Does anybody have opinions on this restaurant? Also, any suggestions on what to order there?

Les Bookinistes is a fabulous restaurant. We have eaten there twice and the menu was different both times. The food is very innovative and the atmosphere is lively. I highly recommend it.

My H and I had dinner there in October. Try to get a table near the window.<BR><BR>For a starter, we both had incredible fish chowder. It was just fabulous. My plat was the confit of duck and, I must say, it wasn't particularly special or even very flavorful. Can't remember what H had. I'm sorry I can't remember dessert either!<BR><BR>By the way, we much more enjoyed dinner at Au Gourmet de lille. Great little french restaurant, wonderful staff, 400-year old building on the Ile St. Louis and every course was excellent. The price was about 1/3 leess than les bookinistes, as well.

We ate there in November. I thought the food was very good but nothing spectacular. I had salad, scallops, wine but forget what my husband ordered. Thought it was over priced and had just as good meals elsewhere for less. <BR><BR>The restaurant is divided into smoking and non-smoking with the smoking section in the front of the restaurant which was mostly occupied by French. The back of the restaurant is non-smoking and on that night, every couple was english speaking except one. View of the side street from the windows in the back so doesn't matter where you sit. <BR><BR>The service was great, there was a magician to entertain people waiting to get in, but I wouldn't go back. In my humble opinion, it is over rated.

We enjoyed Les Bookinistes in Sept and had a very good meal. I had Remoulade Mussels which were especially good, then steak with onions and chorizo and sweet potato polenta. My husband had tomatoe and mozarella in a citrus sauce and then sea bass with vegetables. Everything was good. The waiter was a lot of fun. It's not cheap though, 122 euros with a bottle of wine.

My friends tell me it is a tourist trap, though the food is not bad if somewhat over priced. I finally went there on my own and everyone there that night was a tourist, tho none us were terribly trapped!

There has been much praise for this restaurant on previous threads (which I have never been to myself) however I distinctly get the impression that it is more nouveau style. I prefer the traditional dishes like boeuf bourgignon, daube de boeuf , lotte a l'armoricaine etc. Does anyone have a<BR>suggestions for traditional French food in Paris that is preferably not ultra formal? Merci bien a l'avance.

It IS nouveau style. Also, though I wouldn't book there again for reasons stated in my earlier post, to be fair, we were surrounded by french-speaking patrons the week night we were there.

It was all Americans the night we were there. We found it to be mediocre food at an above average cost. Nothing special and we couldn't figure out why the raves we'd heard. Most little bistros in the general area are far better.