do tours for the public but our amazing guide was able to get us in. It is a really impressive sight to see production of this magnitude. To be there during the crush was a unique opportunity since we could taste the freshly pressed juice coming off the trucks. We saw their newly expanded facilities and then walked through their kilometers of caves, learned to riddle (they're the only large house still doing all bottles by hand) and then did a tasting which included: 2008 Blanc de Blancs, 2006 Rose & 2004 Sir Winston Churchill. As a parting gift they sent us away with two more bottles of the '04 Churchill. We have no idea why but we didn't say no.

Billecart-Salmon -  Another large old house with a fantastic cave network. The tasting included: NV Brut Rose, NV Brut Blanc de Blancs, 1999 Cuve Nicolas and NV Brut Suis Bois. Nothing you can't get in the US but prices are better in France.

Henri Giraud - No tour, just a tasting room. NV Hommage a Francois Hemart Ay Grand Cru Brut, NV Code Noir Brut, Fut de Chene MV07 and Fut de Chene MV Rose.  The latter two were pretty kick ass and require a special key to open.

Nicolas Maillart - We did a quick tour (there wasn't much to see) and then a tasting. We pretty much tasted one of everything they had available- Platine Brut, Platine Extra Brut, Zero Dosage Brut Nature, Rose Brut, 2007 Millesime Brut, 2004 Blanc de Blancs Les Chaillots Gillis Extra Brut, 2008 Blanc de Noirs Les Francs de Pied Exta Brut

Ruinart - The oldest Champagne house in France currently owned by LVMH. Beautiful facility and the cave tour is impressive since they are the oldest in the region. I tend to think that winery tours are often 50% too long and this one was no exception. There was a bit of a misunderstanding since we paid to do a tasting of some older rarer bottles and instead only did the 2004 Blanc de Blancs Brut and the 2002 Brut Rose. But they did send us each home with half bottles as souvenirs.

Rene Geoffroy - Small winery and where we got to see a crush and watch/listen/smell the first fermentation in action with their wine maker. They use a different process to make their roses (no blending of a still red wine).  Tasting included NV Brut Rose de Saignee, 2005 Extra Brut Millesime,  2007 Brut Volupte, 2008 Brut Empreinte

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What restaurants are you considering for your visit? We are going to Paris in November (first time for me) and will probably follow Parisbymouth's top 10 list. Hopefully not a huge mistake to rely so heavily on one source.

Not sure when you are leaving, as I have not been able to write up all of my notes appropriately. I will try to do so by this weekend.  In broad strokes, we did not have a bad meal there. Oddball service at times, and even sometimes odd pacing, but the food was all great.

However, the top three places we hit, for me, were the following - Pirouette (by far the best meal - casual upscale, excellent service and really, amazing food - picking a good wine, and having the best champagne of the trip did not hurt, either), Spring (not so 'French' and far more modern upscale, but so damn good - really good sommelier there, excellent food, and the best service, by far, of the entire trip (note - expensive!)) and Le Coq Rico (up near Sacre Couer, and it is all about the poultry - really excellent food, good service, a little expensive, but worth the experience).  It should be noted we hit one (I think 1-Michelin starred) place called Benoit (an Alain Ducasse place) where, it was a really good meal (and arguably the best dessert of the week we were there), and good food (including one of the best dishes I had of the whole trip - involving sweetbreads, cockerel's cockscombs, kidney 'casserole' with fois gras, bits of pasta, some smoky pig product and a glorious underlying sauce - incredible), but there were bits about the meal I did not really enjoy (typical tight/cramped table spacing, indifferent service, pacing being a little rushed, etc that meant it did not make my top 3.

Plenty of great fun at all of the wine bars, chcoclate places, boulangeries, cheese shops and more. I was blown away that, despite gorging myself the entire trip, the fact that we average walking a bit over 10 miles a day kept some of the expected weight off. In fact, I came back home at the exact same weight. Who says vacation calories count?!

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Thanks for the report! Just made a lunch reservation at Pirouette.

We'll be in Paris for a day in early November and then 4 days in mid-late November. The vacationing me tends to be quite ambitious, so we've made reservations at the following places:

Septime

Sola

Au Passage

David Toutain

Le Cinq

Le Clos Y

Pirouette

I'm checking thefork.com multiple times each day, waiting for Frenchie to release the dates that I want. We're also hoping to get into Abri (NYT recommended just dropping in at the restaurant and get ourselves onto the waiting list). Then there are the no res places, Verjus, Clamato, Frenchie Wine Bar, Poilane's sandwich shop, L'As du Falafel, and Frenchie to Go. Finally, pretty psyched that A L'Etoile d'Or is reopening on November 3.

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Here's my roundup for the Paris portion of my trip.  More extensive discussions including long time user's recommendations for European cities to visit and getting into exclusive Tuscan wineries here.  Ranked from most favorite to least favorite.

Restaurants

Restaurant David Toutain "“ I like RDT and Sola both very much.  Sola is more zen and RDT is a bit more playful and seasonally focused. What really puts RDT over the top for me is their salty sweet creamy butter.  It's amazing and they will give you a second helping if you look sufficiently bereft at the empty butter plate halfway through dinner.  The 105 euro meal itself is a thoughtful seasonal progression of nibbles, 4 or 5 fish courses, a meat course, a palate cleansing course, 2 desserts, and a few finishing snacks.

Sola "“ the 98 euro menu is very similarly structured to RDT.  A progression of nibbles, a number of delicious fish dishes, a meat course (some people got duck and others got chicken on our night, just luck of the draw), palate cleanser, 2 desserts, and final sweet nibbles.  Again, a restaurant that seems to pull out the soul of its very fine ingredients and present it in front of you in a beautifully constructed dish.  Both RDT and Sola would be definite books for any future trips for Paris for me.

Le Cinq "“ the 145 euro lunch splurge and surprisingly, it didn't feel like a ripoff at all.  We got nearly 20 tastes, including some great nibbles before appetizers and with the palate cleanser course.  The appetizers, mains, and desserts were perfectly executed and had a nice creative flair, but were a bit dull compared to their nibbles or the dishes at RDT/Sola.  Their bread and butter are awesome, the butter is as good as RDT's version and they give you a gigantic mound of it and then keep offering more warm delicious bread.  The take home caramels are delicious too.  It's really worth going for the luxury experience.  The service was superb, Parisbymouth described it as formal but it didn't feel stuffy at all.  Even though we were taking the cheapest route through this dining room, they treated us very kindly and attentively and with just enough presentation to impress.  The dining room is exquisite, small enough for me to take in all the delicate detailing on the walls, spacious enough so that we're well clear of neighboring tables.  We definitely got the pampering 3-star treatment (even though it's still a 2 star Michelin at this time) that I was hoping for.  Not sure if we'd come back here, but definitely worth doing once. 

Clamato "“ a seafood focused no reservations wine bar, which shares a wall and owners with Septime.  The dishes here are all wonderful, well prepared pristine ingredients and great flavor/texture combinations.  The space is nice too, comfortable and cleanly laid out, not insanely loud.  I would say this is another definite revisit for future trips.  The food prices are relatively low, especially for the extremely high quality and generous portions.  However, there is no wine by the glass option, you have to buy a bottle at a time.  This is +1's top restaurant for Paris.

Septime "“ one of the hardest tables to book in Paris, a matter of continuous checking on thefork.com for a table to open up.  They have a 30 euro lunch that is a very good deal, or 60 euro 6 course tasting menu for lunch or dinner.  Nice comfortable space and very pleasant service.  The food is wonderfully prepared but didn't necessarily work as well as a tasting menu, compared to RDT or Sola.  The most of the courses were "plat" sized and in presentation, and I miss the smaller nibbles that offered more interesting tastes.   The caramelized apple dessert we had was incredible "“ perfectly cooked caramel to set off the apples and cream, just a perfect realization of the season.

Frenchie  - Frenchie was a little more modern than Septime and plated with more flair, but also suffered from too many "plat" size and presented courses and the lack of extra nibbles for variations.  The food was again wonderfully prepared.  If picking between Frenchie or Septime "“ I'd go with Septime because the space feels more Parisian and more dishes really wowed me, as opposed to just being very very good.

Verjus "“ 68 euro tasting course is quite good, but has a few rough edges whereas the restaurants above had none.  For example, there was an apple dessert that sounded a lot like the Septime apple dessert on paper, but it felt flat and thin compared to the deep richness of the Septime dessert.  The dishes were all quite nice and definitely used top notch ingredients, and everything was quite tasty.  However, the flavors didn't come together quite right.

Au Passage "“ very good and inexpensive, but this is bistro fare.  Very very good bistro fare in a properly atmospheric space, with nice service, etc etc.  But it also felt like something you can get pretty easily in America.  Depending on what you're looking for, this could be perfect and a #1 pick for Paris.

Le Clos Y "“ this was the only letdown in Paris restaurants (also the only time I strayed from Parisbymouth's best of list).  A very elegant and clever meal, with a sleek minimalist dining room and good wait staff.  But the food, while elegantly prepared, just didn't taste delicious enough.  The exception was the beef in the meat course "“ I would definitely want to eat a lot more of that if I could.

Other food outlets

Pierre Herme "“ the macarons pack a lot of flavor.  I think the bigger size pastries might be even better.  The fruit pates sold here are also quite good.

Eclaire de Genie "“ gorgeous, each giving 5 or 6 perfect bites. 

Chocolate shops "“ this will have to be a different review, as I slowly work my way through the boxes.  The shopping experience is pretty awesome though and they all have gorgeous boxes and bags for packing your treasures.

Yam'Tcha tea salon "“ 16 euros and 5 minutes will get you the tasty 5 bao sampler.  They're probably as good as baos can get.

CDG Duty Free "“ prices are higher than outside but not outrageously so.  The quality and selection is pretty decent.  You can concoct a pretty decent meal for your flight by checking out some of the refrigerated cases.  But the person next to you on the flight may hate you and your stinky cheeses.

Poilane "“ I have known about their famous miche for about 10 years and was very excited to try it.  I find it to be a fine bread, but hardly worth lugging back to the US.  I think some artisan bakeries in the US make better loafs, High Street on Market in Philly, in particular, makes an amazing rustic loaf.

Laudree "“ too sweet and lacks the flavor intensity of Pierre Herme's offerings.  It's better than Trade Joe's frozen macarons and leagues better than anything else I've found in the US (but Foi Epi in Victoria BC makes a much better macaron, as it does with most things "“ hmm, maybe I should derail this recap by bursting into song about the awesomeness of Fol Epi).  But considering the price and the local competition, give it a miss unless you like your sweets very sweet.

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After 8 months of traveling basically every week, hubby is cashing in some of his miles and points so we can spend a week together in Europe.  We'll be flying into Paris and spending 2.5-3 days there (we'll get there around lunchtime on a Sunday and then we'll head to our next destination on Wednesday afternoon).  I haven't been to Paris since 1998, and Jason has never been.  Neither of us speak French, though I am going to try to learn a bit in the next two months.  Any recommendations regarding not-to-miss food, both upscale and otherwise, would be much appreciated.  Also, any thoughts on hotels would be great as well - though we are trying to stick to SPG and/or Hilton properties, as that is where Jason has some points for free nights.

Can't wait to hear peoples' thoughts!  I'm also obviously going to pore over this thread for a bit...lots of wisdom!   :)

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Can't wait to hear peoples' thoughts!  I'm also obviously going to pore over this thread for a bit...lots of wisdom!   :)

And who knows, we might even have a Paris Forum one day ;), so if people could try and create one restaurant per post, that would make everything easier in the future, since I cannot split up your posts (refer to the Mother Thread in the New York City forum, which contains lots of great information that's buried - it's all there; it's just impossible to find, and writing one restaurant per post makes things indescribably easier when it comes to creating new forums (look at the Dining in Los Angeles thread, for example - stuffed full of valuable information, but I can't split off any of the posts in it, so people have to sift through it by themselves)).

This general concept holds true for all major cities - really, every single thing in The Intrepid Traveler forum, which was never intended to be a basis for creating new forums, but became so popular that this has become the next logical step. Well, at least things are evolving organically.

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After 8 months of traveling basically every week, hubby is cashing in some of his miles and points so we can spend a week together in Europe.  We'll be flying into Paris and spending 2.5-3 days there (we'll get there around lunchtime on a Sunday and then we'll head to our next destination on Wednesday afternoon).  I haven't been to Paris since 1998, and Jason has never been.  Neither of us speak French, though I am going to try to learn a bit in the next two months.  Any recommendations regarding not-to-miss food, both upscale and otherwise, would be much appreciated.  Also, any thoughts on hotels would be great as well - though we are trying to stick to SPG and/or Hilton properties, as that is where Jason has some points for free nights.

Can't wait to hear peoples' thoughts!  I'm also obviously going to pore over this thread for a bit...lots of wisdom!   :)

I have 110,000 Starwood points left over from 30+ years of heavy travel (United almost two million miles, 1K six times).  We have used hundreds of thousands of Starwood points over the years at various hotels in North America and Europe.

Paris is one of the worst to use them.  Most hotels are category 6 or 7 with, I believe, only the Le Meridien a Category five (12-16,000) points a night.  Category 6 is 20,000+ and Category 7 is 30,000+.  Depending on where, the fourth night or the fifth night may be "free."

For comparison Westins in downtown D. C. and Georgetown are category 5 which are 12-16,000 and Westins in the suburbs are all category 4 which is 10,000 points.

Not all European locations require as many points as Paris-it is one of the absolute worst.  I would save my points for other cities where the most expensive hotel is a category five (12,000) points and consider this alternative for Paris:  call the U. S. Embassy and ask for their list of hotels which they give visitors.  These will all be hotels in the 7th and 8th Arr and they will accept government per diem.  This means you'll be literally in the center of Paris a few blocks from the Champs d'Elysee and paying about E 150 a night or less.  More than likely the hotels will be 25-50 rooms and not have room service or a restaurant.  They will have feather pillows, good sheets, cable TV with flat screens, rooms comparable to a Marriott or Hilton, staff that speak English and are eminently affordable.

I used hotels like this in a number of European cities for more than 20 years-all from calling local American Embassies.  I always stayed in the 7th or 8th even though I did business near DeGaulle.  When the Euro strengthened it no longer made sense to pay E 300 or more a night so I started calling the Embassy.  (I paid my own expenses.) I should note here that my wife who then worked for NSF had a good friend in the American Embassy in Paris and told us that MANY people called asking for the list of preferred hotels who accepted per diem.  They were happy to supply it.

For Starwood points in Europe most German cities have excellent properties that are category 4 or 5.  Problem with Paris (and major cities in Italy such as Venice, Florence, Rome) is that hotels which fit these categories are either older or tend to be in suburban areas.

FWIW we are using Starwood points in Vancouver in May at a new Westin in the center of downtown for about 10,000 points a night (fifth night is free). The Seattle Westin for a couple of nights, too.  The points that these SEVEN nights will "cost" us total about 60,000.  That would be equal to the St. Regis for TWO nights in Paris.

We are also flying on United miles.

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Not all European locations require as many points as Paris-it is one of the absolute worst.  I would save my points for other cities where the most expensive hotel is a category five (12,000) points and consider this alternative for Paris:  call the U. S. Embassy and ask for their list of hotels which they give visitors.  These will all be hotels in the 7th and 8th Arr and they will accept government per diem.  This means you'll be literally in the center of Paris a few blocks from the Champs d'Elysee and paying about E 150 a night or less.  More than likely the hotels will be 25-50 rooms and not have room service or a restaurant.  They will have feather pillows, good sheets, cable TV with flat screens, rooms comparable to a Marriott or Hilton, staff that speak English and are eminently affordable.

I, too, am headed to Paris on points. Joe's idea intrigued me, so I contacted the US Embassy via email. Unfortunately, they said "the embassy does not have such a list available for the public." Perhaps I contacted the wrong division within the embassy, tho their message indicates that it's embassy-wide. Any thoughts?

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A question just occurred to me - how hard is it going to be in terms of dining out in Paris if we don't speak French?  I am trying to learn a bit before we go, out of respect and general curiosity, but I doubt I'll be anything close to proficient by the time we leave.  Wondering if any restaurants in particular are tougher/easier for visitors...

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A question just occurred to me - how hard is it going to be in terms of dining out in Paris if we don't speak French?  I am trying to learn a bit before we go, out of respect and general curiosity, but I doubt I'll be anything close to proficient by the time we leave.  Wondering if any restaurants in particular are tougher/easier for visitors...

You'll be better off in restaurants than you are in cabs (in cabs, use Google translate, and hand the driver your cell phone with the address - keep an eye on the route they take, and count your change. :))

Just smile, be polite, and point - then, use the universal "scribbling motion" on your palm to ask for the check (while smiling - be militantly optimistic).

I've always found Parisians to be like New Yorkers - they're gruff at first, but underneath that, they have hearts of gold if you can chip through the exterior layer - they value humility and soft-spokenness, but you shouldn't roll over and play dead.

Maybe learn to say "Nous sommes désolés monsieur/madame/mademoiselle, mais nous ne parlons pas Franí§ais." (We're sorry, sir/madam/ma'am, but we don't speak French.)

New sum days olé, miss yer (nasal, silent r), may noon uh par lahn (nasal, silent n) pa Frahn (nasal, silent n) say.

I suspect there's an online French pronunciation guide - just cut/paste this in there: Nous sommes désolés monsieur, mais nous ne pouvons pas parler Franí§ais.

(That last sentence says "... we aren't able to speak French" instead of "...we don't speak French" - it comes across as a little softer and more gentle.)

Just remember we got them out of WWII - go to Normandy, and you'll be worshipped by the elderly.

Before I learned French, there was Laura Lawless (gee, that website has *really* grown since I last looked at it, years ago).

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I don't speak French (I can read a fair bit from studying Spanish and I can understand spoken French a little, but I really can't speak it), and I've never had a problem dining or otherwise getting around in Paris. I've found that people appreciate if you try. I've recited "Désolé, je ne parle pas franí§ais" ("Sorry, I don't speak French") many times. In restaurants I've found "Je voudrais ... s'il vous plaí®t" ("I would like ... please") to be helpful. I've used "L'additionattention, s'il vous plait" ("Check, please" -- and you will need to ask for it) as well. I've found that being humble about not speaking the language really helps (and that's not just in France).

Contrary to their reputation, I don't find Parisians to be any more gruff or rude than any other big city dwellers around the world. If you're used to a big city vibe, you're humble about not speaking French, and you try your best not to be annoying tourists (and from living in or around DC most of us know what NOT to do as tourists if we don't want to annoy the locals), you should be fine. I haven't done any fine dining in Paris, but I would think in the more well known or well-regarded restaurants they're used to dealing with non-French speakers.

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I have a few rules for Americans in France:

  • Always begin any interaction with a greeting. "Bonjour monsieur", "Bon soir madame", whatever. It might not always be called for, but it's never unwelcome, and often just blurting out what you want, even in French, comes across as rude.
  • No matter how little French you speak, you can always say "s'il vous plait" and "merci". They go a long way.
  • Keep in mind that the French generally love Americans if you meet them 1/100th of the way.
  • Don't wear shorts, unless you're a child or are at the beach.
  • Keeping Lucy in mind, don't order escargots and then complain to the waiter that there are snails on your plate, and don't then ask for ketchup or pay the bill with counterfeit money.
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I have a few rules for Americans in France:

  • Always begin any interaction with a greeting. "Bonjour monsieur", "Bon soir madame", whatever. It might not always be called for, but it's never unwelcome, and often just blurting out what you want, even in French, comes across as rude.
  • No matter how little French you speak, you can always say "s'il vous plait" and "merci". They go a long way.
  • Keep in mind that the French generally love Americans if you meet them 1/100th of the way.
  • Don't wear shorts, unless you're a child or are at the beach.
  • Keeping Lucy in mind, don't order escargots and then complain to the waiter that there are snails on your plate, and don't then ask for ketchup or pay the bill with counterfeit money.

If you dress well you can go into any restaurant anywhere in Europe and not be concerned about whether or not you speak the native language.  Your attire shows respect for the restaurant and for those seated around you.You can also learn to patiently communicate without the language as long as you are respectful and willing to try to communicate expressively.  This last is something that is learned from experience.  Again, acceptance is often guided by one's dress and appearance.

Santoni loafers work with jeans when the shirt is, say, Etro, ideally with a Zegna blazer and a Charvet pocket handkerchef.

The above is as serious of a post as I have made in almost 20 years on boards:  dress well, have presence and respect and, within limits of taste, much will be overlooked.

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If you dress well you can go into any restaurant anywhere in Europe and not be concerned about whether or not you speak the native language.  

This is true, but it doesn't help in a hardware store (not that you'd need a wrench in Paris). Back in the day when I was studying French, I had more than one person say, "Non" when I asked if they spoke English, only to have them magically learn my language when I started trying to speak theirs. The French are a proud people - they value their culture, and hate seeing it being diminished on the world stage (not that it is; merely that other cultures have emerged).

Have me tell you about my restaurant *disaster* in Avignon sometime, all because I made a well-meaning blunder in French.

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I have a few rules for Americans in France:

  • Always begin any interaction with a greeting. "Bonjour monsieur", "Bon soir madame", whatever. It might not always be called for, but it's never unwelcome, and often just blurting out what you want, even in French, comes across as rude.

Even in English it comes across as rude. Or perhaps I'm the only American left who cares. Off topic, sorry, but this might be one of my top peeves ever.

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Even in English it comes across as rude. Or perhaps I'm the only American left who cares. Off topic, sorry, but this might be one of my top peeves ever.

The "ugly American" stereotype exists, and is a very real thing. Even though I find him annoying and whiney, and I disagree with some of his odd priorities, Rick Steves' original "Europe Through The Back Door" is a good book - not just for young backpackers, but for an attitude adjustment as well. I read it cover-to-cover before I went to Europe for the first time in 1989, and it served me well. He says to leave your "Yankee-Panky" at home, and to remember that Europeans would not want to trade passports with you. It's both a humbling and an eye-opening experience. My first Europe trip, at age 28, is when I took my first big leap in terms of maturation. Traveling the world helps turn you from a child into an adult, no matter what age you are. It also makes you realize, ultimately, how lucky we are in the United States, even though numerous other countries are just as lucky as we are. I know a lot of people think I'm cocky and all that, but the truth is that I'm deferential more than cocky (unless you play me in table tennis - then, I'm cocky) - deferential to my elders, to people with disabilities, and to other people in general, especially ones from other countries. Showing humility and politesse is a sign of strength, not weakness - it also shows that you care about things other than yourself, and when I see others around me out on the highways, I realize just what a rare commodity that is, even, and perhaps especially, here in our own backyard.

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This is all well and good, but where should I eat?

:P

More seriously, I will add that these places from earlier posts strike me as most promising:

Sola

Septime

Pirouette

Restaurant David Toutain

Frenchie

Le Bistro Paul Bert

Juveniles

Though, I'm concerned that I will not be able to get reservations at most of them, given their popularity. Also, it seems that most only accept reservations a few weeks out, which is unfortunate.

"‹ETA: Another thing that struck me as odd was that many of these places are closed on Saturday.

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Are we that awful as a people that we don't say "hola", "bonjour", "namaste", "sawadee krap", etc... when we walk into a place and have to be reminded to do so? I don't doubt that there are people that don't, but I do doubt that most people are so rude as to need to be reminded, especially on this board: Those that need to be reminded are probably not going to actually care about following the instructions ... Americans are a remarkably polite and lovely people (speaking as a Canadian born, Indian descent person)... Spend a few days in India or Mexico or many other places and you'll realize that Americans, with their faults, are amazingly nice and polite people.. Also, be a be a non white family traveling in a foreign country (like me and my parents in France and other places in Europe) and you'll see that other countries can be quite rude even when you do try to speak the language and be polite. The average American traveler is actually a decent person ...

Give yourselves a little bit of credit! Americans are a very nice people. We spend a lot of money. We create message boards discussing other people's food. We try to learn other people's language when traveling. Most travel books are published in our language. We aren't that bad ...

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Are we that awful as a people that we don't say "hola", "bonjour", "namaste", "sawadee krap", etc... when we walk into a place and have to be reminded to do so? 

Way off topic, but timely.  Last week I was on a bus at the airport in Iceland.  An older couple got on board.  The woman loudly exclaimed (American accent) "there are no single seats left!"  Then, addressing a woman in an aisle seat, "you need to move over!"

other woman: no I don't

first woman: but I need that seat

other woman: you could ask.

I had been in the same situation a few minutes earlier.  My approach: "excuse me, may I take that seat?"

Granted a single example, but I do see/hear this kind of behavior all the time, and it makes me cringe.  Being kind/polite costs nothing.  Why is it so hard for some people?

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Way off topic, but timely.  Last week I was on a bus at the airport in Iceland.  An older couple got on board.  The woman loudly exclaimed (American accent) "there are no single seats left!"  Then, addressing a woman in an aisle seat, "you need to move over!"

other woman: no I don't

first woman: but I need that seat

other woman: you could ask.

I had been in the same situation a few minutes earlier.  My approach: "excuse me, may I take that seat?"

Granted a single example, but I do see/hear this kind of behavior all the time, and it makes me cringe.  Being kind/polite costs nothing.  Why is it so hard for some people?

I've finally accepted that, even though a poll of people would reveal that 90% of people would respond that "they're polite," real-life observation shows that figure to be more like 50-70% (and quite frankly, that's the optimist in me speaking), and it's the bottom 20% who *really* do the damage because those are the ones who stand out.

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25 or so days until departure...woo hoo!  I got reservations at Le Coq Rico and Restaurant Frenchie - I'll certainly let everyone know how they were!

Outside of the two dinner reservations, I plan to eat nothing but really good bread and butter.  Only half kidding.

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Santoni loafers work with jeans when the shirt is, say, Etro, ideally with a Zegna blazer and a Charvet pocket handkerchef.

Dammit! Etro shirts don't fit me off the rack and I just don't don't have the budget for bespoke!

On the other hand, "dear, have a glass of Champagne in the bar, I'll just be dashing off to Charvet for a moment and then we'll head to dinner" (Mr Google says I'll just be 10 minutes away by foot when we check in, in May).

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Dammit! Etro shirts don't fit me off the rack and I just don't don't have the budget for bespoke!

On the other hand, "dear, have a glass of Champagne in the bar, I'll just be dashing off to Charvet for a moment and then we'll head to dinner" (Mr Google says I'll just be 10 minutes away by foot when we check in, in May).

Charvet also custom makes shirts.  Etro (not a full cut) and Zegna (dress shirts are) both have outlets south of Orlando in the Premium Outlets where the shirts are $100-150 which is half or less of the Italian prices. Real goal is Marol and, ultimately, Stefano Ricci both of which are full cut.  Zegna has at least three outlets in the U. S. and all are well worth going out of the way for.  With holiday discounts some pieces are 70-75% off of retail.

Stefano Ricci is breathtakingly beautiful and priced as artwork.

I once drove from Rome to Pescara where Brioni had its only outlet in the world.  I bought a bathrobe which was the only thing that fit me.

Charvet is incredible.  Their ties and pocket handkerchefs will last a lifetime.  The Parisian shop (and upstairs workroom) is a very real destination.

Having said all of the above, now retired, I have become an expert on sweatpants and long sleeve T shirts.

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25 or so days until departure...woo hoo!  I got reservations at Le Coq Rico and Restaurant Frenchie - I'll certainly let everyone know how they were!

Outside of the two dinner reservations, I plan to eat nothing but really good bread and butter.  Only half kidding.

We actually only kept our reservation at Le Coq Rico - and it was so very delicious.  We started with the "deli board" of giblets, which contained livers, hearts, wings, etc.  The hearts were my favorite - super tender and flavorful.  We also got the chicken consomme with celeriac and foie gras ravioli - yum.  Really satisfying on a cold evening.

For our main, we ordered the whole duckling, knowing that it would likely be too much food - it was worth every penny.  Perfectly seasoned and roasted - nothing fancy, but executed impeccably.  The green salad and oven mac and cheese that were served on the side were lovely; the roasted veggies were just so-so and paled in comparison to the flavors of the other components of our meal.

We were too full for dessert, but I still couldn't pass up the brioche french-toast with caramelized pear and beer ice cream.  I was really glad we ordered it - not too sweet, but definitely a nice ending to a really delicious evening.

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I don't have enough experience with Paris to pretend to be able to add anything to the discussions here about the best bistros and brasseries or the latest hot chef. However, before heading to Paris I did a lot of studying on the English language foodie sites to try to find the most popular African restaurants. We finally settled on Restaurant Fifa, a Beninoise restaurant near Gare du Nord (16 rue Joseph Dijon). We really enjoyed our meal there -- the cuisine of Benin appears to be fairly distinctive by comparison with other West African cuisines -- but the welcome was what really made the experience for us. The owner is very friendly (no English, but we were with a friend who is fluent in French) and seemed to relish the opportunity to explain the whole menu to us in detail. Among the dishes we ended up sharing were attieke (a dish made from fermented dried cassava), gboman ablo (spinach with beef), an excellent grilled chicken with a red corn dough cake with tomato sauce added (amiwo au poulet, apparently the national dish), and grilled fish.

Fifa is also a hangout for African artists, so the people watching is excellent. The neighborhood, which is heavily African and Arabic, is also fascinating. 

2014 - 10 - 07 - Restaurant Fifa - Amiwo au poulet - grilled chicken  & red corn dough with tomato sauce - and gboman ablo - beef and spinach stew .jpg

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On 4/26/2016 at 11:35 AM, Mississippi Snopes said:

I don't have enough experience with Paris to pretend to be able to add anything to the discussions here about the best bistros and brasseries or the latest hot chef. However, before heading to Paris I did a lot of studying on the English language foodie sites to try to find the most popular African restaurants. We finally settled on Restaurant Fifa, a Beninoise restaurant near Gare du Nord (16 rue Joseph Dijon). We really enjoyed our meal there -- the cuisine of Benin appears to be fairly distinctive by comparison with other West African cuisines -- but the welcome was what really made the experience for us. The owner is very friendly (no English, but we were with a friend who is fluent in French) and seemed to relish the opportunity to explain the whole menu to us in detail. Among the dishes we ended up sharing were attieke (a dish made from fermented dried cassava), gboman ablo (spinach with beef), an excellent grilled chicken with a red corn dough cake with tomato sauce added (amiwo au poulet, apparently the national dish), and grilled fish.

Fifa is also a hangout for African artists, so the people watching is excellent. The neighborhood, which is heavily African and Arabic, is also fascinating. 

Thanks for sharing this! I'll be in Paris in June and while this isn't a neighborhood I was planning on visiting, it just got added to the itinerary!

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Sola: Where everything was great, except for the food! So this was our one splurge meal, a Michelin stared restaurant, that has a modern French-Asian fusion vibe. The room is incredible--a cave like structure, underground, sparsely appointed, with sunken tables and custom wooden seating, all interconnected and surrounding the tables. The service was attentive and informative. The plating and presentation we what you'd expect from a modern and Michelin-starred establishment. It's just too bad that the food sucked. We had a 5 course tasting menu, and I can't remember a single dish. Wait, no, we had foie gras and an asparagus dish, because every restaurant serves foie gras and some kind of asparagus. Anyway, I was very excited for this meal, and paid a good chunk of change, and the food was ordinary. Also, they make you take off your shoes and put on house slippers, and then walk on that wooden benching to your table, and it's all supposed to be very fancy and exciting, but I thought it was stupid. And the waiters are all in socks, and they kneel down at your table, and walk by it on that wooden benching, and don't you know if you sit on the end, their pants swish you every time someone walks by. I'm not saying I got kicked every time someone walked by me, but I'm not saying I didn't get kicked either. So, yeah, not good.

Restaurant Frenchie: A 5 course tasting meal and wine pairing. I've never egotten a wine pairing before, and so we decided to go for it here. I was surprised at how much a thoughtful pairing made a difference and mattered to the taste of the food and the wine. What was a shame was the 2 oz pour they seemed to limit you to with every pairing. To my mind it was laughable how small the pours were, especially at the price we paid, but maybe you give up pour size to get something thoughtfully paired. Anyway, the food was excellent, more foie gras and asparagus to be sure, but well prepared and presented modern French cooking.

Juveniles: A small bistro, striving modern bistro fare. It was very good. 

Pirouette: A 6 course meal and the best meal of the trip. I found a pic of the menu, for your enjoyment. We had the first salad listed (it reminded me of a salad we used to get at Courduroy, also having an egg if some kind, perhaps duck). I believe we also had the veal head and pollack. And some other things that I will add as the fog lifts.

Le Train Blue: A truly remarkable dining room, that's like eating in the middle of an art museum. We had a very good meal, too, including an excellent cheese plate, that was huge. Excellent and attentive service.

Cafe des Abattoirs: A small restaurant near the Opera area, where we stayed. They specialize in beef, and we had a good steak, tho seeing what others got, we could have had a great steak (which, to us, means a leaner cut) if we ordered better.

Relais de l'Entrcote: an amazing all you can eat steak fries joint with a special house sauce (oil, butter, Dijon). This place was filled with locals, and we got lucky to stumble upon it. I only wish we found it earlier in our trip, so that we cold have gone more than once. Pic posted here is what they serve.

Au Petit Riche: this was near our hotel, and it's in the guide book. Total tourist trap that sucked donkey balls. Avoid!

Some miscellaneous remarks: there were several other cafes at which I had a great burger or great croque monsoir...I just forgot to get their names. These place are a dime a dozen, anyway. We had excellent service everywhere we ate. In fact, we had no problems with any of the people there and didn't see any rudeness like you hear about, and we speak absolutely no French whatsoever. Everyone was incredibly nice, which was a pleasant surprise. All the restaurants in the same class serve the same food. Bistros all sever the same sandwiches, modern all serve foie gras and asparagus, etc. 

Our trip ended over a month ago, hence the lack of detail, and so I apologize for that. I may continue to edit this post if/when things come back to me.

image.jpeg

image.jpeg

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16 minutes ago, Dr. Delicious said:

Cafe des Abattoirs: A small restaurant near the Opera area, where we stayed. They specialize in beef, and we had a good steak, tho seeing what others got, we could have had a great steak (which, to us, means a leaner cut) if we ordered better.

Great post, Doc - you probably already know this, but abattoir means "slaughterhouse" in French. (I'll delete my post in a day or two, because yours was the last on the previous page, and I want yours to get the attention because it was exceptional - I promise to safeguard it, so if you want to refer to it in the future, it will be here.)

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I cannot believe I have not written up our trip to Paris from this past October, I will have to fix that soon. Pirouette was one of our favorite meals of a trip FULL OF great meals. It set the bar really, really high because we dined there our first night. So.Damn.Good.

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On 1/21/2016 at 9:17 AM, Dr. Delicious said:

This is all well and good, but where should I eat?

:P

More seriously, I will add that these places from earlier posts strike me as most promising:

Sola

Septime

Pirouette

Restaurant David Toutain

Frenchie

Le Bistro Paul Bert

Juveniles

Though, I'm concerned that I will not be able to get reservations at most of them, given their popularity. Also, it seems that most only accept reservations a few weeks out, which is unfortunate.

"‹ETA: Another thing that struck me as odd was that many of these places are closed on Saturday.

I'd add Kitchen Galerie Bis - bistro of Ze Kitchen Galerie, wonderful food, much easier to get into.

I liked Pirouette but didn't love it.

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