Fancy Dinner and Hotel Paris
 

As we are planning our honeymoon in Paris and Nice in December we have decided to SPLURGE in a Fancy (real fancy) dinner in Paris and another one in Nice (or in that área).
Do you have any recomendations? Any hidden gems? Or any other restaurant (non tourist traps please!) in Nice, Paris, Marseille or Monaco?

Also, we are having a Little problem in picking a nice hotel in Paris. (we already chose one for Nice)
We want to pay 135 euros at the most per night, we want it to be not too old, and centric, as we will be visiting the usual (Louvre, arc du triumph, eiffel tower, etc).
My fiance would LOVE to stay in a bohemian área (i dont know any), but we both agree, it has to be super clean and safe. Any help with that?


Thank you in advance for your help!

Oh and if there is anything that we ABSOULUTELY cannot miss from Nov 29th to Dec 9th, please let us know!

>>As we are planning our honeymoon in Paris and Nice in December we have decided to SPLURGE in a Fancy (real fancy) dinner in Paris and another one in Nice (or in that área). <<

What is your actual budget for these two dinners? A real 'Splurge' in Paris would be hundreds of $$$. Since you have a fairly moderate hotel budget it may be you aren't looking for one of the really top restaurants?

janisj : Around $400 (us) per dinner? I dont know if that will buy us any of the top ones, but I think that should be enough for a fancy dinner....what do you think?

This hotel is in a good bohemian area, clean and cheap, includes free wifi and breakfast, easy to walk around, safe.
http://www.france-hotel-guide.com/en...e-des-arts.php

If you're open to lunch vs dinner, most of the "top" restaurants offer a lower priced lunch menu. For example, Le Cinq is 145e for their 4 course lunch http://www.fourseasons.com/paris/din...gourmet_lunch/ and if you're very careful with wine, you could possibly be within budget.

There are a few good choices in your price range for your dates, most on the right bank. You can check out Hôtel Magellan, 17-19 Rue Jean Baptiste Dumas, in the 17th, Hôtel Eden Opéra, 35, Rue Jean-Baptiste Pigalle, in the 9th, Hotel Elysée Gare de Lyon, 234 rue de Bercy, in the 12th, and Hôtel La Parizienne, 33, Boulevard du Montparnasse, in the 6th. All inculde breakfast in their rates.

Remember that most hotels in that price range sell out quickly.

As far as a special lunch or dinner goes, Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée would be nice, but is beyond your budget, as is Taillevent. You might take a look at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon Étoile, 133 avenue des Champs Élyées, in the 8th, Le Duc, 243 boulevard Raspail in the 14th, or possibly Laurent, 41 avenue Gabriel, in the 8th. There is also Jean-François Piège, 79 rue Saint-Dominique, in the 7th that's worth a look.

Le Jules Verne in the Eiffel Tower. Go at sunset, be amazed. Very foody food, if you are into that. Service is excellent and not at all stand offish

mcheryl: Jules Verne would not fit in that budget The least expensive set meal is €190 -- each, so €380 w/o wine.

You could have lunch at Jules Verne.

Or I would do the tasting menu at Verjus with wine pairings.

>>You could have lunch at Jules Verne.<<

That's an option. The cheapest set lunch menu at JV €105 w/o wine - but that is just appetizer/main/dessert - a full set lunch costs the same as dinner (€190 or €230)

You can have lunch at La Tour d'Argent for only 85 euro, just doesn't include drinks. A lot better pricing than Jules Verne . I don't think they have prix fixe dinners, though. That lunch doesconsists of appetizer/entree/dessert but I thought that's what a full lunch menu was (it is to me). I don't even eat that much for lunch, only think missing is the drinks (although I'm sure the portions are small).

I don't think an expensive lunch is really quite the same effect as a fancy dinner out, though. Also, you may just have more time to want to do somethign like that at night, dress up some, etc., rather than in the middle of your tourist day.

How about Le Train Bleu? It's certainly a pretty place. They have some "menus" that fit that budget, around 65-100 euro per person.
http://www.le-train-bleu.com/uk/inde...restaurant.php

Christina: A set lunch or dinner in one of the top restaurants is usually 5 or 6 courses. But they aren't 'courses' like the mammoth things one gets in the states. IMO it would be a shame to go to one of the top places, skimp and not enjoy a full meal that has a certain flow/tempo

Le Cinq's lunch included 2 amuse bouche, a pre-dessert and mignardise in addition to the courses.

Taillevent's lunch menu would be within budget.

Verjus has a very casual atmosphere. "Real fancy" implies a certain degree of formality to me but the OP should clarify.

Agree that the OP should clarify a couple of points:

Are you looking for just a very good meal or do you want a place with a formal atmosphere and service of a traditional top class restaurant?

Are you looking for a simplified 3 course lunch menu or the typical 5 or 6 course meal of a luxury dinner - from amuse bouche to hand made truffles at the end. (Yes,portions are way smaller than you would get in the US so you can enjoy each one.)

Have you looked at the menus at some of these restaurants to check out a typical menu - and do you want dishes of the complexity that they usually serve?

Here is hte Jules Verne Experience dinner menu - 5 courses are 190 euros each - plus wines:

Un repas au Jules Verne est une expérience rare. De découvertes en surprises, laissez-vous guider dans ce voyage exceptionnel en 5 ou 6 plats...
A meal at the Jules Verne is a rare experience. From discoveries to surprises, indulge yourself in this exceptional journey of 5 or 6 dishes...

/ / POUR PATIENTER //
Daurade de ligne marinée, condiment marjolaine
Marinated line-caught sea bream, marjoram condiment
/ / //
Foie gras de canard confit, fine gelée de raisin, condiment noix
Preserved duck foie gras, delicate grappe gelée, walnut condiment
// // /
Belle langoustine rôtie, légumes en macédoine, sucs de cuisson
Roasted large langoustine, mixed diced vegetables, cooking jus
// // /
Blanc de bar à plat, jeunes poireaux étuvés et caviar gold
Seared sea bass, braised leeks and gold caviar
/ // /
Volaille jaune des Landes en fricassée aux champignons des bois
Jaune des Landes chicken and wild mushroom fricassée
// /
Sablé mirabelle-bergamote, granité Jurançon
Plum-bergamot shortbread, Jurançon granité
// // /
L’écrou croustillant au chocolat de notre Manufacture à Paris
Crispy ‘Tower nut’, chocolate from our Factory in Paris

190€* EXPÉRIENCE 5 PLATS / DISHES (POISSON OU VIANDE / FISH OR MEAT)
230€* EXPÉRIENCE6PLATS/DISHES


Are you comfortable selecting one of the most modest wines - since this is one way the price can become astronomical?

If you want traditional French food in a non-stuffy authentic traditional French restaurant setting, go to Chez Dumonet. You can order half portions of many dishes and you should because the portions are enormous. If you have ever wanted to try boeuf bourguignonne, cassoulet, confit de canard or a really good French steak, this would be the place to go. Drink the house wine which is cheap and good. You don't have to dress up a lot to go here, no ties or anything, just what you would wear to work. You need to reserve about a week in advance.