Paris get-together November 11-16

I am almost positive that Thin will be in Paris from November 14 to November 22. I could email him to find out since he no longer posts on Fodor's.

Tina from the Bronx

Off topic, and I apologize, but why won't he post any longer?

Padraig will be delighted that we have decamped from his thread.

Margriet and I will be there that week, so mark us down for two places, please.

Anselm

Anselm, are you staying at "our" apartment? Is that why it was unavailable for me?

Any ideas about where you want to go?

Nikki, it must be someone else who has rented it. That's very unfortunate, as I know you were happy with it earlier this year.

We looked at a lot of places and finally rented this newly-renovated place on rue des Archives in the 4th:

www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p210013

I have to laugh. We booked it sight unseen; at the time there was no listing and no photos(!), but the couple who own it also have that big apartment in rue des Petits Champs, so we were confident that it would be nicely done. I gather that there is still a bit of work left to do, such as hanging pictures and arranging other decorative touches.

As for the GTG, we're open to pretty much anything, from drinks to dinner. It doesn't have to be French cuisine, either; we've been twice to a lovely North African place in the 11th and been delighted with the cooking.

AA

I'll be leaving Paris on the 12th.

Patrick, it would be great if you could join us.

I posted the above dates because the folks on the other thread all seemed to be in town on those dates. I will be arriving November 6 and leaving November 19.

Would dinner on Tuesday, November 11 work for both Anselm and Patrick London?

We arrive in Paris on the 8th (not the 9th, as I wrote yesterday evening) and are there until the morning of the 17th. We have no firm plans for any of those evenings, so dinner on the 11th would be fine for us.

AA

AA,
Have a great trip. Sheila's new flat looks wonderful. I also would have no qualms about renting from her sight unseen, as the quality of the apt. on rue des Petits Champs is first rate.
Would have loved to meet you at the GTG. Any chance you'll be returning next spring? We'll be in Paris May 28-June 3. EJ

That would be awesome. We have a suite at the Lumen. We could have cocktails first, then dinner.

Nikki and Others,

I wish I could be there. I hope you can put it together. I have been to a few GTG's in Italy and they were a blast. Have a great trip.

Also, don't count on newmanparker showing, he is a major BS artist. Click on his name and you will see what I am talking about.

Tom

what is this Nikki- my first year in ten we are not in Paris that week this November and the Boston GTG was planned for the weekend we were in Europe - I sense a conspiracy.....

The 11th would be fine for me - it would make an interesting last night.

Dinner on November 11 sounds like a plan. I am very much looking forward to meeting you, Anselm and Patrick, as I have read so many of your posts over the years. I anticipate much interesting conversation.

Newmanparker, if you are interested, I'll be looking forward to meeting you.

Still waiting for Avalon to check in from the other thread.

Tom, we'll be thinking of you.

Seafox, too bad indeed that we keep missing each other. But we'll always have Paris. (Which of us is Superman and which Clark Kent?)

Nikki, that sounds great. We're looking forward to it. And Patrick, it will be a pleasure to meet you, too; I have a recollection of a most interesting series of Paris photos you linked to one time.

Any further thoughts on where to dine, or should we leave that until we have an idea of how many we will be?

AA

ElsieJune, I am sorry you can't join us! Unfortunately, our plans for next spring are for Portugal, not Paris, but I'm sure our paths will cross in Paris some day.

We'll include a review of the rue des Archives apartment in our trip report. Sheila has been great to deal with, once again.

AA

Just saw your post on the chicken thread, Nikki. The 11th would be fine for us, though I don't know if we'll be able to stay for dinner. But we sure could be there for a drink. I'd commit to dinner but we have friends in Paris at the same time and they may have something planned.

Hmm, so we should come up with a place where we can have a group for drinks and then have part of the group stay for dinner.

Avalon, will you be able to find out whether you are available for dinner before you leave, so we can make reservations for a group?

I'm a food-is-fuel person, so I have no strong preferences about where to eat. No doubt it'll be somewhere fairly central to all of us, anyway.

If I can hook up with my friend , who left for Rome today. If not I'll have my laptop and can get back to you asap

In fact my friends post on Fodor's , MelJ and I forget the other's screen name. I'd bet they'd want to be included.

We arrive on the 8th and the 11th for drinks sounds terrific! Count in 2 (DH and I), please!!

I'll be in Italy until the 8th, so I'll count on Avalon to tell me where you're meeting when I see her in Paris on the 8th.

Might be two more, as well.

I love Gtg's--this will be great fun!! Safe travels, all!

Great. But I'm getting confused. Drinks or dinner or both? Easier to plan for one place at one time, I think, unless someone wants to leave after drinks because they have dinner plans somewhere else.

And suggestions for venue are welcome.

I would have almost been intrigued by the idea of meeting some of you for drinks, but I expect to be either in Bangkok or Detroit for a week starting on the 11th (don't even try to figure it out!).

Nikki, I understand this can get confusing, so we'll (DH and I) join you for drinks AND dinner if you plan to do both at one place and following each other. If you are planning two separate (or one of them), just let Avalon know and she'll fill me in and tell me where to go for whatever she plans to do!

Thanks for all your efforts. I look forward to meeting you!

Dinner it is then. One place. Now accepting nominations for place.

Mel, I see from another thread that you are leaving tomorrow.

If everyone planning to attend would send me an e-mail at NKermish at hotmail, I will try to keep track of this and we can exchange contact information and updates while we travel.

Kerouac, Detroit or Bangkok? I hear it's lovely this time of year. Meanwhile, there are those of us who will be around before you leave. Any interest in meeting before you go?

Thanks, AA. I'll look forward to your review....and to meeting one day in Paris. In the meantime, have a wonderful trip. EJ

Count us in for drinks and dinner. I'll let you know if our other 2 friends can join in.

You asked for suggestions, on another forum I go to , several ladies just had a fantastic GTG . The booked the private dining room at La Gallopin.

http://www.brasseriegallopin.com/

Another suggestion might be Le Fregate, on the opposite corner from the D'Orsay , along the quai. The have a 2 level dining room and could make up a large table.

If you want more expensive, Le Reminet"s basement dining room can handle a long table. It is not too expensive , just more than the other 2.

I forgot one. Chez Fernad on rue Christine has an alcove dinig area that could be set up with a long table

We can recommend a couple in the 11th, if anyone is interested in exploring the double digits. Our favourite restaurant (for the moment) is Au Vieux Chêne. It could certainly accommodate a table for eight. The food is wonderful, the atmosphere is welcoming, and the menu is around €30. Another is Le Souk, a Moroccan restaurant, with a menu around €20 to €30. It has wonderful tagines and coucous and a great atmosphere. Both times we have been there we have noticed that they can accommodate a large group (seated at a round table).

I can post the coordinates for either Au Vieux Chêne or Le Souk if they appeal, but we’d also be interested in Le Reminet. Time Out Paris gives it a red star, which is always a good sign.

AA

I have looked at the suggestions Anselm and Avalon have made, and of those, I am most interested in Au Vieux Chene. But if that is not anyone else's preference, that is fine with me.

Hi Nikki,

I have good news and I have bad news ...

The good news is that Margriet just discovered that you can reserve Au Vieux Chêne online at www.lafourchette.com/2_restaurant/restaurant_Paris/restaurant_Au_Vieux_Chene/792/

The bad news is that they have a little line drawn through November 11th, which indicates that they are closed that day. I assume it is because of Remembrance Day (or whatever it is called in France). C'est un dommage!

Plan B, we need a plan B ...

AA

OK, I picked first. Someone else pick next.

Le Souk would be our next choice.

However, if anyone would prefer something other than North African cuisine, we'd suggest Willie's Wine Bar or Thoumieux.

Nikki, does L'Écume fit your image of what we're looking for? The food is solid (the beef is excellent), there is a certain warmth, but ... somehow it doesn't quite work for this, at least in my mind.

AA

I'm looking to go places I haven't been before, so I don't think my first choice would be l'Ecume. I am not proposing Le Reminet for the same reason.

I am happy with any of the choices.

Here's a link to Le Souk. You have to page through several photos to get to the menu: www.lesoukfr.com

So, let's say Le Souk for the moment and give Avalon and PatrickLondon a day or two to weigh in on this. (I am assuming Le Souk is open ...)

AA

I haven't been but a freind who went last week said it was her favorite meal in Paris on her latest trip.I know another guy who said they always make this a stop on their trips.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187147-i14-k1811279-L_Insulaire_Restaurant-Paris_Ile_de_France.html

Don't know if they can handle a crowd though.

BTW, Nikki, My other 2 friends will pass on the GTG>
, so it's MelJ and myself and our 2 DHs

I'm not fussy! I've been past Le Souk quite a few times, I think, but never inside: looks interesting.

Avalon has told me in an e-mail that she would prefer not to go to Le Souk.

Gallopin, Thoumieux, Fregate, Willi's Wine Bar all seem like possibilities. Strong (or not so strong) opinions? Experiences? Thoughts?

I just had a look at www.lafourchette.com and it looks like both La Frégate and Willi's Wine Bar are closed on the 11th. I should have thought to look there before suggesting the latter.

Gallopin and Thoumieux aren't listed on the fourchette website, so one would have to e-mail or call to see if they are open. Margriet and I haven't been to Gallopin, but would certainly be prepared to give it a whirl. We have been to Thoumieux several times, although not in the last five years. It's a big bistro, very traditional (the waiters look like they were installed just before it opened in 1926), with good food and an interesting atmosphere.

If the challenge is to find a place open on the 11th, I also looked at the Flo Brasseries website and noticed that places like Bofinger, La Coupole, and Brasserie Balzar are "ouvert 7 jours sur 7"; we aren't yet dead in the water.

AA

I just went to www.lafourchette.com to see what restaurants came up in a search for November 11 for 8 people, and one of them was La Regalade, a place that is on my list to try.

What do people think of that option?

That would be fine with us, Nikki.

Too bad I'm not in Paris during that time, as you guys seem like a cool bunch of people I wouldn't mind attending a GTG with.

If the restaurants are closed on this day due to Remembrance Day on Nov 11, does this mean the museums and attractions will also be closed?

Municipal museums, certainly, which includes the Petit Palais, Carnavalet, Cognacq-Jay, Vie Romantique, Victor Hugo, and the modern art museum at the Trocadero.

Thanks for reminding me, I hadn't thought to check this, and one or two are on my little list.

Oh, and Nikki, that restaurant also looks OK to me.

Thanks about the museums, we have a paris pass, did not know we could not use it that day, guess will have to find other things to do, from everyones posts about Paris, should be fun.

That's only the municipal ones, I don't know about the national or private ones.

OK, back to the drawing board. When I tried to complete the reservation as a test, I got a calendar showing that November 11 was unavailable at La Regalade.

None of my business as I will not be there..just thought I would toss out a few places for youto consider:
Pasco..www.restaurantpasco.com 01 44 18 33 26

La Cuisine 14, bd La Tour Maubourg...nice place
01 44 18 36 32

Chez les Anges
54, bd de la Tour Maubourg
01 47 05 89 86

The 1010 dialing number are great for calling..and very inexpensive.

I am about to put together a quick trip to PAris before the end of the year. It will probably be in Dec.

Have a good time and enjoy your planning...

Joan

Wish I could be there,

but do ya think maybe you should change the date of November 11 since Paris seems to be closing down for Remembrance Day? I hear they take it very very seriously.

Oh pooh, Le Regalade on our list too. Herhttp://www.parishotels.com/restaurants/prs_list_rest_detail_je_the_me_en.htmle's another that is on my list Je The Me

Nikki, avalon, Patrick ... Mayha2 has suggested the idea of shifting the date from the 11th. I was wondering teh same thing myself when I began to see so many places being closed on the 11th.

Would Monday the 10th work for others? It would certainly bring a number of restaurant choices back onto the table.

AA

It's possible. Not my first choice because my daughter and her boyfriend will be there for three nights and leave November 11, but they might appreciate an evening by themselves.

I'm adaptable - I arrive on the 7th and leave on the 12th, and have no particular commitments. Likewise, I wouldn't want my presence or otherwise to limit others' choices!

I am getting through my pre-departure check list at a great rate of knots; I just mowed the cats and took the lawn mower to the cat boarding place. Had a devil of a time trying to get it into its cage.

I wouldn't want to disrupt your family time, Nikki. If we stick with the 11th I am sure we can find a nice brasserie that is open.

AA

There is no problem whatsoever finding a place to eat on Armistice Day.

My husband and I will be in France at that time, but I'm not sure if we will be in Paris on the evening of the GTG. We look forward to hearing what date it will be on and where, and hope to join in if we are able.

We just seem to be checking the wrong places then, I guess. I do want to get this settled in the next day or two though, because people are leaving.

The idea of a brasserie sounds fine; there is Gallopin, suggested earlier, although I haven't been able to check their availability on line. And I haven't been to Bofinger, which apparently can be reserved on line.

These are the tentative plans: We will meet at Gallopin, 40 rue Notre Dame des Victoires, in the 2nd arrondissement, on Tuesday, November 11 at 8 PM. Anselm is confirming by phone; he has already left for France and will let me know when the reservation is final.

Keep checking this spot and I will post any changes. Additionally, you may send me an e-mail (NKermish at hotmail) if you are planning to attend and I will reply with contact information.

Really looking forward to meeting everyone.

Reservations have been made for eight people at Gallopin on Tuesday, November 11 at 8 PM in the name of Lucy.

This includes Anselm Adorne and wife, Avalon and husband, Mel J and husband, Patrick London, and me.

Leburta, please let me know whether you are going to be able to attend. We have arranged to call the restaurant and tell them if there will be more people joining us.

Nikki:

We'll be in Strasbourg by then, so we'll miss this one. Raise a glass for me and enjoy!

Leburta

Wish I could join you, esp after reading a review of Gallopin, which sounds like my sort of place.

....Though I remain faithful to the Bistro du Peintre, site of our March 2008 GTG.

Say hello to Anselm for me.

Onward and upward, Fodorites!

We had our small gathering tonight at the brasserie Gallopin in Paris, across the street from the Bourse. Anselm Adorne, his wife Margriet, Avalon and her husband, Patrick London and I were in attendance.

We solved the world's problems and gossiped about those of you who weren't there. More faces added to more names and the world once again is a smaller place. Great moelleux au chocolat, and I even learned how to pronounce it. A success all around.

Congratulations. Wish I had been there. Wd have been preferable to a freezing cold day in Canada's capital, Remembrance Day pageantry notwithstanding.

The saviour of my sanity is the fact that in 6 weeks, we will be off to NYC for a family Xmas, then Washington DC (more family), then Savannah GA for Jan. 09 and TO HELL with Canadian snowfalls.

I'm staying away until "the White Stuff", as it is so playfully known, is ALL gone.

Nikki wrote: "We solved the world's problems and gossiped about those of you who weren't there."

I hope, given that my possible availability was a trigger for this event, that I got included in an "absent friends" toast. Even though I am not absent here.

Sounds wonderful--how fun for you all. I'd like the full menu and the gossip.

I see I was beaten to the punch, but let me just add how nice it was to put some faces to names (and learn where Anselmadorne came from), together with sundry interesting observations on French apartment design, reflections on the date, decaffeinated coffee and duck. Thanks, Nikki, for making it happen. As for the gossip, well, wouldn't you like to know......

Here are some photos of the restaurant:

http://www.guides-restaurants.fr/guide-gastronomique/brasserie-gallopin-paris.php

Menu: Most of us went first for a sort of galette of ceps (came with a piece of pork crackling which I don't particularly care for), David had oysters, I know, and there was a duck foie gras and salad. For mains, I had paleron de boeuf, which was a sort of slow-cooked cut that simply melted on the fork, with some potatoes; someone had fish, I think. Delicious fondant chocolate cake for afters for me, and some strong coffee and wine. Final cost (apart from aperitif drinks) €36 including set service charge.

Thanks for the update as I was experiencing it vicariously through you. My friend Monica arranged a similar GTG last year in May at Bistrot de l' Oulette and it was great. Hope to do something similar when I return next year.
No pictures? Surely someone had a camera.

It was indeed a pleasure to meet others last evening. Good conversation in a very nice setting.

Gossip? I will mention that some people think colduphere is very funny, but they may have him mixed up with Dutch. Or is it the other way around?

Leely, mine was lentilles de Puy en gelée avec mousse de foie gras et magret de canard fumé. (You did once mention that I like duck.) That was followed by pintade ... I've forgotten the description, but some raisins were involved in the preparation.

On a more serious note, having been to a couple of GTGs in Toronto and now one in Paris, I should no longer be amazed that a group of people who scarcely know each other can find so much to talk about. Travelling is a great bridge to friendship.

AA

Well, I'm glad you are all enjoying my little town. As for me, I am in Laredo, Texas.

Laredo, Bangkok, Detroit. Decisions, decisions.

How was the food at Gallopin? It's been around for a long time and I think the reviews are generally good.

Glad to hear that you guys had a good time!

Kerouac, wow Laredo. Talk about juxtaposition. I've been to both places and it's really hard to put both cities in the same sentence much less attempt to conjure up the image.

Quack quack, Anselm. Sounds delicious. I'm glad you all had fun, and what a charming, erudite group of Fodorites. Will we see photos or at least a scanned sketch?

I give mixed reviews to the food at Gallopin. I wasn't thrilled with the choices available on the menu (only three main courses for the fixed price) but I did stick to it to make it easier to divide the check. I think mine was the only bad choice however, a "tandoor de volaille" that was neither Indian nor particularly French. I did like my appetizer of wild mushroom cake with pork crackling and dessert of molten chocolate cake quite a lot. The choices on the carte, while more expensive, did look more appealing.

Kerouac, I apologize if my comment sounded snarky. I didn't mean it to it's just that Laredo is so different from Paris. Will you also go to Neuvo Laredo?

It really is nice to meet and get together with other Fodorites you've been talking to for years online

Any photos of participants to follow?

Leely and Mahya, there may be photos. Avalon took some, but I recollect that she and her husband have still have some travelling to do, so we'll have to see what happens.

Kerouac, I suppose Laredo has a certain pull (like Moncton or Sudbury, perhaps?), but I hope you can make it to a Paris GTG some day. There are a lot of us who would like to meet you.

111op, I think Nikki makes a very good point about the food. I liked the decor and the service, and I would add that it was a good location for a GTG. The food was perfectly acceptable (my wife and I were just talking about the lentilles a couple of hours ago) and the prices reasonable. However, if quality of food is your most important consideration, I think Paris offers other choices.

AA

Sorry to have taken so long to thank Nikki for planning this GTG. We both had a great time meeting fellow travellers. We arrived first and when Patrick arrived and ssaw us at the bar he ot once asked if we were there for Fodor's. Now how did he know that?

The food was excellent. My risotto with gorgonzola and sauteed pears was one of the best things I had this trip. David said his oysters were the finest,.

I'd certainly recommend Gallopin to anyone going to Paris.

Mr Avalon and the Anselems had a good long talk about WWI battlefields so even my non- fodors hubby had fun!

Thanks again Nikki

I was so busy eating and talking I didn't take many pictures, but here are a few faces to put with names

http://tinyurl.com/64zasp


Nikki, I didn't realize you were staying in one of my friends' apartment until today!

Thanks for posting the pictures; people have been asking. Hope you enjoyed the rest of your stay in Paris.