Hi,<BR><BR>My husband and I will be in Paris in early July and would love to hear about any awesome meals you've had in the city. <BR><BR>Know of any hotspots we shouldn't miss? Old favorites? We're young, from Los Angeles, and haven't been to Paris since we backpacked thru years ago (on a shoestring). <BR><BR>Planning on "doing Paris right" this time around! Thanks for your ideas! <BR><BR>

I nominate Violon d'Ingres, which you will never look back in Ingres on. I have eaten here twice, both times exceptional, extraordinary, etc. On one of these occasions I had dinner with my friend, Judith, who has her own show on the BBC (not that it means anything, other than she can afford to eat anywhere), and she said, "John G., you have done it again!! It is fabulous." <BR><BR>I once had dinner at Tour d'Argent and the pigeon I ordered was very dry. Also, the wines offered, although the best in the land, where marked up 300%. <BR><BR>I think you will find Violon d'Ingres reasonable.<BR><BR>

Thank you John G. - much appreciated!

I second this restaurant for what I think you are looking for, an elegant place with great food for not a totally outrageous price. The food and service are wonderful.

I liked Violon but did find the prices outrageous. WwW. zagats.com is a great site for Paris restaurant recommendations as are the timeout guides and Patricia Wells' book Food Lovers Guide to Paris. Bon app.

We had lunch at Le Vieux Bistro right across the street from Notre Dame. It was very charming and I was excited to see all the very French customers when we arrived. We had the Beef Borgonaese (don't know how to spell it) It was wonderful. Great wine and service and great comfort food. Not inexpensive, around 25.00 euro per person for lunch. We did get a reservation.

<BR>Le Violin d'Ingres IS a very pretty and wonderful restaurant.It is also VERY expensive.So if that concerns you,there are others that are delicious and not quite so dear.If you want to experience that great combination of French dining and Award winning chef(Christian Constant)-L'Violin is a pretty good choice.<BR>Helene Darroze is also good, I think 1 star, with a beautiful dining room and impeccable service.<BR>Then you have the old stand byes that perhaps are a little old and stale, and even more expensive! <BR>

I second Helene Darroze and if the regular dining room is too expensive they have a tapas room downstairs with alot of the same items on the menu.

AGM,did you by any chance meet HDarroze and her dog?<BR we did on our last visit! She was charming and working so hard, I really wish her good luck,as I do Christian Constant who came to our table and visited while we were having dessert the first time we were there.<BR>I miss Paris

What do posters think expensive is? For an extremely good meal - in an elegant setting - with sublime service I see no problem spending $150 to $250 per person ( that include everything, wine, tax, tip ). I can't do that type of meal every night I'm on vacation. I see no problem though spending $50-$75 every night on "nice" dinner while on vacation.

Jessica, while not a big name or blockbuster restaurant, we found the cute little Petit Troquet (sp?) to be a perfect first dinner in Paris after a long day of traveling. Very friendly/charming, very tasty, not full of Americans, very reasonable. In the 7th, about a 10 minute after dinner walk to the Eifel Tower.

L'Epi Dupin in the 6th is wonderful as is L'Affriole just by the Eiffel Tower (not at all touristy). L'Regalade in the 17th (I think) is a GREAT bistro.

This past time I avoided the stars and tried Cheap Eats, and it worked: so, I suggest Le Bistrot De Breteuil, Le Petit Nicois and Au Petit Tonneau, all in the 7eme Arr., and Baracane-Bistrot De L'Oulette in the 4eme. If you're up for SW France style, may I suggest Benoit, one star (well, I had to fall back on one favorite, successfully avoiding Taillevent et al and big charge slips, , and it is lovely. I might add I love Paris' way of doing pizza, great for the late a.m. break, almost as much as on the beach in Guadeloupe, FWI. Sandra Gustafson's Cheap Eats books are a nice investment paying great returns, and I'll be packing them in next year when I go back. Have a great day - and wasn't the USA terrific in the first half. Now, S. Korea, and one must be try to be optimistic.

We had lunch in L'Tour d'Argan and the price was not bad. The place and manners are amazing - old fashioned grandeur, with a lovely view over the river and central sites. The food was very good - their specialty is duck. In general, it's a good idea to have lunch and not dinner in these expensive European restaurants - it reduces the price by a lot, and you still enjoy the atmosphere, the surroundings and the food.

Yes, La Tour d'Argent offers the best vantage point in Paris, and there duck reigns supreme. Although it's down a star, it works to reinvent itself. And has that half million bottle cellar which is so spellbinding. It remains a special place, and so full of history, especially from the Expatriots time.

We enjoyed George or maybe it's called The George. It's located at the George Pompidou Center. There is dining both inside & out. Nice view of Paris.

Correction - The restaurant at the Pompidou Center is called "Georges."

2 yrs ago we went to a great little restaurant near the Louvre. It is called La Souffle. 3 courses of souffles. yum

My wife and I were there a couple weeks ago and for haute cuisine had a truly memorable experience at Jamin. Both the service and food were outstanding. Didn't come cheap, though. Set us back about $350, but we ordered a la carte. You could get off easier with the fixed priced menu (80 euros apiece, as I recall).<BR><BR>For food nearly as good but in a less formal setting and at less than half the price we really liked Au Bon Accueil.<BR>

My husband and I were in Paris last month and had a wonderful dinner at Le Violon d'Ingres (the asparagus soup was the best!). It was expensive,IMO, about $300, but that included a $100 bottle of wine. We also ate at Au Trou Gascon and for half the price we had a meal that was as good, if not better. I had the duck leg confit and my husband had lamb. The service and atmosphere were excellent. Also ate at Spoon, Food and Wine. Very trendy bistro. Delicious food, but it reminded me of an upscale California restaurant. Not really the type of place I'm looking for in Paris, so I probably wouldn't got there again. On previous trips to Paris I've eaten at Au Bon Acceuil and L'Os a Moele. Both great, relatively inexpensive choices (less than $100 for two, as I recall).