Why Reed? Are you staying nearby?

Without knowing where you're staying, I'll throw this tourist-area rec into the ring. Terroir Parisien is simple, modern and easy. Fairly light food. I think open every day.

http://www.yannick-alleno.com/carnet/terroir-parisien/

Where are you staying?

Bookmarking for Leely2's suggestion. That place looks great, the menu seems alright as well...

(Thanks Leely2!)

Don't know where you're staying but you can search by opening day and arrondissement on parisbymouth.com.

We'll be in the 8th at the Hotel du Collectionneur near the Arc de Triomphe (w/ Mr. Crosscheck's colleagues), but might be meeting friends in the 4th or 6th before for cocktails before dinner. Location doesn't really matter - we like getting away from the heavily touristed areas. I checked out parisbymouth - lots of info there.

Leely2, thanks for the suggestion, looks excellent - Great to see you "out of Africa."

Just realized that I forgot to answer "Why Reed?" We've been reading about it on foodie blogs and it has also gotten rave reviews here.

crosscheck - don't want to put you off, but here is about the only place that Reed has been getting rave reviews. Lots of english language food blogs have given it good ratings, but reviews in French (let alone good ones), by locals are actually pretty hard to come by.

I have Parisian friends that have been and said that it was perfectly fine, but for the money you can eat better elsewhere. Just thought I'd add a counterpoint...

You might want to also post this question on the Chowhound forum.

Reed is excellent. Good choice. If you are in the 6th for pre dinner drinks, you might consider Fish for dinner. If on the Right Bank, we really love Le Regalade St. Honore.

I believe La Regalade St Honore is only open Mon-Fri.

Jay,

Thanks for the heads up about Reed. Many are obsessed, not just Fodorites. We first heard of it a while ago from a London restaurant world friend. There are dozens of glowing reviews on Chowhound and plus, as you said, dozens of English-language blogs like hungryforparis.

Here's a blog post with a theory about why Reed has been ignored in the French blogosphere:

http://johntalbottsparis.typepad.com/john_talbotts_paris/2012/03/anti-americanism-in-the-kitchen-and-guides.html

Thanks to everyone for the other suggestions - I now have a list from a friend as well. Too many places to go. Will report back.

@jay - what are some of the places your friends say you can eat better food at then Reed for the same money? always looking to add new Paris restaurants to my list. Personally I thought Reed quite good and not terribly expensive. 35€ for the entree, plat and dessert.

crosscheck - thanks for that link. I had seen that before and the words "persecution complex" sprang to mind. From what my friends have said, the food is perfectly decent (not "magnificent" or "spectacular" as I've read online) but nothing really worth making a special journey for.

They mentioned that famous French obsession of "rapport qualité/prix" and said it was (in their opinion) slightly overpriced for what was being served.

I think it's the "novelty" of a North American woman running a Parisian kitchen that has got the blogs all a flutter.

Our U.K. equivalent would probably be Rachel Khoo, who somehow managed to parlay half decent cooking skills in an unusual location (and an admittedly very pretty face) into a TV series and obligatory cookbook. Her skills were average at best, but the planets had aligned in her favour.

yestravel - I'll ask them and let you know. They said their bill came to just over €100 for the pair of them and they said that normally when they spend that much, their meal is more memorable. I'll keep you posted...

yes, I would love to hear their recommendations, jay. food is so subjective really. Reed's risotto is fabulous I think. Every bit as good as any I have eaten in Italy. I would not say everything there is "magnificent" or "spectacular", but very good. But honestly, be it Paris, NYC, SF, Rome wherever, magnificent and spectacular meals are hard to come by.

Catherine Reed is French Canadian, just for your information.

gracejoan, Where would you recommend for a Sunday night?

I haven't been to Reed but just wanted to say that's a very typical price point for 3 courses of very good food and is usually what we spend for a bistro type meal. Perhaps I'm wrong but from the reviews I've read, I've gotten the impression that Reed is a very good neighborhood option but not necessarily cross town worthy which is the main reason I haven't been as I don't find myself in the 7th often. John Talbott gives similar scores to literally hundreds of restaurants.

Yes, that's pretty much why I asked where crosscheck will be staying.

Hi crosscheck! I was in Paris this New Year's week. I was with my cousin who is not terribly interested in food, so not a big focus of our trip. We did have a fun meal at the bar at Terroir Parisien. Also an easygoing evening at Willi's Wine Bar when we were nearby and had no energy for a big, lengthy dinner. We just dropped in early for snacks and a bottle of red.

Also was in Paris for several days this past May en route to my beloved Kenya. Ate like a glutton that trip. Really enjoyed Auberge du 15, but it's not quick-and-easy. Also had a good meal at Septime.

Have a great trip!

Merci, Leely2. I have now rearranged my trip and will be spending three days in the Marais before moving to the 8th when Mr. Crosscheck arrives (for three more days).

This means many great meals are in store. As of now, we will be going to Terroir on Sunday...if it's still up to snuff after appearing on a Conde Nast Traveler "best new bistro" list:

http://www.cntraveler.com/food/2012/07/paris-restaurants-food-guide-where-to-eat/paris-best-new-bistros-restaurants#/slide=9

At this point, we're so curious about Reed that we wouldn't think of missing it. It is somewhat unusual for a restaurant to become the darling of Chowhound, yet ignored by local foodies.

At the risk of potential malignment here, I must say that I am not a Reed fan. But I am a huge fan of Pottoka (which is not far from Reed). Staff is so very friendly and the food is wonderful, although I have always been swayed by the appearance of razor clams and beef cheeks on a menu.

In truth, I have not eaten at Reed, but stopped in to see about a reservation last April. It is a small space which I love (as is Pottoka), but the ambiance was so-so and the owner quite off-putting when we inquired about a reservation for another evening. And frankly, everyone in the place seemed to be American or at least North American. At Pottoka, we were surrounded by locals and just loved it.

Since you asked, I would go to 110 Les Taillevent!!They are open 7 days and evenings. A really great place. Ask for bar seating and reservation a must..do it now, if you plan to go. The seats are very comfortable. They have a special..I think 39 for both lunch and dinner...nice spot....They call it a brasserie, but not like any other brasserie that you have been to..but then with the Taillevent name......

a bientot....
Joan

@paris - interesting comment about Catherine at Reed. We found her to be quite the opposite - friendly and talkative and very nice. It is a one woman show though. She has one staff person and that's it. And yes, whenever a Paris restaurant gets American press it does seem to get many diners from America, not surprisingly. We had Pottoka on our list, but never made it so I can't compare the two. But I do agree there are many, many restaurants with the 35 or so euro price point. They are everywhere. And that's what's so nice about Paris' food scene -- lots of wonderful restaurants to choose from that suit everyone's taste. Happy Dining!

This is reminding me of when Chez l'ami Louis was hot in the late '90s. We had to namedrop to get a reservation, but people warned us that the chicken was too overpriced for locals and that the place would be full of Americans. We did find an international crowd there (including some Italian models), but we were the only Americans.