France/Paris on-line restaurant guide?
Sep 28th, 2006, 10:37 AM
#22
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eks,
JT can be a bit grumpy, and I promise you the mother ship is just wonderful, but I might look before I leap on to the new baby bistrot.
L'Ami Jean and Le Troquet are about equal food wise, in my book. Le Troquet's fixed price menu is huge though, Basque style, so you may not want such a large, 4 course dinner. But the ambiance is very convivial.
We like getting out of our comfort zone of the 5th-6th-7th and exploring the outlying arron.
I promise you WILL NOT regret a lunch at Ze Kitchen Galerie. It's our favorite good value lunch spot, and the cooking of William Ledeuil, formerly of Les Boquinistes, is fantastic! Open kitchen, you can watch the chef at work, he comes out to greet at the end, very reasonable formule at lunch for 22 € that's a perfect amount (an entree and plate or plate and dessert). Again, I think it's terrific, as does Pudlowski. Gault Millau gives it a 14 plus a heart. Our friends at La Derniere Goutte wine shop recommended it to us when it first opened.
My husband refuses to queue up at noon for l'Atelier de J.R. , although they do take lunch reservations now. He's just not interested, so we've never been. JulieV's review of her meal keeps me interested, but I'll just have to go to the new one at the Four Seasons on my own!
For Moroccan, you can have nice dining and fabulous views at le Ziryab atop the Institute du Monde Arab in the 5th. But i don't know about the mechoui. You can see their dishes at www.yara-prestige.com
At any rate, it's a great place for tea with spectacular vistas. And they have a special show opening Oct. 2, "Venice and the Orient". We've gone to a couple of blockbuster exhibits here that we've really enjoyed.
www.imarabe.org/ang/temp/expo.html
JT can be a bit grumpy, and I promise you the mother ship is just wonderful, but I might look before I leap on to the new baby bistrot.
L'Ami Jean and Le Troquet are about equal food wise, in my book. Le Troquet's fixed price menu is huge though, Basque style, so you may not want such a large, 4 course dinner. But the ambiance is very convivial.
We like getting out of our comfort zone of the 5th-6th-7th and exploring the outlying arron.
I promise you WILL NOT regret a lunch at Ze Kitchen Galerie. It's our favorite good value lunch spot, and the cooking of William Ledeuil, formerly of Les Boquinistes, is fantastic! Open kitchen, you can watch the chef at work, he comes out to greet at the end, very reasonable formule at lunch for 22 € that's a perfect amount (an entree and plate or plate and dessert). Again, I think it's terrific, as does Pudlowski. Gault Millau gives it a 14 plus a heart. Our friends at La Derniere Goutte wine shop recommended it to us when it first opened.
My husband refuses to queue up at noon for l'Atelier de J.R. , although they do take lunch reservations now. He's just not interested, so we've never been. JulieV's review of her meal keeps me interested, but I'll just have to go to the new one at the Four Seasons on my own!
For Moroccan, you can have nice dining and fabulous views at le Ziryab atop the Institute du Monde Arab in the 5th. But i don't know about the mechoui. You can see their dishes at www.yara-prestige.com
At any rate, it's a great place for tea with spectacular vistas. And they have a special show opening Oct. 2, "Venice and the Orient". We've gone to a couple of blockbuster exhibits here that we've really enjoyed.
www.imarabe.org/ang/temp/expo.html
Sep 28th, 2006, 03:18 PM
#23
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I too agree with the Pudlo guidebook recommendation - I like the fact that as many restaurant options available in Paris, his is manageable but ALL the ones we tried were consistently EXCELLENT.
We were in Paris in March and in our first evening there asked for recommendations for restaurants from the gentleman who mans the hotel desk at night. We didn't get to try his recommendations right away until after the 2nd or third night and after several mediocre, overpriced restaurants that we chose on our own. His recommendations were always excellent and very good value and since then, would always get our recommendations from him, including best patisseries, chocolate, etc. On our last evening, when I was asking about chocolatiers, that's when I saw him pull out THE Pudlo and found out that that's where he gets most of his recommendations from. He confided that among all the guidebooks that he uses, this is the one that he has found that consistently recommends places that he has found to be good. We've become friendly with him since then and have been in touch and so for our trip this past month, I contacted him again ahead of time and asked for the name of the book since I couldn't remember the name, hoping to get it ahead of time from the US but he was so adamant about letting him get it for us - I don't think it is available here in the US - he was so kind to give us our own copy on the evening we came by to say hello to him(we didn't stay in the same hotel). Unfortunately it is in French and since mine is extremely basic, it truthfully is one of the driving force behind my motivation to move beyond my rudimentary French and start taking lessons, I am actually also considering getting one of those pen scanners that you use like a highlighter to translate the text from French to English.
It was also from this concierge that we got the recommendation for ZE KITCHEN GALERIE and is now one of our favorite restaurants in Paris and the best value we've found so far for the quality of food you get. The menu is exactly the same for lunch and dinner but the price for an entire meal for lunch (appetizer and entree is approx 22E as Maribel says and about 26-28E for appetizer, entree and dessert - wine included for lunch) is the price of just the entree for dinner. What we really liked about this restaurant too as far as the prix fix menu is unlike the usual prix fix meals where you are limited to only a few choices that are not necessarly in the main menu is that you get to choose from the entire menu. Truly one of the best values in Paris, we have since made a tradition of making our first and meal in Paris here, and the chef and staff are very personable. Even my mom is not really a foodie enjoyed it tremendously and the dining experience there truly feels like a guessing game of what the ingredients are that compose the meal. Truthfully, I actually enjoyed our meals here more than I did at Atelier Joel Robuchon - don't get me wrong, the Atelier was also excellent but I found the food at Ze Kitchen Galerie more surprising, fun and creative, aside from being an excellent value.
We were in Paris in March and in our first evening there asked for recommendations for restaurants from the gentleman who mans the hotel desk at night. We didn't get to try his recommendations right away until after the 2nd or third night and after several mediocre, overpriced restaurants that we chose on our own. His recommendations were always excellent and very good value and since then, would always get our recommendations from him, including best patisseries, chocolate, etc. On our last evening, when I was asking about chocolatiers, that's when I saw him pull out THE Pudlo and found out that that's where he gets most of his recommendations from. He confided that among all the guidebooks that he uses, this is the one that he has found that consistently recommends places that he has found to be good. We've become friendly with him since then and have been in touch and so for our trip this past month, I contacted him again ahead of time and asked for the name of the book since I couldn't remember the name, hoping to get it ahead of time from the US but he was so adamant about letting him get it for us - I don't think it is available here in the US - he was so kind to give us our own copy on the evening we came by to say hello to him(we didn't stay in the same hotel). Unfortunately it is in French and since mine is extremely basic, it truthfully is one of the driving force behind my motivation to move beyond my rudimentary French and start taking lessons, I am actually also considering getting one of those pen scanners that you use like a highlighter to translate the text from French to English.
It was also from this concierge that we got the recommendation for ZE KITCHEN GALERIE and is now one of our favorite restaurants in Paris and the best value we've found so far for the quality of food you get. The menu is exactly the same for lunch and dinner but the price for an entire meal for lunch (appetizer and entree is approx 22E as Maribel says and about 26-28E for appetizer, entree and dessert - wine included for lunch) is the price of just the entree for dinner. What we really liked about this restaurant too as far as the prix fix menu is unlike the usual prix fix meals where you are limited to only a few choices that are not necessarly in the main menu is that you get to choose from the entire menu. Truly one of the best values in Paris, we have since made a tradition of making our first and meal in Paris here, and the chef and staff are very personable. Even my mom is not really a foodie enjoyed it tremendously and the dining experience there truly feels like a guessing game of what the ingredients are that compose the meal. Truthfully, I actually enjoyed our meals here more than I did at Atelier Joel Robuchon - don't get me wrong, the Atelier was also excellent but I found the food at Ze Kitchen Galerie more surprising, fun and creative, aside from being an excellent value.
Sep 28th, 2006, 03:42 PM
#24
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Thank you both so much. Ze Kitchen is now on my list. Do you suppose I could reserve a few days in advance for a solo lunch? I would prefer to wait until I arrive (on a Saturday) and then make my lunch plans for the Wednesday or Thursday......
Sep 28th, 2006, 04:09 PM
#25
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Wow,
That was so eloquently said, bonzhoor! My feelings EXACTLY. Wish I could have stated it as eloquently as you! Everyone at our hotel pulled out the Pudlo instead of the Gault Millau, the Michelin or the Zagat. The Pudlo is just so much more comprehensive.
I have never seen the Pudlo for sale in the U.S., since it's currently only in French, but I haven't tried the French Bookstore at Rockefeller Center. Don't recall that they have any gourmet guides in French at all, just literature and textbooks primarily. It's been a while since I've shopped there.
eks,
I completely forgot to mention that the menu did include wine, which makes lunch an even more wonderful value. And has bonzhoor says, it's just plain fun, as the dishes are so creative, you do start a guessing game regarding the ingredients.
If you have your hotel desk call when you arrive on Sat., there shouldn't be a problem for a Wed. or Thurs. lunch.
That was so eloquently said, bonzhoor! My feelings EXACTLY. Wish I could have stated it as eloquently as you! Everyone at our hotel pulled out the Pudlo instead of the Gault Millau, the Michelin or the Zagat. The Pudlo is just so much more comprehensive.
I have never seen the Pudlo for sale in the U.S., since it's currently only in French, but I haven't tried the French Bookstore at Rockefeller Center. Don't recall that they have any gourmet guides in French at all, just literature and textbooks primarily. It's been a while since I've shopped there.
eks,
I completely forgot to mention that the menu did include wine, which makes lunch an even more wonderful value. And has bonzhoor says, it's just plain fun, as the dishes are so creative, you do start a guessing game regarding the ingredients.
If you have your hotel desk call when you arrive on Sat., there shouldn't be a problem for a Wed. or Thurs. lunch.
Sep 28th, 2006, 04:24 PM
#26
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Nope, le Pudlo isn't available at the bookshop, Librairie de France, in Rockefeller Center. I just did a search at www.frencheuropean.com
Sep 28th, 2006, 04:45 PM
#27
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The 2005 guide seems to be available at Amazon France........
http://www.amazon.fr/Pudlo-Paris-Gil.../dp/2749901715
http://www.amazon.fr/Pudlo-Paris-Gil.../dp/2749901715
Sep 28th, 2006, 04:59 PM
#28
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eks,
You can also pick up an '06 in a bookstore in Bayonne or maybe even at the magazine shop on the same street as your hotel. That's where I buy my Pays Basque magazines. Or the Galeries Lafayette there is quite small, but they may have a book section. Then you can have some delectable reading for the train!
You can also pick up an '06 in a bookstore in Bayonne or maybe even at the magazine shop on the same street as your hotel. That's where I buy my Pays Basque magazines. Or the Galeries Lafayette there is quite small, but they may have a book section. Then you can have some delectable reading for the train!
Sep 28th, 2006, 05:35 PM
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Maribel, Certainly I will pick it up within 24 hours after arrival! Now maybe I can whittle down the number of guide books that are stacked on my shelf here waiting to be jammed into my suitcase. I think Penelope Casas may not make this trip; in fact, I don't think I need anything more than your guides for San Sebastian/Bilbao/Bayonne.
Sep 29th, 2006, 08:35 AM
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Hi eks,
I wish so much that Penelope would revise her wonderful Discovering Spain, now 10 yrs. old. Now that's a job I would gladly volunteer to do for her!
For France, you'll love le Pudlo. I don't use my outdated Patricia Wells Food Lovers' Guide anymore, except for the recipes and an occasional moulin rec (like the Moulin de la Tour for walnut oil in Saint-Nathalène near Sarlat-think it came from her) or cheese maker rec. (like the Abbaye of Belloc outside of La Bastide Clairence in the Pays Basque). One of her recs. for good-value dining in Bayonne, for example, no longer exists as the bistro it once was. I walked in with the P.W. guide in hand, and the lady owner threw up her hands in despair, explaining for the umpteenth time that her place had changed entirely several yrs. ago!
BTW,
The Galeries Lafayette branch in Bayonne, if you need it, is on rue Thiers and open 9:30-7:30 Mon.-Sat.
I wish so much that Penelope would revise her wonderful Discovering Spain, now 10 yrs. old. Now that's a job I would gladly volunteer to do for her!
For France, you'll love le Pudlo. I don't use my outdated Patricia Wells Food Lovers' Guide anymore, except for the recipes and an occasional moulin rec (like the Moulin de la Tour for walnut oil in Saint-Nathalène near Sarlat-think it came from her) or cheese maker rec. (like the Abbaye of Belloc outside of La Bastide Clairence in the Pays Basque). One of her recs. for good-value dining in Bayonne, for example, no longer exists as the bistro it once was. I walked in with the P.W. guide in hand, and the lady owner threw up her hands in despair, explaining for the umpteenth time that her place had changed entirely several yrs. ago!
BTW,
The Galeries Lafayette branch in Bayonne, if you need it, is on rue Thiers and open 9:30-7:30 Mon.-Sat.
Sep 29th, 2006, 09:24 AM
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Maribel, I was wondering about the Euskalduna in Bayonne. PW also has a great review of a Dordogne farm-restaurant named La Ferme (!) in Caudon de Vitrac. Try as I might, I could not find anything else on this place and I suspect it is no longer in existence. This reminds me of the freezing winter night in Rome that I spent wandering for the longest time trying to locate a place (Il Pellicano??) that Fred Plotkin gushed about in his Italy for the Gourmet Traveler Guide. It sounded like THE quintessential Roman eating experience and I cannot tell you how hard we searched for this place, walking up and down on the cold dark street peering for a doorway that might lead us to gustatory heaven. It was not to be...the three of these authors, Penelope, Patricia and Fred really ought to buckle down and do some updating! However, you are doing an admirable job of filling in for Penelope! And thank you for the tip on GL in Bayonne.
