Le Ciel de Paris is a lovely and formal restaurant, and it can be excellent for a special occasion. However, at the risk of catching some flak, I'm going to offer a caution: if your friend and her beau aren't familiar and comfortable with a formal restaurant, one or both of them might find themselves a bit intimidated by the surroundings and the customs, putting a damper on the whole romantic angle. If this is the case, a smaller and charming restaurant might be a much better choice. You know them best, so you'll have to decide.

If you do want to go the small-and-charming route, there are a bunch of such places just south of Montparnasse, especially along the rue du Cherche-Midi in the area near rue St Placide. Do I remember their names? Of course not.

On the other hand, if you do want to go with the fancy-and-formal route, Le Grand Vefour would be a great choice. It's not in Montparnasse (a 10-minute taxi ride away), but it's a great example of an old, brilliantly maintained dining room with fantastic ambience. The food is very very good (though it doesn't usually compete with the top 5 chefs that the foodies will talk about), but it would be a memorable place.

Just to help orient, rue Cherche Midi is north of Montparnasse, in the 6th...

..rue du Cherche Midi, that is...

Thanks for the swift responses. As for flak about Le Ciel - well, I understand perfectly what you are saying. If you are feeling daunted by your surroundings it is hard to concentrate on your partner. I felt this restaurant would have a certain 'wow' factor in terms of location, but maybe lacks the intimacy I am sure they would like.
Thanks for taking the time to reply.
M

Thanks, travelnut -- you are of course correct that Cherche-Midi is north of Montparnasse.

La Coupole, while lively and atmospheric, is certainly not intimate.

I haven't tried this restaurant, but it looks cozy and has reasonable menu prices - maybe someone else can comment personally on the atmosphere...

NATACHA
17 bis, rue Campagne Première 75014 Paris
Tél : 01 43 20 79 27 - Fax : 01 43 22 93 97
Email : restaurantnatacha@wanadoo.fr
Metro Raspail
http://www.reservethebest.com/_en_/restaurant.php?Id=346
Reviewed in Zagat guide

Le Cameléon would also be nice. It's onthe Rue de Chevreuse.

Closerie des Lilas would be a great choice...It's at 171 bd. du Montparnasse, tables in the garden and inside. Pricey, but historical and romantic. Close to the Luxembourg Gardens for a stroll before dinner.

Travelnut, I liked Natasha very much; it's a small restaurant with good food, pretty enough but not "romantic".

Morgana, La Coupole is busy, bustling, not a place to "gaze".

I stay in that area a lot, and think several of these suggestions are pretty good. I'd go with the Ciel de Paris myself for a special event. Of course, one can go almost anywhere in a short time in Paris, so there's no reason it has to be near their hotel. Although I agree it can be convenient to dine near where you stay (but see no advantage to going to Grand Vefour, for example, as it's not nearby unless one just wants to dine in one of the most wellknown restaurants in Paris).

La Coupole is just a very busy, large, medium-priced brasserie and not remotely fascinating (except to watch the waiters run around serving all the T-shirted tourists) or romantic. They have a disco in there, also, which is unusual for a brasserie (but not what one usually requires for a special dinner).

I like the idea of Closerie des Lilas, also, or Le Cameleon if one doesn't want the Ciel experience. I also think Le Dome is a very nice restaurant with a lot of atmosphere (the main one on bd Montparnasse at bd Raspail) and much much better than Coupole for a special meal. It is very serene and elegant for a cafe/brasserie, although probably best if you really want seafood.

L'O a la Bouche on bd Montparnasse is also a good mid-range bistro in that area, but I wouldn't call it a special event kind of thing.

I scratched 'le Cameleon' because one website said it was closed on Saturdays (is that likely for any restaurant, though..??)

Travelnut,
I think that web-sight is wrong, I don't believe Le Cameleon is closed on Saturdays (although I think they ARE closed in August). I suggest you simply call them at this number: 01 43 20 63 43

Morgana,
I recommend Le Cameleon for your friend's surprise birthday dinner. They do not (and likely never will) have a website. I believe they open at 8:30 pm for dinner in case your friends are "early birds". See phone number above.

Morgana,

I just recognized the "La Closerie des Lilas" name from a complimentary ashtray out on my front porch. This is secondhand scoop on La Closerie des Lilas from my wife (who was taken there on a business dinner last year): Drop dead gorgeous dining
area, top-notch service, excellent cooking and very expensive. No jacket&tie would raise eyebrows.

Her opinion, (which I trust in matters of food/wine) is that Le Cameleon has equal or better food at about half the price of La Closerie des Lilas but has a more casual atmosphere and is a much smaller space.

Travelnut, we had dinner twice at Natacha this spring and enjoyed it very much both times. You asked about the atmosphere. Here are notes from my travel journal: "We particularly liked the atmosphere at Natacha. The room is square with high ceilings, warm colors and contemporary in art and feel. There are banquettes with generously spaced two-tops, as well as some tables; a large, attractive dried arrangement sat on a table in the center of the room."

I'm not sure I'd consider it a romantic spot, however - even though two people newly engaged may well find romance in most places. The clientele gave the place a different feel the two evenings we had dinner there. Coincidentally, both were Thursdays. (We were in Paris for a month.) The first time we ate at Natacha, there were only small parties of 2, 3, and 4, and conversations were at a low level throughout. The second time, there were two very large business parties, one in the main room and another downstairs. The decibel level and the amount of foot traffic were a bit distracting. I would say that the large parties had no affect on our level of service, nor of course, the quality of the food - both of which were excellent.