Dining in Paris and.......
 

<BR>recently on the Forum there was a gentlemen from Ilinois who spent some time in Paris ..He talked about a great inexpensive restaurant that he ate in several times...does anyone remember that restaurant.. I saw his messages and he had lots of info...good info...of course now the info is gone.. I wouild if David I believe that was his name could let me have all that good info again...His info was great!

Sue: Did you try the topic search at the top of the page? I have no idea how long F. leaves these posts on here...

Sue: I have no idea how long F. leaves the posts on this site, but did you try the search at the top of the page?

Your helpful poster might have been Richard of Hickory Hills IL who often posts info. <BR>By all means do a search either on Paris restaurants (and be overwhelmed) or try searching on Richard and see what you get.

I believe you are referring to Daniel Lee, who posted this after his trip to Paris: <BR> <BR>Le Tire-Bouchon on the north end of Rue Mouffetard. The owner, Antoine, is very American-friendly and is a great guy. His prices are way too cheap for the high quality food that he gives you. I'm talking GOOD food. You get a 3-course meal for 55 francs or less. That is an absolute STEAL. <BR>

Sue, I think the person you are referring to was daniel lee ([email protected])

Sue - <BR> <BR>Cheryl is right, Le Tire-Bouchon is the restaurant. However, I would not recommend it. <BR> <BR>We were just there 2 weeks ago and tried it, but were disappointed. I will say it was better than other restaurants we had tried in Paris but not as good as some of our favorites at home. <BR> <BR>We decided to save our money for Gerard's (an excellent French restaurant we like at home) instead of spending it on "unknowns" and "gambles." <BR> <BR>My advice, stay away from touristy areas for restaurant meals (and Rue Mouffetard is a touristy area), they are good for street food but the restaurants know you are a one-time customer and so don't try very hard to please you. <BR> <BR>Or, you may have better luck than we did. Either way, have a great trip! <BR>

Thank you all for your great replies....what a warm friendly bunch of travelers you are...Yes Danile was the one....and that was the restaurant...I thank you all for your input I need all the info I can get.. I will be in Paris in Mid May for 6 days and would like to get as much as I can in ..without breakking the bank. Thank yo all and if there are any tips you can give me I would appreciate whatever...Merci beaucoup

Right now I am ROFL at weird coincidences. We just got back from 2 weeks in Paris. I had neglected to write down the address of Le Tire Buchon, but I figured it had to be in the neighborhood since we were staying across the street from where Daniel stayed, in the 5th. So we look in the phone book, and it's listed in the 15th, on the Rue des Entrepreneurs. We checked it out one night after a long day of tourism, feeling a bit weird in jeans in a small, but lovely restaurant occupied by exactly one other couple, way more dressed up than we were. Gradually the place filled, with younger couples and larger parties more casually dressed. We began to feel morre comfortable. The service was very welcoming and charming. The prices were high -- I think we paid around US$40/person for the menu degustacion, but worth every penny in terms of creativity, taste, presentation, etc. I was surprised that Daniel had eaten repeatedly at this place, because his pre-trip postings gave me the impression that he was trav-<BR>velling on a budget. Anyway, the meal was the culinary highlight of our trip, we were praising Daniel to the skies for pointing us there (I'm still thanking him, even if I went to the wrong place!) We found another place by that name up in Montmartre a few days later (but it seemed to be limited to pizza and crepes. Boy, would we have been bummed out if we had gone all the way up there for that Tire-Bouchon! PS We walked the length of Rue Mouffetard and somehow never even noticed the one Daniel raved about! Guess we'll just have to go back and look for it!

Here's another NO! for Le Tire Bouchon. <BR>I sent my sister there when she was in Paris over Easter, thinking I was giving her a great tip. <BR>Her specific comments were: <BR>"greasy meat, vegetables WAY overcooked"

Sue, <BR>We also ate at Daniel's Tire Bouchon on our trip to Paris three weeks ago and, while it wasn't great food, it was pleasant and cheap and Antoine's hospitality made up for anything the cuisine lacked -- especially since we went the first day we were there, were utterly exhausted, and it was within steps of our apartment in the Rue de l'ecole Polytechnique in the Latin Quarter (5th arr) -- not in the 15th, where the other writer indicated the Tire Bouchon they tried was located. (Incidentally, 'tire bouchon' appears to translate as 'corkscrew,' which gives a clue as to why numerous restaurants share the nom!) Two others we tried, also in the rue des Ecoles neighborhood, and enjoyed immensely, were Les Fetes Galantes, at 17 Rue de l'ecole polytechnique, and Le Petit Prince, at 12 rue de Lanneau, where two of us had a great meal for about $50. Note that none of these is haute cuisine -- just reasonable, pleasant, non-pretentious. Our biggest disappointment of the restaurants we'd read about was a Chinese place called Mirama -- which was packed with Asians & French, but we thought it was expensive and not that goood. And we in fact did have a dreadful meal in Paris -- at a place called Cafe l'Opera, near Galleries Lafayette on Blvd Haussman. If you go to the "six days in Paris" thread, you'll find dozens of restaurant recommendations as well. But be sure to try to hit a street market, like the one on Tuesday & Thursday mornings on Blvd St. Germaine at the Maubert/Mutualite metro stop, for a different experience of French food -- and be prepared for 'food withdrawal' when you come home!

Last year, on advise from a co-worker, we ate at a very touristy place on Ile St Louis (?) called the Old Recruiting Sargent. He had warned us it would be crowded with tourists because of the location, but that it was a prix-fixe pretty good deal, and social, and fun. He was right. We had a blast. A very old building, narrow with tables along the walls. If you are "two" you will share huge baskets of crudities, breads, sausages, etc with a neighboring couple. We sat with a delightful couple from Germany. (Would that my German OR French were half as good as their English). You get to pick red or white wine, and they simply keep bringing new bottles to your table as they are emptied. The red was very good. The meal wasn't extraordinary, but quite good, and the "social" aspect a great deal of fun. My friend said he's sent many people there, and no one has had anything but fun.

In reading that post, I should note that the baskets are for appetizers, bread, after dinner cheese, and the like. You do select an entree and dessert from the menu! I'd say it was mid-priced. Certainly worth it.

Funny to read yo guys : some are lucky, others aren't ! Indeed, just the name "tire-bouchon" sounds like there are 2000 in France. <BR>Low le me suggest the "CAFE du COOMMERCE", 51 on the street of thesame name, Metro Emile Zola (line 8) : a fashionable student place where you should get god foof for a reasonable price. I remember being there with a bunch of friends celabrating a birthday, that was really great ! Put on your "casquette" to go there !

We just got back from Paris a couple weeks ago, and really enjoyed a restaurant on Ille St. Louis called El Castafiore. It's an Italian restaurant, very small and intimate, and very good Italian food. It was a bit pricey, but had great selections for vegetarians, as well as those who don't like the basic French menu of beef, lamb or veal. It's great, and the proprietor is very helpful, even though we didn't catch his name. Although it's a bit pricey, it was a meal we thorougly enjoyed. <BR> <BR>Happy eating!

After posting yesterday about the mixup with Tire-Bouchons, I started thinking again about the details of our wonderful meal there (was it only a week ago?) I took a look at the bill, and see that we paid FF170 each for the 4-course tasting menu, plus another FF100 for drinks. The whole thing came to less than $75 for two, tax & tips included. By my NYC-jaded standards, that's a great deal, considering the caliber of food, service & setting. 62, Rue des Entrepreneurs. Worth seeking out for a small splurge.

My sister and I returned from 8 days in Paris on April 21st, and we had several good meals. I go to Paris every spring, and generally go by my instincts rather than guidebooks. Rule #1 is stay away from heavily-touristed areas if you expect a good meal for a good price. Some of the best meals I've had are away from the major sights. We stayed in the Marais (near the Place Vosges)and found several good restaurants in that quartier as well as outside the Bastille area. I generally avoid the Latin Quarter except if I want a quick crepe or Croque Monsieur (a very yummy, very cheesy grilled cheese w/ham). As far as guidebooks go, I have also found Sandra Gustavson's "Cheap Eats Paris" useful when choosing a splurge restaurant.