epinard

Paris has some of the best food in the world, but, alas, I shall never taste it. When I was there last, I did well at brasseries and Italian restaurants, but I didn't venture into any "nice" restaurants for fear I could only order cheese plates and ice cream. Any ideas for a vegetarian in Paris? (pls. do not respond if your idea is to try some of the nice meat dishes)

Gretchen

There are vegetarian restaurants in Paris. I think you can find them at the main Paris website--something like the Paris vistors and covention site--google for it.<BR>If you eat ice cream and cheese then you are not vegan. The salads that the French serve are SO good--mesculin with chevre chaud, or a poached egg.<BR>They serve veggies in Paris. Their ways with eggplant are excellent. Go for it

Bet

Unless you are vegan, I can't imagine having a problem in the majority of French restaurants. I don't eat much meat (some chicken and fish), but hardly think twice about it when visiting Paris.

Christina

Brasseries are often Alsatian or Belgian-based and heavy on meat and mussels and oysters, it seems to me, so if you could eat there, I don't know why you couldn't at a restaurant. I can't even stand eating sausage and a lot of the stuff they serve at brasseries. What did you eat at these brasseries? Brasserie Lipp, for example, is big on choucroute (sausage, sauerkraut, pork, ham) and grilled pig trotters.... yechhh<BR><BR>It sounds like you eat seafood, there are plenty of good seafood restaurants in Paris, and of course, North African couscous restaurants (some of which has meat in it, of course, but not all). If you go to rue Montparnasse on the border of the 14th, there are several good creperie restaurants where you can choose your fillings (in fact, I think there are several good seafood restaurants in that area, on bd Edgar Quinet and av du Maine). There are plenty of online guides to Paris vegetarian restaurants, just stick those words in a good search engine.

Andre

Epinard,<BR><BR>Do you have a gold/platinum card?<BR><BR>In that case, put your money where your vegetarian mouth is and head to Arpege: 3 star Michelin restaurant, almost exclusively vegetarian menu!<BR><BR>Info at:<BR>http://www.relaischateaux.com/site/us/FicheAdherent?RcCode=arpege<BR><BR>Bon app&eacute;tit!<BR>Andre

Vegetarian

Since when did a vegetarian eat seafood??

Kavey

And I have a friend who calls herself a vegetarian and eats seafood AND chicken!!<BR><BR>What she could say more honestly is that she doesn't eat red meat.<BR><BR>Anyway, to continue to answer epinard's question, (who, as far as I can see never claimed to be vegan and never mentioned seafood), I would also recommend ethnic food.<BR><BR>There are many Chinese and North African restaurants in Paris which are excellent choice for vegetarian meals.<BR><BR>I also second the points above, pretty much every restaurant we ate in offered goats cheese salads and salads of varying descriptions. I enjoyed the crudite salad with grated carrot, sweetcorn, leaves, and palm hearts.<BR><BR>Some will also offer dishes such as crepes with spinach and cheese fillings and so on.<BR><BR>Another option, which I have done myself, is to spot a starter which interests you and ask to have it in a larger portion as a main meal. I found more vegetarian starters than main meals in many places we visited.<BR><BR>Kavey

Julie

The Sandra Gustafson book Good or Great Eats in Paris is good about including vegetarian restaurants and mentioning vegetarian foods in non-vegetarian restaurants. Check out a copy.

wendy

Hi--I had a fabulous--total splurge-4 star meal two years ago at the Restaurant Arpege. I have since read--I think the NY Times that the chef had stunned Paris by becoming a vegetarian restaurant. It is worth checking out. good luck

epinard

Kavy Thank you for noticing: I never claimed to be vegan and no, vegetarians do not eat seafood! And to the last few posts, I will jot down those suggestions. Any more would be appreciated - I'm also wary of ordering something that seems vegetarian but is in fact cooked in broth or animal fat because that's just the way they do it (do they?). I guess it would be safer to stick with Indian, Chinese, Italian, and Mediterranean.

Shannon

You can't go to Paris and just eat non-French food. Plus, when going to a Chinese or Mediterranean restaurant just remember that they are French Chinese and Mediterranean restaurants. When I went to Paris, I like you, thought I should stick with these foods but then I ordered a tofu dish and had a big forkful of it when I noticed it had shredded pork in it!! Eww ewww EWWW.<BR>Try Restaurant Arpege or something that's labeled vegetarian and if you're not sure ask. I did after I had the tofu/pork incident.

julie

I, too, am a veggie, and when in France I explain to the waiter that I am a vegeterian before ordering. After a look of mock horror, the waiter and I usually concoct an omelette (with filling of choice) with some vegetables. Also, you can ask for a souffle, or quiche. Bear in mind this is France: the chef should be able to knock up anything involving eggs, cheese and cream at a moment's notice (providing it's not too busy!) Then there are salads, and pasta options too. Hope this helps, despite being a little obvious.

Tracy

Pas de probleme, mon epinard:<BR><BR>http://www.timeout.com/paris/eat/vegetarian.html<BR><BR>'Les produits bio' are all the rage right now, and even the nicest restaurants will have a risotto or veg casserole kinda dish.<BR><BR>And don't forget North African couscous houses - you can always get a couscous legumes or tagine vegetarienne . . . pure vegetarian grub from heaven!!!<BR>HTH<BR>= )

Christina

I made the comments about seafood because Epinard claimed to be eating at brasseries, and only said he or she did not want meat, no mention about not wanting seafood--- and because I know plenty of people who call themselves vegetarians who do indeed eat seafood and even poultry. They are sincere in what they call themselves, so I do not presume to be psychic when someone makes that statement. You only know what you yourself mean when you say that, and you never explained, so I don't see why you have to be so judgmental about my response given how little you described what you wanted. Also, any restaurant has a menu posted near the door so you could have figured out what they had instead of being afraid that you could only order xxx.

definitions?

If you eat eggs, cheese, milk, it should not be all that difficult. If you are truly vegan perhaps a bit more so. And 'French cuisine' does have looser ideas so if you do try "nice" restaurants even in a dish that appears vegetarian, chicken stock may have been used in the sauce, for example. I would check guidebooks/internet and try to find places that are specifically 'vegetarian'.

topper

topping for paige

x

judgmental, Chritina, judgmental bothers you - when your postings, as detailed and useful as they can be, just cannot seem to avoid the negative innuendo and judgment. Look in the mirror more, you are too useful a poster not to see the tone you use. You talk down, down, down. No need. Just rely on the accuracy of your info.

my 2 cents

#1 People who eat seafood and chicken are not vegetarians (I don't care what they call themselves).<BR><BR>#2 Yes, in French cooking meat stock and wine are often used. They would not necessarily think about listing them as an ingredient, even if you asked.