Fancy restaurants in Paris
 

I want to take my sweet wife to a fine dinner house while in Paris that she'll remember for a long time. however, she is a very picky eater. It will have to be a place like a steak house? she won't eat seafood or
goose liver, no duck or lamb and no insides of an animal. Do you have any suggestions for
me to take her to? I will eat almost anything
except animal innered! My budget says no more then 200 Euro with wine and I want to get FULL for that much money. Thank You.

as if it weren't patently obvious, this is a t, folks, one of the usuals who changes aliases every other day or so--
not even one of the more subtle attempts.

Does T=troll? If it does let me assure you I am not! I am a faithful fodorite
and in no way, shape, or form have I ever used an alias! Why would you say that? I have seen many of your post and respect you wisdom and advice on travel to Europe! Now, I wonder if you are real or not?

Forget eating in Paris. Go to Outback in the States. It's perfect for you.

You too patrick! There is no excuse for you guys treating me like this!

Try the Train Bleu at the Gare de Lyon train station. Fantastic atmosphere. Don't take a menu translator, and order Magret du Canard, if it's on the menu. Tell your wife it's steak.

Stu Dudley

StuDodley, Thats duck breast! I am not into college pranks or lying to my wife!
I asked a simple question to my fellow fodorites but if, I have asked a wrong or stupid question forgive me. Maybe I should have asked what kind of shoes to wear.

Jeff, it really doesn't sound like your wife will enjoy French cuisine or French restaurants if her diet is so limited. Even the steaks will probably be served too rare. Good luck.

She will eat chicken and pork and even a rare steak, well, med.rare? Thank you
ckenb, for not being mean to me and calling me a troll.

Jeff,
Please excuse the comments by some of the people here. There have been so many trolls lately that people have a high index of suspicion, even when it's not warranted.

I don't think your wife will have any trouble finding food she likes at most restaurants in Paris.

Even though they may offer more exotic fare, most will have some sort of beef or chicken dish that she would like. (And who knows-- maybe being in an exciting new place will inspire her to branch out and try some things she hasn't eaten before!)

You might look at this thread:
Paris: Romantic Restaurant that won't break the bank (much)

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34554304

Thank you marcy for your reply. We have been to Paris in Sept '04 but our budget was small. This time we are going to Paris only and I wanted to make it really special. I have read that thread when it was new but, I was looking for other suggestions that are not so much romantic as great food and still we could say we did do the Paris fine food restaurants thing. I am only 24 and I am new to this world travel stuff and maybe even a little intimidated when it comes to knowing what to do while on vacation or how to make it fun or romantic?

Take her to the Relais d'Entrecote on rue Marbeuf for some of the best stack-frites in Paris.

I think Bofinger would also pretty much always have something on the menu she could eat, and Bofinger is always an experience.

Jeff,
A lovely place for a nice dinner is Le Vieux Bistro near Notre Dame. Candlelight in the evening, a very old place and the Boeuf Bourguignon (like a wonderful beef stew)is delicious. For dessert order the Tarte Tatin (similar to apple pie) and they bring a big silver bowl of creme fraiche to top it off. Wonderful area for a stroll by the Seine after dinner. Don't think it will cost 200 Euro but it will be a lovely evening!

I also agree with St Cirq. Bofinger is always nice and they have a chateaubriand (steak) served with frites (fries)and green beans. The bernaise sauce is fabulous!

I looked up both restaurants on the web,
Le Vieux Bristro, 5-7 Rue De La Bastille
and Bofinger,14 Rue Colitre-notre-Dame,
Both are just what I was looking for so thank You very much. I am sure we will eat at both Places and will give a report.

The first and only time we were in Paris (25 years ago), we traveled to Monmarte (sp.) to have duck at a recommended restaurant. There were 4 of us. The men in our group kept insisting we were eating steak (it was served medium rare). Even when the owner said it was duck, they insisted.

Moral?...probably none, except your wife may think
the duck is steak and now when I make duck breasts, they are served rare.

Good luck.:-!

Jeff, your wife can relax. I too don't eat duck, lamb, veal, goose liver, organ meats, or andouillettes (ugh!) and still have managed to enjoy many wonderful meals in France. Several posters have been unduly harsh.
You should avoid restaurants featuring ultra-traditional cuisine (example: Le Florimond, a Fodorite favorite that just doesn't appeal to me) and also cuisine from southwestern France, i.e., Gascony (duck and foie gras figure heavily into their regional dishes). I would also suggest you avoid the very top restaurants in Paris because you will probably need to spend over 200 euros to enjoy a multi-course meal plus wine there (except at lunch, some excellent values then) and worrying about the bill is no way to enjoy a meal. You and your wife will probably be happiest at bistros/brasseries (many of these are very good and very attractive).
I suggest you and your wife go to www.reservethebest.com and start looking at the restaurants listed there...most have their menus posted (although these may change with the seasons, you get a good general idea of what they serve). You can read the menus and see if any interests your wife.
FYI, does she like Asian food by any chance, particularly Vietnamese? You will find several excellent Asian/French fusion restaurants.
One of my favorite restaurants in Paris is Lei, in the 7th arrondissement. It's French-Italian. You can read the menu on the reservethebest web site. They do an excellent tagliata (thinly sliced steak served over roquette greens)...I bet your wife would love it. Nice atmosphere, friendly service.

Thank you for your reply loisco but, my wife would blow chunks if she found out she was eating duck if it was suppose to be steak! LOL, she would right there at the table! I have eaten duck a few times (PRESSED DUCK) and liked it! I would never lie to her about what shes eating, Ever! she would divorce me!

Thats a great site BTilke Thank You.
When Lisa gets home I will show it to her.

L'Atelier Maitre Albert , 1 rue Maître-Albert, 5e, tel: 56 81 30 01.
Chef Guy Savoy's rotisserie which still retains original elements of the 16th century building, such as the open kitchen and cozy fireplace.

Hi Jeff --- a dinner with Paris with 200 euros in your pocket... an enviable situation! Even without the foie gras. BTilke's advice is good (avoiding the traditional haute cuisine places and Gascon places).

You might like to try a spiffed-up bistro: a lovely interior, soft lighting (trust me, lighting has much to do with romance), polished service, and dishes that are flavorful and satisfying without being mysterious or unrecognizeable. For instance, there's Aux Lyonnais, run by uber-chef Alain Ducasse. It's not as expensive as some of his other, haute cuisine places, but instead is a resurrection of a turn-of-the-20th-century bistro. It focuses on Lyonnais cuisine, which is a bit lighter and uses more poultry. A great place to try coq au vin.

Bon appetit!

>> For instance, there's Aux Lyonnais, run by uber-chef Alain Ducasse.....It focuses on Lyonnais cuisine, which is a bit lighter and uses more poultry. A great place to try coq au vin.
<<

I would be careful before committing to dining here, if you have limited things that you like . Lyonnaise cooking is quite good, but they are big on "innards".

Aux Lyonnais was the very first restaurant we ever dined at in Paris (1975). It was fabulous. I still remember the Coquilles St Jacques Aux Lyonnaise - quite different than other coquilles I've had - but it was not light at all. We went back a year or two later & it was still quite good. On subsequent trips, the restaurant had fallen into the mediocre range.

We reserved a table for us & other friends this past Sept - hoping that Alan Ducasse had breathed new life into one of our favorite places. The friends are meat & potatoes people. When we got there, most of the selections on the menu were things that they would not eat. I even had trouble finding something to choose - and I'll eat almost anything. A lot of "innards". The menu was also quite limited. I would suggest that anyone considering going to Aux Lyonnaise should check out the menu first. If they have Coq au Vin on the menu, you're in luck , but I don't remember it being offered when we were there. Also, I think everyone at the restaurant was Americans - we ended up in conversation with all the tables around us.

We spend two months in France most years, so that means about 40-50 restaurant meals each year. We found Aux Lyonnaise to be quite disappointing - but that was perhaps because our expectations were so high.

jeffwill4you-
I was not trying to pull a college prank on anyone. I bet you will find that a Magret de Canard will taste more like what you expect a prime NY steak to taste like, than beef you are likely to find at most restaurants in France. That's my experience, anyway. I have almost always been disappointed with French Beef. Aubrec beef is the only kind I've tasted that has rivalled Prime, American Kobe, or other excellent steaks I've had in the US.

Also, consider the Train Blue - it is definitly a place your wife will remember - mine did. Bofinger is quite nice IF you get a seat under the stained glass dome.

Stu Dudley

Some places to get steak in Paris include Gavroche and Gourments de Ternes. Check both of them out in Zagat Paris. Also, you can get steak frites in most bistros, and Bofinger is one of the nicest and best.