French Cuisine at its best
Mar 14th, 2013, 04:36 AM
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French Cuisine at its best
Guys am planning a trip in August towards Paris and i need your recommendation on where to dine in with my wife?
Iv heard too much about the cafe's that are in downtown.
Iv heard too much about the cafe's that are in downtown.
Mar 14th, 2013, 05:23 AM
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"Iv heard too much about the cafe's that are in downtown"
I sort of don't get this. What have you heard? What does downtown mean to you? All of Paris that anyone visits is a city, so it is sort of all 'downtown'.
Not to be difficult, because I really want to help, but I don't know what this means to you, either:
"where to dine in with my wife?" Does "dine in" mean have room service or does it mean like "dine in a restaurant" as opposed to getting takeout?
With what you have said, I'll go this far. Many people think French restaurants all cost a lot, have fancy food with heavy sauces, and are snooty. This isn't true.
You have a huge advantage in picking places to eat because they have to post their menus by the door or in the front window, so you never have to go into a place without knowing what they serve.
Most restaurants and cafes have set menus in which you get 2 or 3 courses for a fixed price. Coffee and wine are extra, of course, but the "formule" or "menu" which is what the French call a fixed price meal, is almost always a good value. If you don't want that much food, you can order individual dishes 'a la carte', just like at home. "Carte" is what the French call a menu, so you are ordering from the menu rather than taking their suggestions. You ask for a "carte", not a menu, when you come in.
One last suggestion revolves around the fact that French restaurants are often very, very busy at lunch time. They will not have time to explain everything to you so may seem impatient. Now to deal with this, you will have to spend some time before you go learning a little bit about French food and what they call it. Patricia Wells, an American food writer, has a long list on her website that you can print out or load on your tablet or laptop. Go a little early (12 rather than 12:30), study the carte posted outside or the listings on the blackboard, and figure out what you want to order before you sit down. If the waiter can't get your pronunciation, you can point to items on the carte.
Relax and enjoy it.
I sort of don't get this. What have you heard? What does downtown mean to you? All of Paris that anyone visits is a city, so it is sort of all 'downtown'.
Not to be difficult, because I really want to help, but I don't know what this means to you, either:
"where to dine in with my wife?" Does "dine in" mean have room service or does it mean like "dine in a restaurant" as opposed to getting takeout?
With what you have said, I'll go this far. Many people think French restaurants all cost a lot, have fancy food with heavy sauces, and are snooty. This isn't true.
You have a huge advantage in picking places to eat because they have to post their menus by the door or in the front window, so you never have to go into a place without knowing what they serve.
Most restaurants and cafes have set menus in which you get 2 or 3 courses for a fixed price. Coffee and wine are extra, of course, but the "formule" or "menu" which is what the French call a fixed price meal, is almost always a good value. If you don't want that much food, you can order individual dishes 'a la carte', just like at home. "Carte" is what the French call a menu, so you are ordering from the menu rather than taking their suggestions. You ask for a "carte", not a menu, when you come in.
One last suggestion revolves around the fact that French restaurants are often very, very busy at lunch time. They will not have time to explain everything to you so may seem impatient. Now to deal with this, you will have to spend some time before you go learning a little bit about French food and what they call it. Patricia Wells, an American food writer, has a long list on her website that you can print out or load on your tablet or laptop. Go a little early (12 rather than 12:30), study the carte posted outside or the listings on the blackboard, and figure out what you want to order before you sit down. If the waiter can't get your pronunciation, you can point to items on the carte.
Relax and enjoy it.
Mar 14th, 2013, 07:27 AM
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<<Iv heard too much about the cafe's that are in downtown.>>
I have no idea what this means. What cafés? What "downtown"? (there is none, really). What have you heard?
There is, of course, incredibly good French food in Paris, if that's what you're after. But you have to give us some clue what you want and what your budget is.
I have no idea what this means. What cafés? What "downtown"? (there is none, really). What have you heard?
There is, of course, incredibly good French food in Paris, if that's what you're after. But you have to give us some clue what you want and what your budget is.
Mar 14th, 2013, 08:23 AM
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Steve - Perhaps if you mentioned your budget and what your food interests are and possibly where you are staying (people can suggest places near your hotel) you might get some responses. There are far too many resources out there discussing restaurants in Paris to list them all. Try looking at www.thefork.com or www.parisbymouth.com to get started.
Otherwise, do as has been suggested and just look at the menus, which by law have to be posted outside any restaurant and must display their prices. Look inside and see if you like the ambiance and what is on the plates of the diners. If it all checks out then go right in.
Otherwise, do as has been suggested and just look at the menus, which by law have to be posted outside any restaurant and must display their prices. Look inside and see if you like the ambiance and what is on the plates of the diners. If it all checks out then go right in.
Mar 14th, 2013, 12:23 PM
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Try Gayot for some cafe listings.
http://www.gayot.com/restaurants/search-in-paris.php
Plug in what you want, were you want, get the reviews and read them.
http://www.gayot.com/restaurants/search-in-paris.php
Plug in what you want, were you want, get the reviews and read them.
like it should be reasonable not that ultra expensive
Mar 27th, 2013, 09:44 AM
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Hi S,
>Hey Ira Budget is not an issue ... like it should be reasonable not that ultra expensive. <
What is reasonable?
100E pp for lunch at www.taillevent.com?
32E pp for dinner at www.vagenende.com?
>Hey Ira Budget is not an issue ... like it should be reasonable not that ultra expensive. <
What is reasonable?
100E pp for lunch at www.taillevent.com?
32E pp for dinner at www.vagenende.com?
Mar 27th, 2013, 09:54 AM
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What does "reasonable" mean - how many euros are you willing to spend, and what kind of French cuisine are you after (it's not as though there's a national kitchen).
And what does "towards Paris" mean? IN Paris or somewhere along some route toward it (and where would that be)?
And what does "towards Paris" mean? IN Paris or somewhere along some route toward it (and where would that be)?
Mar 29th, 2013, 11:52 AM
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My husband and I had a special night at Jules Verne, the restaurant on top of the Eiffel Tower. We ordered the pre fix menu and it was fabulous. You also have private access to the top of the tower so mo waiting in lines. It is very expensive, I think it came up to just under $500 US dollars at the time. We stopped after our first glass of champaign which was about $50. We justified the prices as an unforgettable experience. The food was the best I've ever eaten. I'm not adventurous but was more adventurous in trying things like foi gras under the capable hands of the great chef. We even sat less than 5 feet away from a celebrity couple (when Tony Parker and Eva Longoria were dating). The presentation was magnificent (everyone took pics of the food) and the table is yours for the night so it is not rushed at all. Worth every penny. We just ate light and cheap for the lunches. Also our friends chose to eat at the lower level restaurant, didn't pay as much as we did and was happy with their meal. Jules Verne needs months in advance notice.
Mar 29th, 2013, 12:02 PM
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Also, If you like soufflé, Le Soufflé was very nice. But after eating soufflé for appetizer, dinner and dessert, we didn't touch soufflé for the rest of the trip. But it felt tight to go there at least once and we chose that as our first meal in Paris and loved it. We also ate at a restaurant in an old train station. I can't remember the name. The food was not bad but the ambience, decor and artwork was what I really remembered. We also tried other ethnic foods like Chinese and Indian. It was cool to see the French influence in both cuisine and presentation of their food.
