My wife and I reallu enjoyed a place in the 17th Arr. called Bistro du 17. (Sp?) The rack of lamb and duck was fantastic! We also spent 2 1/2 to 3 hours an evening. The fixed price meal was about $58. We really enjoyed the service and the meal. We were reccomended the place by our hotel staff and they were right. the first evening the maitre de did stick us by the pisser door. The second night i had to ask for a table nearer the front as he began to take us back to the same table...oh well! <BR>

Are you refering to "Nos ancetres les gaulois", Leslie?

We just finished 2 weeks in France, half of it in Paris. Sure, not every meal was as memorable as others - but, I had done quite a bit of research & we would ask at the hotel for advice, so most of it was wonderful. <BR> <BR>Keep in mind: Paris offers a conglomeration of backgrounds and preferences on the parts of the chefs. If you don't care for a particular spot, perhaps it is offering the food from a particular region that you wouldn't prefer (I hope to add Alsace to my next trip, for example,& I know that the scenery & villages will be incredible. But - I worry that the food may be heavier than I prefer. Here in my mid-sized town, there is a fine restaurant with an Alsatian chef; some people love his food, my husband & I find it not to our liking except in the dead of winter! Another example: Even my 12 year old daughter on this trip was enthralled by the cheeses during our week in Normandy; an earlier trip to the Dordogne made me believe that their cheeses are not up to Norman standards: is that fair? No, it's the difference in the emphasis and practices of that area.) <BR> <BR>I did find one giggle-inspiring moment during this past trip. While in Paris, I was thanking the concierge one evening for a great recommendation he had given me for our dinner that evening. A woman (American....) standing next to me started whining about "have you found any meals you like here....I just don't like the food here..." and then, evidently fearing that I wouldn't judge her to be cosmopolitan enough, she explained earnestly that it couldn't be her fault since "I really like the French food they serve in the United States". (I had to stifle a guffaw, it struck me as so stinking funny - my husband loved it, too. Of course, I wanted to suggest: then, go home and leave Paris to the rest of us!)

Thanks to all of you and your comments and renewing my faith. I'm ashamed I let anyone make me think we wouldn't find great food in Paris. I'd really like to see actual menus and get a better idea of what foods are really good and which may be more mediocre. <BR> <BR>Jo Ann, I absolutely love Alsation food and had a most marvelous "Alsation Baker's Stew" at the restaurant D'Auphin in Strasbourg. It had beef, pork, and lamb with a small amount of veggies in a very tasty broth. The entire casserole was covered with very thin sliced scalloped potatoes. They also served a torta which looked like a pizza with chopped raw bacon. The bacon wasn't really raw (I don't think), but it was also delicious.