Bistro favorites in Paris?
 

Hi,

My family of four is spending five nights in Paris in November. We will be staying in the Marais. We have two kids, ages 14 and 9. The 9-year-old still likes her food on the plain side, so I am thinking our best bet, restaurant-wise, will be bistros and brasseries. I'd love to hear about your favorite bistros, especially those near the Marais or near any of the sights and museums. OR: let me know which ones to avoid.

Much thanks.

The Musée des Arts Décoratifs has a all you can eat cafeteria style brunch on Sundays--or it did a couple of years ago. I think that it included non-alcoholic drinks in the price, then 15 euros. It might be the right thing for a picky eater.

You might find this link handy

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipe...-Bistros-Guide

We are just back from a few weeks in Paris and found a new bistr we loved. Le Bouquet Saint Paul, on the corner of Rue St Paul and Rue St Antoine. Had a good pizza lunch at Pizza Momo on Rue St Antoine and there are severaL good bistros on Square St Catherine near St Paul St Louis Cathedral

From my last trip..
Place des Vosges (4th/marais) Cafe Hugo,lunch, outdoor with views of square...had veal bavette, with cooked veggies and potatoes dauphinoises.

Chez Clement (6th, but has a few locations), homemade terrine, small sausage appetizer, 1/2 chicken with creamy mashed potatoes, sorbet dessert

Brasserie de L'ile St Louis, at bridge between Ile de la Cite and Ile St Louis, views of main street and Pantheon in distance, outdoor table, hanger steak (faux-fillet) with matchstick fries, 3 flavour ice cream desert.

La Rotonde de la Muette (16th so out of the way), excellent vegetable soup and sole meuniere, chocolate mousse desert

Bistrot du 7ieme (7th), small, local crowd, pork terrine, veal escalope with cream mushromm sauce,Positano ice cream desert.

Others from the past...

Rotisserie du Beaujolais (5th, across from Ile St Louis) has good roast chicken and mash potatoes.

Our favorite restaurant in Paris is in fact the bistro Au Petit Marguery. It's in the 13th, not far from the Gobelins métro stop. The restaurant has been around for a long time, serves excellent food in a friendly atmosphere; if you're there in the fall/winter months, don't miss the sautéed wood mushrooms with garlic and parsley. There are usually several families celebrating birthdays or anniversaries; so it's a good family spot.

I don't understand why you decided bistros and brasseries are the way to go rather than, say, cafes. I don't understand your decision. A lot of brasseries serve shellfish, oysters and food I would not expect would be what a picky child would want. Most places of any kind have a variety of food, though, so you should be able to find something.

I would highly recommend Chez Clement at 21, bd Beaumarchais just a bit north of the Bastille column on the left side (facing north). It's next to a Leon de Bruxelles, I think, or close to it. It is not a bistro or brasserie, though, but a restaurant with very good prices and a wide variety of raditional food, including just roast chicken and potatoes, etc. It has children's menus and prices. They even advertise having a children's space, whatever that means (I don't recall). This is their menu bambin, with things like steak hache, poulet roti, etc.
http://www.chezclement.com/RSC/image...EMENT-1010.pdf

I just don't think you are picking the best things by limiting yourself to brasseries and bistros.

I agree! Bistros focus largely on the traditional specialties, most of which a picky eater would not want to try....

Another article, a few years old but still valid; what the author terms as "affordable" may not be affordable to you so take care:


http://travel.nytimes.com/2005/03/13.../13tables.html

The Musee D'Orsay has a lovely cafe behind the big clock. They also have a more formal dining room but the cafe would suit you better, I think. And it's a wonderful museum -- just the right size for me.

Within 24 hours in Paris, I think that both you and the kids will have scoped out what looks worth eating within the limits of your budget. Since this is clearly not a "foodie" trip, there is no reason to cross Paris for a meal unless there is already something else you want to do in a certain neighborhood.

There are some bistros that had full menus that even I wasn't interested in, because it was full of game and things like that. Actually, I think the Petit Marguery someone mentioned above (which is not a bistro by my definition of the term, nor theirs, they call themselves a restaurant) has a game-heavy menu and is not where I would take picky kids. It isn't cheap, either. This is their current menu, for example:

<<ravioles de pétoncles au coulis de crustacés, lièvre à la royale, gras double maison, dos de cabillaud aux épices et miel, perdreau gris rôti, poêlée de ris de veau sauce morilles, et le fameux soufflé au Grand-Marnier>>

yeah, a good place for adults but I would never take two picky American kids there.

Correction:

I meant the <b>Musée des Arts et Métiers</b>, which might be more interesting that the Musée des Arts décoratifs for children.

Might be of interest...

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/10...est-steak-fri/

BOOKMARK

For casul and quick salads, sandwiches, breads and pastries to eat in or to go and located in the Marais-

Miss Manon
87 Rue St Antoine
75004 Paris, France
01 48 87 87 59

For great pizza, salads and Italian (most kids love pizza or pasta) and in the Marais-

Caffe Vito
12 Rue des Archives
75004 Paris, France
01 42 74 08 84

Also in the Marais- Le Passage Obligé Rue du Bourg Tibourg. It offers 10 euro lunches including salad, main dish and desert. Other choices available too.

http://www.lepassageoblige.com/

I ate lunch at Miss Manon after finding that Patisserie Paul nearby was too busy. Not a lot of sit-down space, more a takeout location. Sandwich, drink and a sweet ~10 euro.

There was a nice wine bar ,Au Bouquet St Paul, across street from it, that I noted as a place to try out.

Also near this spot is departure point for Paris Walks tour of Marais II.

Three I ate at last week are all in the Marais.

Bistrot d'Oulette on Rue des Tournelles

Chez Janou on the corner of Rue des Tournelles and Rue Roger Verlomme

And the one I thought the best I went to used to be known as le Framboisy and has very recently become the Bistrot des Comperes on Rue Charlemagne.

All about 17-20 euros a head before drinks.

Another one worth a mention if you are on the Ile de la Cite is Ma Salle a Manger in Place Dauphine.

I am consistently amazed at what some of you people will spend for a simple meal.

K, we're deprived at home :)