yestravel

We just returned from 19 days in Paris. There were a couple of places we went to that we don’t hear mentioned a lot on these boards so I thought I would identify them. Also since restaurant posts are always a popular, I thought I’d share some of our favorites from this trip.

<b>SITES</b>
Zadkine Museum http://www.zadkine.paris.fr/en and Bourdelle Museum http://www.bourdelle.paris.fr
Both of these are workshops and museums. Both are free as they are part of the Paris city museums. We knew little about either artist so it was quite interesting to learn about each of them. Their styles were rather different. The workshops are interesting to visit and the grounds lovely. I imagine in the Springtime they would be especially nice or as a respite on a hot summer day.

La Defense -- We finally took advantage of Paris Greeters. For one of the questions on the form, we mentioned we liked architecture. We were taken to La Defense which is abusiness district for Paris. The modern architecture is spectacular and well worth a visit with or without a guide. The starkness of the buildings is such a lovely contrast to the old Paris architecture. Our guide was doing her first tour and had lived there for 30 years so had been a part of its development and change over the years. As an interesting aside a French TV station filmed our tour. They were doing a series on recent retirees and featuring our guide. It’s very easy to get to La Defense via metro, just out the 1 line to the end. http://www.aviewoncities.com/paris/defense.htm

Nikki

Glad you had a good trip. Looking forward to reading more of your suggestions and impressions.

Kristina

Also looking forward to more. I'll be there for a week in March and I'm always looking for something new to do (or eat).

yestravel

I accidentally submitted the OP when I meant to preview it. I wanted to add another tour that people might be interested in checking out, a street art tour. We are fans, but not experts, of street art and have done a tour or 2 in other cities. We were excited to see what Paris might have to offer and learn more about street art. We picked the tour, Street Art Belleville, http://streetartparis.fr/street-art-tours-paris/ we did based on some recommendations, but didn’t love it. There were three main problems for us with this tour. First there were way too many people on the tour, perhaps 30. Second, the guide, while clearly knowledgeable, had a tendency to talk to the tour participants like we were primary school kids that was very annoying. Third, this tour was incredibly basic and if you know much about street art, you may find the first half hour of the tour a bit boring---we sure did.

Now on to food – one of my favorite topics in Paris. We go to Paris fairly often so I keep a running list of restaurants I read about here, in magazines or newspapers and recommendations by friends. We enjoy everything from the expensive to the cheap eats. All meals unless noted included a bottle of wine. We made 2 reservations in advance both online. One was for our first Sunday & we managed a reservation at Frenchie’s for our first Friday. I figured with being there 19 days we would be able to pick up reservations as we went along. As it turned out because we arrived within a week of the tragic attacks, tourism was down and reservations were easy to come by.

I have arbitrarily given each restaurant a cost rating to give you an idea of what we paid. Very expensive (VE) for those costing over €200, Expensive (E) €125 -€200 and Moderate (M) €75 - €125. It should be noted that wine selections can easily move the cost from one category to another. We tend to stick with lower priced wine and every meal had delicious wine.

<b>RESTAURANTS</b>

<b>Le Comptoir</b> (E) http://www.hotel-paris-relais-saint-....com/flash/us/ We always have great lunches at this restaurant, but have never been able to get a dinner reservation. They give priority to hotel guests. This trip after our first lunch there we walked into the hotel and the snotty woman said she could give us outside the next evening. Weather to this point had been rainy and I wasn’t interested in sitting outside, so turned that down. The woman got annoyed when I asked her any other opening? She reluctantly gave me another evening inside. I must say had I not eaten at this restaurant for lunch so often where I always found the staff rushed, but very nice, I might not have even wanted to eat there given the woman’s attitude.
Dinner at LeComptoir was excellent. It was also funny to see the room arranged with more space between table and white tablecloths. Dinner is a fixed menu (€60 per person) with 2 selections for each course. Enjoyed every course and every bite.

We also had 2 lunches there (M). Both were very good and we walked right in without any wait that was also a first.

<b>Verjus</b> (E) http://verjusparis.com Verjus has been on my list to go to for several trips, but we never seemed to make it. Sorry we have missed it, as our meal may have been the best we ate. Service was warm, helpful and pretty perfect. This features another tasting menu of 6 courses (€68) and we passed on the wine pairings at an additional €55 pp. We were introduced to a new cheese that we both loved, ossau-iraty served with a cherry preserve-superb! You can book Verjus online.

<b>Frenchie</b> (VE) http://www.frenchie-restaurant.com/home-restaurant-fr We were introduced to Frenchie before it became quite as popular as it is. It’s become a standard for us and we have somehow managed to get reservations that can be booked online. You can select either ala carte or price fixed dinner which is what we chose. The food was fresh and inventive and I thought it was very good, but not quite what it had been in the past. It was our 2nd night in Paris and our first sit down meal so maybe I had higher expectations, not sure. Service was very good and we chatted a lot with the servers about the recent attack. I would say if you’re one to spend freely on your meals, and can get a reservation, give it a try, but it’s not worth the aggravation that getting a reservation can cause.

Time for a break – I’m getting hungry recalling all these great meals!

annhig

mmm - it's making me hungry too and i've just eaten dinner.

Thanks for the grading of the price of the restaurants - nicely done - and the details about making reservations as well as the food.

and going to La Defense is not something we've ever done -perhaps on our next visit?

yestravel

Thanks for following. Continuing on with 2 more restaurants.


Note -- I have arbitrarily given each restaurant a cost rating to give you an idea of what we paid. Very expensive (VE) for those costing over €200, Expensive (E) over €125 -€200 and Moderate (M) €75 - €125. It should be noted that wine selections can easily move the cost form one category to another. We tend to stick with lower priced wine and every meal had delicious wine.

<b>L’Ange 20 </b>(M) http://www.lange20.com/en/ We ate here twice - once on our first Sunday in Paris when we booked from home online and then 2 weeks later. Both times we became friends with our neighboring table – tables are close, very close. This type of arrangement where the tables against the wall are so close that one has to slide out the table in order for the person sitting against the wall to get out. The noise level is earsplitting. The menu allows you to order one of three options, starter, main or main and dessert. Second is starter main and dessert. Third option is main only. Service was rushed but friendly. Friendly enough that on the 2nd visit the server recalled us from our first time there and knew where we had sat. Obviously we thought the food good or we wouldn’t have gone twice, but I didn’t think it was as good as I was led to believe by the recommendations. We went back the 2nd time because it was good, reasonably priced & relatively close to where we stayed. In the future if we stayed nearby I might go back, but I would not walk 30 minutes to get to it or metro there.

<b>Pirouette </b> (E) barely made it into the E category. http://www.oenolis.com/mods/pirouette-en-2/ We also ate here twice including our last night. I really liked this newish (started in 2012) restaurant. The space is airy and modern and the servers fly around esp up the winding staircase to the loft style seating. Both times we ate here the food was delicious. You can choose a tasting menu or a choice from starter, main & dessert that is what we had. I would definitely plan on another meal here on our next Paris visit.

Cathinjoetown

I've eaten a few times at Le Comptoir, used to stay at the Relais when my company was paying. Great food. Sounds as if the hotel staff hasn't changed!

Thanks for the other recs.

kerouac

Your meal prices -- you are talking about the cost for two?

yestravel

Cathinjoetown -- some things never change!

keroouac - yes, the prices are for 2 people. Sorry, I should have included that.

yestravel

Continuing along with our food marathon

Two other restaurants we always enjoy and have been many times to each.
<b>L’Epigramme</b> (E barely & we also had after dinner drinks) http://www.parisselectbook.com/en/lepigramme/ We booked this on the Fork which is a great way to book restaurants online in Paris or from home. Quite a few years ago we came across this restaurant in the 6th and have always enjoyed our meals there including this trip. It’s a very comfortable restaurant with more spacing between the tables then many. It appears to be owned/run by a husband wife team who are very friendly and efficient. I’m sure we’ll go again whenever our next visit to Paris.

<b>Café Constant</b> (€50 for lunch) http://www.maisonconstant.com/cafe-constant/en/ Some days we skip dinner and have a nice lunch. We do enjoy Café Constant and its bistro style cooking. It’s always bustling with good, but hurried service, but the food doesn’t disappoint. It’s especially convenient since its open 7 days a week. I believe generally there is a line as it doesn’t take reservations, but as was the case everywhere this trip, no line. Walked right in, but was seated on the entry floor and I prefer the upstairs. We were nearby so it worked perfect for lunch that day, but not sure I would go out of my way to eat there anymore.

Nikki

Too bad about Cafe Constant, I have been there two times for lunch and once for dinner and really loved the food. And I preferred sitting on the ground floor.

LouisaH

yestravel, what a wonderful and enjoyable report! Thank you for sharing.

aliced

Noted your comment about Greeters; we were in France in September and months before sent in the online form to schedule a tour; never heard a word back from the site. How and when did you contact this group? Thanks. Also, we were not lucky to get a reservation at Comptoir de Relais nor at Les Papilles, but we only had four nights. Not to worry, we ate all too well, throughout France, per usual.

progol

I'm enjoying your report, yestravel - it's reminding me how much I love Paris.

Thanks for the mention of the Zadkine Museum -- it's one of the smaller, intimate museums that we enjoy so much and I'll add it to the places to see when we, eventually, return.

And of course, reading about the restaurants has me very hungry indeed!

gomiki

yestravel, great info. Thank you!

We took a street art tour from http://www.paris-walks.com/ in October and it was wonderful. It lasted a bit over three hours and our guide was excellent. We had about a dozen people on the tour so it was easy to hear everything. It started on Rue de Telegraph, in Belleville, the highest point in Paris. We did two others with them and they were very good.

yestravel

gomiki -- thanks! We have done tours with Paris Walks and always enjoyed them. Good to know they did a nice street art tour. We started in Belleville and did go to Rue de Telegraph. I have never been on a tour with that many people. Several people came up without advance reservations and the guide welcomed them. We did provide feedback that there was way too many people.

Nikki - not sure why we weren’t awed by Café Constant. I didn’t mean to imply it was not good, it was. Perhaps what we ordered didn’t strike our fancy that day.

Louisa & Progol – glad you are enjoying the mini TR . Doesn’t take much to get me wanting to go back to Paris.

aliced - I sent an email several months in advance to Paris Greeters asking for the amount of time in advance to reserve a tour. They responded about 1 month. I filled out the form and emailed it to them about a month out. I did hear back immediately from the PG organization and than a week or so later the tour person. Probably would have been a good idea to check again if you don’t hear back after your original email. Restaurant reservations were easy to come by due to the drop in tourism. I recently read that tourism in Paris had dropped 80% after the attacks.

Again a reminder on the arbritary price categories –
Note -- Very expensive (VE) for those costing over €200, Expensive (E) over €125 -€200 and Moderate (M) €75 - €125. It should be noted that wine selections can easily move the cost form one category to another. We tend to stick with lower priced wine and every meal had delicious wine.

<b>La Bourse ou La Vie Bistro </b> (M) http://www.labourselavie.com This is Daniel Rose of Spring fame, second restaurant which opened fairly recently and can be booked online from their website. I liked the space a lot. It was newly renovated to look like an old time Paris bistro. The food was a mixed bag for us. I suggested my husband try to pot au feu de veau, which neither of us has ever had. He was not wild about his dish, but since neither of us has ever had it before we certainly can’t attribute that to the preparation. I had duck that melted in my mouth. For a starter I had the 3 (only 3) oysters gratinees that were delicious. I would definitely give this restaurant another try and see if we both can be pleased with our meals.

<b>Reed </b> (M) http://www.reedrestaurant.com/Reed/Welcome.html This is another restaurant we have frequented before – twice on our last trip to Paris. You can email to make a reservation. Part of what makes dining here so nice is Catherine, the owner, chef, server and whatever else needs to be done. Catherine is just a delight to chat with and watch as she prepares and cooks your meal. You have the feeling you are eating at a friend’s. Food is excellent and ambiance superb.

annhig

I suggested my husband try to pot au feu de veau, which neither of us has ever had. He was not wild about his dish, but since neither of us has ever had it before we certainly can’t attribute that to the preparation.>>

I like to use my DH as my taster too - sometimes he rebels though and makes me be the guinea pig.

yestravel

My husband tends to always want to try the traditional dishes -- so what better than pot au feu??

yestravel

<b>Philip Escoffier</b> (E) http://www.philippe-excoffier.fr I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention our Thanksgiving dinner at Philip Escoffier. It was fun to have a Parisian thanksgiving. The restaurant was decorated for the occasion. Our table had French and American flags as centerpieces since we were dining with French friends. What struck me was not so much the taste of the food, but the plating of it – exquisite as many meals are in Paris. And just as in many restaurants in Paris portion size was a fraction of what an American thanksgiving dinner looks like. I picture an American thanksgiving plate filled from rim to rim and often covered with gravy. Here the dishes were artfully arranged with a swirl of sweet potatoes & a dab of mashed potatoes. Dessert was a delicious bar about one I inch by 3 inches. I would like to give this restaurant a try for a regular meal if I was in the area.

We didn’t really discover any fabulous casual, inexpensive places like we do on many trips. We had lots of great meals and consistently good food – Paris never disappoints.

Dee_Dee

I am thoroughly enjoying your restaurant reviews. Thank you!