Best restaurants in Paris
 

I know this question is going to cause quite a stir and everyone will have their own strong opinions but I have 4 nights in Paris and want to have excellent dining experiences (not necessarily expensive though). Where to Parisians or would you go to have an excellent meal in Paris?

Mary, one of my favorite little spots is Septieme Sud. This is in the Septieme Arrondisement on rue de Grenelle just off of Avenue Bosquet (but actually closer to Rue Cler). This is a very local place and the people are fabulous. It is definitely not expensive and very tasty. The food is Mediterranean and the atmosphere is very causual yet superb, this may actually be a great place for lunch.

Mary, <BR> <BR>You can dine extraordinarily well on a modest budget in Paris. My first recommendation is to buy Sandra Gustafson's "Cheap Eats in Paris." It is my bible when I'm in Paris. (I've been 5 times now, and am going again soon!) <BR> <BR>My absolute favorite place is Le Gourmand de Beaux Arts in the Latin quarter. They have a "home-made" foie gras which is wonderful. I had a duck breast in peppercorn sauce which was to die for. It's a modest looking place, but inside was suitably dim with post and beams. The proprietors (He cooks and she serves) didn't speak English, but we managed to joke around and I really enjoyed the ambience. <BR> <BR>I also recommend Le Roi du Pot-au_Feu, locations in the 8th and 9th. It translates to the King of Pot Roast. It is a trditional French country meal with beef, root vegetables and a marrow bone in a savory broth. We were the only English-speaking people when we went. My sign that it is authentic, rather than tourist food. <BR> <BR>Try a picnic with fresh baguettes, pates and pastries you buy from various shops. <BR> <BR>Look for a shop or restaurant where the locals are going and you've found your place. <BR> <BR>Again, try Cheap Eats and I think you will be very pleased.

Two of my previous favorites are Brasserie Balzar on the Rue des Ecoles near the Sorbonne, and Le Souffle behind the Intercontinental Hotel. I now must include Androuet. This is a restaurant attatched to the cheese shop and is wonderful. It is very close to the Arc de Triomphe.

hi, you also might pick up patricia wells' paris guide _ has restaurants, patisseries, chocolate shops and everything else in it if i remember correctly. also, last year we had a quite nice dinner at Spoon. realized at the time it was kinda trendy, but i didn't realize until i got home that it was alain ducasse's place _ if i had known that going in, i probably would have expected more!

when i was in paris we had a lot of luck with recommendations from our hotel.

I have two suggestions, one for a particular restaurant and one for a guide to find a restaurant. <BR>I'm going on the assumption which is risky that you'd actually like to have French food, not food that meets the limitations of our American palettes, but that you don't want to eat "organs". So my first recommendation is Le Recamier. You can find a whole bunch of info posted recently on this restaurant if you do a search on Recamier at the top of the page. In brief, the beef burgundy is phenomenal, suits Americans to a T, and is served in an authentic Art Nouveau decor. Great service and they speak English. <BR>My other recommendation is that you use the Michelin Red Guide which is organized both by dish and by arrondissement, to choose a one, two, or three star restaurant. Prices are given. Note that Michelin is the world's foremost restaurant guide and does not seek to rate every restaurant. It only rates those that it discovers are worth eating in, so they do not have a rating for "lousy". A one-star restaurnat is "a very good table". A two-star is "a table worth a detour" and a three-star is "a table worth making a trip for". This is understatement. There are only twenty five-or-so three star restaurants in all of France. Chefs have committed suidcide over the loss of a star. <BR>Sorry for the lecture, Mary, but my thought is that you should not only have a good meal, you should have one that you know was at one of the best, most representative, of the French culinary experience which is the best in the world.

Our big find this March in the reasonably priced range was a place called Spicy, a block and a half off the Champs-Elysees near the Etoile. French/Moroccan, extremely well prepared food, and $120ish for four of us for lunch. If you need a quick meal, the Chez Clement and Hippopotamous chains are (in our opinionated family's opinion) a bit better than the tourist traps. BEWARE the "grands restaurants" that are a cut below a Taillevent or a Lucas Carton in terms of food, but every bit as expensive (or worse). Finally, if you have a good rapport with your hotel concierge, most of them will provide good recommendations if you tell them what you're after. Have a lovely time. ce

Les Amognes in the 11eme. The chef has a following in Paris (not cheap, but not budget-breaking). You'll probably need reservations 01 43 72 73 05.