How formal is La Regalade?
 

I know it does not have a michelin star nor at par with Taillevant in terms of formality, but I won't be able to bring a suit on a couple of days trip to Paris and a couple of months in Europe (mostly in the countryside except for one city which is Paris). Can I get away with a short-sleeve dress shirt with a tie and a dockers pants for dinner? Otherwise, I'll just cancel our reservation.

you could probably sell that reservation. I called 3 weeks in advance and couldn't get in earlier than 10:30. <BR><BR>I don't want to hurt your feelings, but many people consider a short sleeve dress shirt sort of a fashion joke. I certainly wouldn't wear a tie with it. If there is any way you could bring a LONG sleeve dress shirt, I would wear it with no tie, you should be fine.

It's a very chic crowd. Men with jackets and ties. Ladies were beautifully dressed. My favorite diningspot. Worth the effort to dress.

Thanks for the information. I will bring a long-sleeve dress shirt but no tie. We will be there early anyway so the "chic" crowd will probably come later.<BR><BR>Charles

I haven't been there but sure would like to. I was going to say that given it's a bistro, you can no doubt get by without a suit (I think you can go to some fancier restaurants without a suit, but with some jacket instead, with tie -- if it's just the suit thing you don't like, if it's any jacket, that's a problem). Now I don't follow the latest men's fashion (just a little actually) but short-sleeved dress shirts were shown by men's designers a few years ago (may be outre by now). But, to pull that look off, you have to have the body of a swimmer and be a male model, the dress shirt rather close fitting -- sort of computer nerd look. Kenzo showed that in a dark color with a light, narrow tie (a la 60s). Or, tie same color as shirt, or similar color, both in darker shades. Sometimes a short-sleeved dress shirt over longer-sleeved tighter T-shirt. IN general, it is hard to pull off a short-sleeved dress shirt look, though, and I would definitely go with a longer-sleeved dress shirt, more casual cut and style, darker color, perhaps linen/cotton blend, perhaps Italian. You could perhaps rolls the cuffs up a bit if it's the right style.<BR><BR>I don't know about the Dockers, better if a dark color, not light, perhaps. As a bit of illustration, I live in a city with a fair number of French expats whom I run into at events and in town now and again (Wash DC) -- yesterday I went to an ordinary movie matinee and there was a French man in line behind me (about 40-50ish) who was dressed better than that just to go to the movies on a Sunday afternoon in the city -- even he had on a jacket (some black tweedy pattern thing) with dark colored pants (not Dockers or sports brand), and long-sleeved shirt, but no tie.