Paris Restaurants We Enjoyed September 2007
Sep 29th, 2007, 01:37 PM
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Paris Restaurants We Enjoyed September 2007
Here’s a list of the restaurants we most enjoyed during our recent visit to Paris. On previous trips, we’ve dined at many of the fancy/pricey places. We opted for more relaxing and casual experiences this trip and, with the dismal exchange rate, decided to focus on more informal dining with moderate to low prices. I was amazed at the very good food we found for quite low prices.
We had planned to celebrate our anniversary at Les Ombres, but changed the reservation to our last evening in Paris, then cancelled it. We had such nice weather and enjoyed so much wonderful food and atmosphere everywhere that we just didn’t feel like bothering. Because of the views of the Tour Eiffel from our apartment and the dreadful green lights on the bottom of the Tour Eiffel and that balloon in the center, we surely didn’t need to dine there for the view (a huge draw for that place).
We favor “dressy casual”, but you can dine at any of the following places without worrying about your attire.
As usual, I had a very long list of possibilities for our limited opportunities. The only places I reserved ahead for dinner were Je, The...Me (essential) and La Ferrandaise (just to be sure). Otherwise, we generally had lunch near or on the way to our afternoon destination and dinner on the way home, or later on we’d select an appealing place and ride the buses there. We’d take all sorts of buses “home” to enjoy the scenery at night, stop for a nightcap...continue on.
Le Tournesol (2 Avenue de Lamballe, 75016) http://www.le-tournesol.fr/
(On Bus Route 72 which now runs Sundays, Holidays and evenings - but, we walked from the Hilton) Vintage decor, very friendly staff. Zinc bar. Very good food. Magret de canard sauce miel et framboise, puree maison and Brochette de poulet tandoori sauce yahourt et riz thai were both excellent. The evening weather was beautiful, so we enjoyed dinner on the lovely terrace, along with a cordial and coffee, before walking “home” past the Tour Eiffel.
Je Thé...Me (4 rue d’Alleray, 75015) http://www.bestrestaurantsparis.com/...je-the-me.html
(On Bus Route 80) This restaurant, along with Chef Jacky and (host, server, and everything else) Damien could not be more charming. Prix fixe only. €35/3 courses. Food was very, very good and beautifully presented. Fantastic filet au poivre. Reservations absolutely essential.
La Grille (80 Rue du Faubourg Poissonnière 75010)
(On Bus Route 42) We love this place for the house specialty Grilled Turbot with Beurre Blanc for two. One of our favorite meals anywhere. The gorgeous whole fish is presented, before being deboned, then served with a magnificent potato cake with onions and lardons and a bowl of luscious beurre blanc (along with some steamed potatoes for enjoying every last drop of that sauce). The dining room is like a step back in time (and recently given a good dusting and cleaning!). Mon-Fri noon-2:30pm and 7pm-10pm (or 9:30) Yves, the Chef/owner, brought us a complimentary sample of his special duck terrine with hazelnuts, telling us “It’s a lot of fish.”
Royal Vendome (26 rue Danielle Casanova 75002)
Just off Place Vendome, we enjoyed a magnificent lunch here (ahead of the Paris Charms & Secrets electric bicycle tour with meeting spot at Place Vendome). Beautiful room, wonderful food, low prices. Excellent coffee (Illy).
LaTour Maubourg
This is a corner cafe/restaurant opposite the metro station and a lovely small park. Terrific place (very friendly) to start the day, have lunch, dinner, cocktails on the way home. Low prices. Excellent daily “plats” (Blanquette de Veau, Choucroute, etc). Very best Tartare de Boeuf I’ve ever enjoyed in Paris with outstanding frites (ask for a side of their home made mayonnaise). Creme brulee and chocolate/banana crepe were also outstanding. Incredible food for the low prices. Very good coffee.
Le Rostand (Place Edmund Rostand)
Amazing food at reasonable prices. (We were headed for Bouillon Racine where the Art Nouveau decor is sensational, but the menu did not appeal.) Enjoyed a wonderful lunch.
Le Cottage Marcadet (151 Rue Marcadet 75018) www.cottagemarcadet.com
We loved this place! On a street you would never find yourself wandering when in Montmartre, the dining room is beautiful and formal. The very young Chef, Cyril Choisne, is masterful and takes great pride in his creations, which are splendidly presented, with great flourish! The food is incredible. We met Bob and Sandra (from Toronto) and Michelle and Allan (from Denver) here and enjoyed one magnificent lunch. This is an excellent place for a special occasion or romantic dinner. Prix fixe €24.50 (lunch), €32 (dinner). A la carte a bit of a splurge. Better go here soon before the word gets around. Dining room is small. Reservations recommended. Our waiter/host was very proud of his command of English and took great pleasure in explaining each offering in detail.
Pasco (74 boulevard de LaTour-Maubourg, 75007) http://www.restaurantpasco.com/plan.htm
We’ve walked by this place many, many times on previous trips. Lately, it’s been mentioned favorably in many trip reports. We met up with Betsy and Al (from California) for dinner, which was excellent in every way. Very, very good food. Beautiful and comfortable dining rooms.
Au Claire de la Lune (9 rue Poulbot, 75018)
This is another place we really enjoyed. Though just off Place du Tertre and a few doors away from Le Poulbot, you’d never find it if you weren’t looking for it (around the bend in the street). The intimate and romantic dining room is very comfortable with walls covered with magnificent Poulbot murals (no children). The Filet au Foie Gras with Truffles (€29) was outstanding. There’s a three course prix fixe menu (very appealing offerings) for €32.
Café du Metro (Place Maubert Mutualite)
Lovely terrace with a beautiful fountain nearby and the market across the boulevard. I mention this place for the spectacular composed salads and best Croque Monsieur (I think) in Paris. Wonderful spot to relax and enjoy the passing parade.
Bistro les Petits Carreaux (17 rue des Petits Carreaux, 75001)
Just north of rue Montorgueil, where the name of the street changes. A “traditional” place, with vintage facade, has the friendliest and most efficient service! Low prices, appealing offerings, excellent food. I ordered Foie Gras Maison (awesome) with a tomato and lettuce salad (which had a dressing I wish I could duplicate), while Peter ordered Brochette de Boeuf (tender, flavorful, perfectly grilled beef tips) which was served with an incredible peppery Roquefort sauce. Portions were huge. About half way through, we swapped plates. (We had actually planned on dinner at Aux Trois Petits Cochons - but, the tables were so closely set, the menu was not all that appealing, and if it’s nice enough to dine outdoors the decor doesn’t matter.)
Brasserie de l’Isle Saint-Louis
Despite our many trips to Paris, we’d never dined here (though rested on the beautiful terrace with coffee many times). It was Bob and Kate’s (from Austin, TX) first trip to Paris and at the top of their list. On a chilly, rainy, evening, huge platters of choucroute and big bowls of cassoulet, along with tall glasses of Heineken draft, just could not have been more perfect! After a stroll around Isle Saint-Louis and past Notre Dame, we all headed to the piano bar at Les Trois Maillets. A fantastic evening in Paris!
Chez Geraud (31 rue Vital, 75016)
Sensational! Geraud is quite entertaining and his food is spectacular. Simple, freshest of the fresh, ingredients, expertly prepared and presented - just amazing. Our cod with vegetables and chicken with truffles were outstanding. “You have to try my Paris-Brest”. (Yes, you do - not to be missed!) Prix fixe €30 (we ordered a la carte).
Le Square Trousseau (1 Rue Antoine Vollon, 75012)
Vintage decor (large windows, columns, crown moldings, etched glass panels, lace curtains, beautiful ceiling fixtures), daily blackboard menu (1 course €11; 2 courses €21; 3 courses €25 - at lunch). Very, very good food. Wonderful cream of pumpkin soup with bits of foie gras and perfect baguette. Then, a smoked salmon and herbed goat cheese “croque monsieur” for me (awesome) and Rumsteak Forestiere (with haricots verts, roasted potatoes) for Peter.
We had planned on lunch here on a previous trip, but it was closed for a film shoot. Imagine my surprise when I recognized the place and the woman in the red raincoat immediately when we went to see “Paris, Je T’Aime” at the movies!
L’Epoque (81 rue du Cardinal Lemoine, 75005) http://lepoque-ben.com/
This adorable, vintage, bistro is just off Place de la Contrascarpe, and close to rue Mouffetard and the Place Monge market. This was our first visit to this area of Paris. There’s a Haagen-Dazs and several cafes (one with Chocolat Chaud Valhrona) on the Place - a nice place to relax with the beautiful fountain.
L’Epoque has a variety of prix fixe menus with very low prices (though I forgot to write them down, as we ordered a la carte). The Chausson de Filet de Boeuf au Fois Gras (€24) was utterly amazing. Perfectly seared and cooked medium rare filet with foie gras wrapped in outstanding pastry with a rich, intensely flavored, sauce, accompanied by a plate with a stuffed tomato and assortment of wonderful vegetables.
Le Poulbot (3 rue Poulbot, 75018) http://www.lepoulbot.fr/index2.html
Just off Place du Tertre, this restaurant has one of the prettiest facades anywhere on the planet. The menu is astonishingly extensive for such a small venue and tiny kitchen. The two dining rooms are intimate and romantic. The piano music was so “real” you would swear there was a piano and pianist in the next room. (At first, we thought we were hearing the live piano player next door.) The walls are covered with art (many originals by Poulbot). To presume this a “touristy” place due to the location or the prices (3 course menus €15.50, €26, €39 and a la carte) would be a huge mistake. The food was fantastic. Peter had to try their onion soup and I started with the house foie gras with chutney. Our main courses were Scallops Provencal for Peter and Bresse Chicken with Morilles for me. For dessert, we shared a plate of Profiteroles (good thing as it was huge). Wonderful food, perfectly prepared and nicely presented.
La Ferrandaise (8 Rue de Vaugirard 75006) www.laferrandaise.com
Near Place Edmund Rostand and Jardin du Luxembourg
One gloriously beautiful day, the flowers especially plentiful and beautiful all over Paris, we decided to head for Jardin du Luxembourg. First, we stopped by La Ferrandaise (named for a breed of cattle) for lunch. The photos of cows on the walls, in an otherwise very pleasant and comfortable dining room, were a bit disconcerting, but the blackboard menu could not have been more appealing. I wondered how such appealing offerings could possibly have such low prices. (The pictures on the wall are available for €50!) Peter ordered roast duckling and I ordered foie de veau with hazelnut crust and pommes puree. (We watched through the kitchen doorway as a very young woman prepared our food.) Both were unbelievably delicious! The French Food of your Dreams. For the first time ever, we ordered the cheese course (€5), which was excellent. Then, we shared a trio of pots de creme (espresso, caramel, pistachio). We enjoyed the food so much, we made a reservation to come back for dinner our last night in Paris. The €40 menu degustation “marche du moment” concocte par le chef is positively a gift. When we returned for dinner, there was a completely different staff. This time, we were seated in the “cellar” with stone walls and arches - too atmospheric and very romantic! Franck, the host, is positively delightful. And, Francois, the Chef, is gorgeous and charming! The food was absolutely amazing. One incredible dish after another. (I was too enthralled with enjoying our repast to take notes.) Dessert was a chocolate and hazelnut fondant that was beyond description.
We had planned to celebrate our anniversary at Les Ombres, but changed the reservation to our last evening in Paris, then cancelled it. We had such nice weather and enjoyed so much wonderful food and atmosphere everywhere that we just didn’t feel like bothering. Because of the views of the Tour Eiffel from our apartment and the dreadful green lights on the bottom of the Tour Eiffel and that balloon in the center, we surely didn’t need to dine there for the view (a huge draw for that place).
We favor “dressy casual”, but you can dine at any of the following places without worrying about your attire.
As usual, I had a very long list of possibilities for our limited opportunities. The only places I reserved ahead for dinner were Je, The...Me (essential) and La Ferrandaise (just to be sure). Otherwise, we generally had lunch near or on the way to our afternoon destination and dinner on the way home, or later on we’d select an appealing place and ride the buses there. We’d take all sorts of buses “home” to enjoy the scenery at night, stop for a nightcap...continue on.
Le Tournesol (2 Avenue de Lamballe, 75016) http://www.le-tournesol.fr/
(On Bus Route 72 which now runs Sundays, Holidays and evenings - but, we walked from the Hilton) Vintage decor, very friendly staff. Zinc bar. Very good food. Magret de canard sauce miel et framboise, puree maison and Brochette de poulet tandoori sauce yahourt et riz thai were both excellent. The evening weather was beautiful, so we enjoyed dinner on the lovely terrace, along with a cordial and coffee, before walking “home” past the Tour Eiffel.
Je Thé...Me (4 rue d’Alleray, 75015) http://www.bestrestaurantsparis.com/...je-the-me.html
(On Bus Route 80) This restaurant, along with Chef Jacky and (host, server, and everything else) Damien could not be more charming. Prix fixe only. €35/3 courses. Food was very, very good and beautifully presented. Fantastic filet au poivre. Reservations absolutely essential.
La Grille (80 Rue du Faubourg Poissonnière 75010)
(On Bus Route 42) We love this place for the house specialty Grilled Turbot with Beurre Blanc for two. One of our favorite meals anywhere. The gorgeous whole fish is presented, before being deboned, then served with a magnificent potato cake with onions and lardons and a bowl of luscious beurre blanc (along with some steamed potatoes for enjoying every last drop of that sauce). The dining room is like a step back in time (and recently given a good dusting and cleaning!). Mon-Fri noon-2:30pm and 7pm-10pm (or 9:30) Yves, the Chef/owner, brought us a complimentary sample of his special duck terrine with hazelnuts, telling us “It’s a lot of fish.”
Royal Vendome (26 rue Danielle Casanova 75002)
Just off Place Vendome, we enjoyed a magnificent lunch here (ahead of the Paris Charms & Secrets electric bicycle tour with meeting spot at Place Vendome). Beautiful room, wonderful food, low prices. Excellent coffee (Illy).
LaTour Maubourg
This is a corner cafe/restaurant opposite the metro station and a lovely small park. Terrific place (very friendly) to start the day, have lunch, dinner, cocktails on the way home. Low prices. Excellent daily “plats” (Blanquette de Veau, Choucroute, etc). Very best Tartare de Boeuf I’ve ever enjoyed in Paris with outstanding frites (ask for a side of their home made mayonnaise). Creme brulee and chocolate/banana crepe were also outstanding. Incredible food for the low prices. Very good coffee.
Le Rostand (Place Edmund Rostand)
Amazing food at reasonable prices. (We were headed for Bouillon Racine where the Art Nouveau decor is sensational, but the menu did not appeal.) Enjoyed a wonderful lunch.
Le Cottage Marcadet (151 Rue Marcadet 75018) www.cottagemarcadet.com
We loved this place! On a street you would never find yourself wandering when in Montmartre, the dining room is beautiful and formal. The very young Chef, Cyril Choisne, is masterful and takes great pride in his creations, which are splendidly presented, with great flourish! The food is incredible. We met Bob and Sandra (from Toronto) and Michelle and Allan (from Denver) here and enjoyed one magnificent lunch. This is an excellent place for a special occasion or romantic dinner. Prix fixe €24.50 (lunch), €32 (dinner). A la carte a bit of a splurge. Better go here soon before the word gets around. Dining room is small. Reservations recommended. Our waiter/host was very proud of his command of English and took great pleasure in explaining each offering in detail.
Pasco (74 boulevard de LaTour-Maubourg, 75007) http://www.restaurantpasco.com/plan.htm
We’ve walked by this place many, many times on previous trips. Lately, it’s been mentioned favorably in many trip reports. We met up with Betsy and Al (from California) for dinner, which was excellent in every way. Very, very good food. Beautiful and comfortable dining rooms.
Au Claire de la Lune (9 rue Poulbot, 75018)
This is another place we really enjoyed. Though just off Place du Tertre and a few doors away from Le Poulbot, you’d never find it if you weren’t looking for it (around the bend in the street). The intimate and romantic dining room is very comfortable with walls covered with magnificent Poulbot murals (no children). The Filet au Foie Gras with Truffles (€29) was outstanding. There’s a three course prix fixe menu (very appealing offerings) for €32.
Café du Metro (Place Maubert Mutualite)
Lovely terrace with a beautiful fountain nearby and the market across the boulevard. I mention this place for the spectacular composed salads and best Croque Monsieur (I think) in Paris. Wonderful spot to relax and enjoy the passing parade.
Bistro les Petits Carreaux (17 rue des Petits Carreaux, 75001)
Just north of rue Montorgueil, where the name of the street changes. A “traditional” place, with vintage facade, has the friendliest and most efficient service! Low prices, appealing offerings, excellent food. I ordered Foie Gras Maison (awesome) with a tomato and lettuce salad (which had a dressing I wish I could duplicate), while Peter ordered Brochette de Boeuf (tender, flavorful, perfectly grilled beef tips) which was served with an incredible peppery Roquefort sauce. Portions were huge. About half way through, we swapped plates. (We had actually planned on dinner at Aux Trois Petits Cochons - but, the tables were so closely set, the menu was not all that appealing, and if it’s nice enough to dine outdoors the decor doesn’t matter.)
Brasserie de l’Isle Saint-Louis
Despite our many trips to Paris, we’d never dined here (though rested on the beautiful terrace with coffee many times). It was Bob and Kate’s (from Austin, TX) first trip to Paris and at the top of their list. On a chilly, rainy, evening, huge platters of choucroute and big bowls of cassoulet, along with tall glasses of Heineken draft, just could not have been more perfect! After a stroll around Isle Saint-Louis and past Notre Dame, we all headed to the piano bar at Les Trois Maillets. A fantastic evening in Paris!
Chez Geraud (31 rue Vital, 75016)
Sensational! Geraud is quite entertaining and his food is spectacular. Simple, freshest of the fresh, ingredients, expertly prepared and presented - just amazing. Our cod with vegetables and chicken with truffles were outstanding. “You have to try my Paris-Brest”. (Yes, you do - not to be missed!) Prix fixe €30 (we ordered a la carte).
Le Square Trousseau (1 Rue Antoine Vollon, 75012)
Vintage decor (large windows, columns, crown moldings, etched glass panels, lace curtains, beautiful ceiling fixtures), daily blackboard menu (1 course €11; 2 courses €21; 3 courses €25 - at lunch). Very, very good food. Wonderful cream of pumpkin soup with bits of foie gras and perfect baguette. Then, a smoked salmon and herbed goat cheese “croque monsieur” for me (awesome) and Rumsteak Forestiere (with haricots verts, roasted potatoes) for Peter.
We had planned on lunch here on a previous trip, but it was closed for a film shoot. Imagine my surprise when I recognized the place and the woman in the red raincoat immediately when we went to see “Paris, Je T’Aime” at the movies!
L’Epoque (81 rue du Cardinal Lemoine, 75005) http://lepoque-ben.com/
This adorable, vintage, bistro is just off Place de la Contrascarpe, and close to rue Mouffetard and the Place Monge market. This was our first visit to this area of Paris. There’s a Haagen-Dazs and several cafes (one with Chocolat Chaud Valhrona) on the Place - a nice place to relax with the beautiful fountain.
L’Epoque has a variety of prix fixe menus with very low prices (though I forgot to write them down, as we ordered a la carte). The Chausson de Filet de Boeuf au Fois Gras (€24) was utterly amazing. Perfectly seared and cooked medium rare filet with foie gras wrapped in outstanding pastry with a rich, intensely flavored, sauce, accompanied by a plate with a stuffed tomato and assortment of wonderful vegetables.
Le Poulbot (3 rue Poulbot, 75018) http://www.lepoulbot.fr/index2.html
Just off Place du Tertre, this restaurant has one of the prettiest facades anywhere on the planet. The menu is astonishingly extensive for such a small venue and tiny kitchen. The two dining rooms are intimate and romantic. The piano music was so “real” you would swear there was a piano and pianist in the next room. (At first, we thought we were hearing the live piano player next door.) The walls are covered with art (many originals by Poulbot). To presume this a “touristy” place due to the location or the prices (3 course menus €15.50, €26, €39 and a la carte) would be a huge mistake. The food was fantastic. Peter had to try their onion soup and I started with the house foie gras with chutney. Our main courses were Scallops Provencal for Peter and Bresse Chicken with Morilles for me. For dessert, we shared a plate of Profiteroles (good thing as it was huge). Wonderful food, perfectly prepared and nicely presented.
La Ferrandaise (8 Rue de Vaugirard 75006) www.laferrandaise.com
Near Place Edmund Rostand and Jardin du Luxembourg
One gloriously beautiful day, the flowers especially plentiful and beautiful all over Paris, we decided to head for Jardin du Luxembourg. First, we stopped by La Ferrandaise (named for a breed of cattle) for lunch. The photos of cows on the walls, in an otherwise very pleasant and comfortable dining room, were a bit disconcerting, but the blackboard menu could not have been more appealing. I wondered how such appealing offerings could possibly have such low prices. (The pictures on the wall are available for €50!) Peter ordered roast duckling and I ordered foie de veau with hazelnut crust and pommes puree. (We watched through the kitchen doorway as a very young woman prepared our food.) Both were unbelievably delicious! The French Food of your Dreams. For the first time ever, we ordered the cheese course (€5), which was excellent. Then, we shared a trio of pots de creme (espresso, caramel, pistachio). We enjoyed the food so much, we made a reservation to come back for dinner our last night in Paris. The €40 menu degustation “marche du moment” concocte par le chef is positively a gift. When we returned for dinner, there was a completely different staff. This time, we were seated in the “cellar” with stone walls and arches - too atmospheric and very romantic! Franck, the host, is positively delightful. And, Francois, the Chef, is gorgeous and charming! The food was absolutely amazing. One incredible dish after another. (I was too enthralled with enjoying our repast to take notes.) Dessert was a chocolate and hazelnut fondant that was beyond description.
Sep 29th, 2007, 03:52 PM
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Very nice report! Many that I have never heard of.
I also had on my Brasserie de L'I.St.L., and tried it last trip. Good food and a nice outdoor location.
Those menus outdo what I'm having for dinner tonite!
I also had on my Brasserie de L'I.St.L., and tried it last trip. Good food and a nice outdoor location.
Those menus outdo what I'm having for dinner tonite!
Sep 29th, 2007, 10:48 PM
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djk - sounds like you made some lovely restaurant discoveries.
" We opted for more relaxing and casual experiences this trip" - isn't that a fun way to do it. I think that will be our method from now on.
We had such a lovely lunch at Cottage Marcadet. I hope we can repeat the experience. Cheers to Peter.
" We opted for more relaxing and casual experiences this trip" - isn't that a fun way to do it. I think that will be our method from now on.
We had such a lovely lunch at Cottage Marcadet. I hope we can repeat the experience. Cheers to Peter.
Sep 30th, 2007, 02:55 AM
#14
I hope that some of the people reading this excellent report noted that a number of the places were discovered at random. Rather than writing down religiously a list of supposedly safe bets which only add to the stress of each meal (Will we find it? Will it be open? Is it really as good as so-and-so said it was?), people should learn to relax about the food situation and improvise a bit more. Yes, it is possible to stumble across bad food in Paris. But it is much more common to find good food in most places, for every budget.
Sep 30th, 2007, 03:21 AM
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Further to what kerouac said, it also lets you choose a resto that you feel like for that particular night. There is nothing worse than having a reservation at a great restaurant when you don't feel like that kind of meal.
Sep 30th, 2007, 09:28 AM
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<<I hope that some of the people reading this excellent report noted that a number of the places were discovered at random.>>
That presumption is incorrect.
I have collected potential restaurants over the years from all sorts of resources - the web, travel forums, blogs, tour and restaurant guides. My latest favorite is the new Pudlo Paris.
I use Microsoft Autoroute to print neighborhood maps with restaurants annotated as to days open, times, etc.
Normally, I make a lot of reservations before leaving home, or a day or two ahead once in Paris. But, this trip, the restaurants all over seemed far less busy than usual. Except for Je, The...Me, I don't recall a single restaurant we visited being full or turning people away. Very unusual.
That presumption is incorrect.
I have collected potential restaurants over the years from all sorts of resources - the web, travel forums, blogs, tour and restaurant guides. My latest favorite is the new Pudlo Paris.
I use Microsoft Autoroute to print neighborhood maps with restaurants annotated as to days open, times, etc.
Normally, I make a lot of reservations before leaving home, or a day or two ahead once in Paris. But, this trip, the restaurants all over seemed far less busy than usual. Except for Je, The...Me, I don't recall a single restaurant we visited being full or turning people away. Very unusual.
