This is part two of my report of a trip to London and Paris to celebrate a special birthday with a friend. You will find the other part under the heading London: a mini-report.

We arrived in Paris on November 9 at approximately 11 p.m. via Eurostar from London at the Gare du Nord and grabbed a taxi to our hotel.

Hotel
We usually stay on the left bank in the 5th arrondissement but this time our friend got a good deal from American Express for the Hotel Paris Opera de Noailles on rue de la Michodiere. Although doubles usually go for 180 to 250 euros Amex was offering them from 149 to157 euros and we decided to go for it. Nice place about two blocks or so from the Opera Garnier. The place is recently renovated in what I call poor man�s W style. Lots of beautiful modern, tall floral arrangements with spikey flowers and lots of green leaves. Small but pleasant rooms with bath/shower with plenty of water pressure and separate toilet. Modern crayon art built into the bed headboard. Low beds. Nice breakfast room with Phillipe Stark type décor and a lovely bar/library to sit around in. I really liked the place but my husband yearned for the comfortable west bank with its tacky Greek restaurant streets to walk through on the way home at night. At 149 euros it was a real bargain. At 180 euros it is still a pretty good deal if you like modern, minimalist décor.

Food
One of our favorite things about Paris is the many wonder small bistros. I have the book by Barbara and Robert Hamburger entitled Bistros of Paris and have been gradually working my way through the index. Because this was a special birthday celebration trip we alternated small bistros with some pretty over-the-top blow out meals at some pretty spiffy places. Here�s the quick run down.

Le Dauphin-for lunch near the Palais Royale. A good choice for our first meal back in Paris. Traditional menu of all things French. Terrine with fois gras and cassoulet. It does not get much more French than that.

Crillon Ambassadeurs room for breakfast on the actual birthday. We had eaten dinner here once on a previous trip and been somewhat disappointed but thought the room very beautiful. I have to say that breakfast is the best meal for this room. With all the lights on, the mirrors and multi-colored marble walls just sparkle. At 45 euros per person inclusive of tip and tax for the breakfast buffet, this is a wonderful way to start a birthday-or any day. The food itself was nothing special, just very good and quite pretty and with a glass of Taittinger champagne and wonderful coffee, I think it was worth it for one of the most elegant breakfasts I have ever had.

Jules Verne in the Eifel Tower for lunch. First of all getting to ascend by the private elevator for restaurant guests only is a good start. The view up is fantastic and there is no pushing or shoving for positions near the window. Everyone can see fine. The view when you get there is even more spectacular. We were seated next to the windows facing the Trocadero and could see the fountains as well as the rain drizzling on the windows. Everyone had wonderfully done food—individual mushroom terrines sort of like pot de crème, risotto with gorgonzola and mushrooms, rare roast beef, pommes anna soaked in butter, a wonderful cheese trolley, then coffee in the bar with a view toward the Ecole Militaire. A perfect birthday lunch.

Fermette Marbeuf 1900 just off the Champs Elysees. We hadn’t expected this place to compete with Jules Verne and it did not. But it was pleasant and has the most beautiful art nouveau ceilings and wall decorations.

Back to Bistros. Met a cyberfriend from some foodie websites at an old favorite near Les Halles-Chez Clovis. The cyberfriend is a real bistro aficionado so I was particularly excited to show him our favorite bistro. This place has been around for over 50 years, having been there when Les Halles was the market of Paris. They show you books of old pictures of the market and their restaurant from the good old days. This is about as authentic an old bistro as there is. My friend recalled having eaten there 45 years ago and enjoyed his return as much as I had hoped. He had onion soup and beef cheeks. I had marrow bones and blanquette de veau (veal stew in creamy sauce) and the others had duck confit with garlic potatoes. Everyone was very happy.

Escargot Montorgeuil also near Les Halles is not as good as we remembered. Service was terrible and the food was only passable, if that. Sad when a beautiful place -it is in Empire style and the ceiling is said to have come from Sarah Bernhardt’s bedroom – that was once wonderful does not live up to its old glory. Has it changed or have we?

Willi’s Wine Bar-a place we have tried to go for several trips and never made it. Worth the wait. Wonderful lamb with white beans and a gravy heavy with thyme. Cute friendly place. Now that we have finally gotten there, we will return often I hope.

Bouquinistes or however it is spelled, is a modern bistro on the left bank facing the Seine very popular with Americans. We had been once before and liked it. We liked it again this time. Never have seen any of the banishment of Americans to less acceptable tables, etc. that people complain of. Perhaps you get what you are looking for. Pretty, modern décor. Excellent service and wonderful food. The lamb shank with tagliatelle is done just right in the old-fashioned fall of the bone way.

Breakfast at Café de la Paix across the street from the Opera. With only a little time before our flight home, we decided to do another super-dupe breakfast. We should have stopped after the one at the Crillon. Nothing could compare. This was just breakfast, albeit in a lovely setting, and surely not worth the 30 euros per person it cost. Gave us even more reason to feel our breakfast at the Crillon was truly a bargain.

Sights
We have been to Paris many times but I still have a list of places yet to get to. This time I whittled away at it a tiny bit. Here is what we saw that we had not ever seen before.

Passage Choiseuil-I love the passages and had not explored this one before. It was close to our hotel and had a cybershop we could use. It is a very typical passage in a nice location. I recommend it.

Church of St. Eugene and Cecile-near the border between the 9th and 10th is a stunner. I was intrigued because the frame is made of wrought iron like the market places. That is not as noticeable as I expected but the church itself is very beautiful. Very open and with lots of orange in the stained glass windows. Gives a happy effect.

November 11—Armistice Day parade with the Republican Guard. We have seen parades up the Champs before and we have also seen the Republican Guard. What was amazing about this one was the security. To enter the area close to the street you had to submit to a more thorough search than I have ever had at an airport. Chirac was laying a wreath and I guess they were not taking any chances.

Whistler, Turner, Monet exhibit at the Grand Palais. This was a real disappointment. We had bought advance tickets and what little we saw of the exhibit rushing by on our way out to breathe looked very nice. But the place was so packed and so hot, we just could not spend any time.

Montmartre and the Amelie walk-We have been to the Sacre Couer and the Place du Tertre several times but this time we got off the metro at Lemarck-Caulaincourt, the Amelie exit, and followed some maps I had for the real Montmartre. It was as charming as promised. We stopped for a drink at a cute café just across from the old windmill, saw the Deux Moulins, the Amelie Bar, and just wandered. The food shops on Caulaincourt rival those around the Madeleine and are much easier to explore without feeling watched by security.

I can’t resist a mention of Lavinia. This is not a new place for us but it is one we always try to go to. It is on Blvd. Madeleine not far from the church of the same name and has more wines and wine paraphernalia than any store I have ever been in. It also has a wine bar and restaurant where they sell wines to drink at retail prices. If you have any interest in wine, this is THE place to go. Have the cheese and charcuterie platters for a wonderful quick lunch.

All in all, the trip provided a wonderful special birthday for a special friend and a great time for everyone. Just being in Paris is what it is all about.

Julie, Just wonderful! You really know how to celebrate the special occasions. This one ranks right up there with your husband's birthday in Paris! Bravo.

Julie, glad you had a great time. DH and I discovered Lavinia on our last trip the first weekend of December. We are told it is the largest wine store in Europe, and DH felt like a little kid in a candy store. On Saturdays (and in this case since they were opened Sunday) they have tastings. Fun!

Excellent trip report, Julie! You have great descriptive powers. I copied this one to my travel folder for restaurant recs for future trips.

Thanks for sharing.