In the past few days, I read a post about restaurants in the 5th or 6th arrondisement that are about $15 per person. I know I read it, but I have put in a search, and I have searched on my own--can't find it. Someone please remind me of where I read that post!

I might have mentioned the Bistro de la Gare in one of my posts. The bistro is located on Boulevard Montparnasse in the 6th near the intersection with Rue des Rennes. <BR>If you are walking toward the Monparnasse Metro Station entrance(s) on rue de Rennes, the restaurant is to your right when you get to the intersection. <BR> <BR>There are several restaurants in that immediate area, clustered together. <BR>We chose Bistro de la Gare based on intuition, and the attractive deep red table cloths and high quality paper napkins, which we thought were cloth until we used one. <BR> <BR>We ate there 3 times at night. The highest price we paid for 2 of us was about $40 plus a small extra tip. One other bill was about $30. I think $40 is more realistic for a complete meal, because you can pay much more depending on what you drink. <BR>One of the cheaper times my wife had a salad, but it was huge and good -- more than she could eat. Once I had salmon and another time an Italian style veal dish. The food I would rate as grade B to B+. <BR>Not the best in the world but not at all bad either. For the money, I thought it a good deal. The desserts were average for Paris, which is to say that they are better than most. <BR> <BR>The restaurant has a non smoking area inside. The staff was proper, even friendly at times. But the people in French restaurants seem to have a lot of people to serve, so they keep moving. <BR> <BR>The inside of the bistro is a little larger than it looks from the outside. <BR>We never made reservations, but it can get crowded because it seems popular with the locals.

Bob - Thanks so much for the thumbs up for Bistro de la Gare. This was at the top of my list on our first trip, but we didn't make it there. It is spectacularly beautiful in the photos. A business associate of my husband who is a native Parisian told us the food wasn't all that great (she took us to La Coupole which did not impress us in the least and was overpriced). We'll be sure to go there next time. Thanks again.

Let me qualify my remarks on the Bistro de la Gare a little more. I think my thumbs up would be at an angle from vertical, perhaps 20 to 25 degrees. The jump from B+ to A- on my scale is a moderately high hurdle, and A- to A is equally high. Also my expectations rise drastically when I go in a place that would double what we paid. <BR>Upgrading from B to A would be like going from a Toyota Corolla XLE to an Avalon, while a Camry LE V6 would be an A-. A Mercedes 560 is not on my scale. I cannot count that high. <BR> <BR>The appeal of this particular place was as follows: it had good value prices, the food was ok and arrived quickly for a crowded place, the location was near our hotel, there was a non smoking section, the seating was pleasent, if somewhat crowded and tight, and empty tables were available when we showed up without reservations. The third time in, the head greeter recognized us and led us directly to a well-located table. There was no behavior I perceived that put me down because I don't speak much French. In fact, the staff was fine. One of our waitresses spoke fair English, but she was so busy serving other customers that she did not have time to talk much with us. I sensed she wanted to ask us many things about visiting the USA, and she could have told us a lot about Paris. Even in a short time she conveyed some useful information. <BR>Also the menu was a little limited, so that after 3 meals, I would have wished for a little more variety had I returned for a 4th sitting. <BR>Again, a good B place for my tastes and expectations. It could not be too bad, given the large number of locals who were eating there. (They spoke French too fluently to each other to be all foreign tourists.) If all else fails, there is a McDonalds on Rue des Rennes, just south from the entrance to the Hotel Acacias St. Germain. (No, I did not opt for a hamburger!!) <BR>

Let me qualify my remarks on the Bistro de la Gare a little more. I think my thumbs up would be at an angle from vertical, perhaps 20 to 25 degrees. The jump from B+ to A- on my scale is a moderately high hurdle, and A- to A is equally high. Also my expectations rise drastically when I go in a place that would double what we paid. <BR>Upgrading from B to A would be like going from a Toyota Corolla XLE to an Avalon, while a Camry LE V6 would be an A-. A Mercedes 560 is not on my scale. I cannot count that high. <BR> <BR>The appeal of this particular place was as follows: it had good value prices, the food was ok and arrived quickly for a crowded place, the location was near our hotel, there was a non smoking section, the seating was pleasent, if somewhat crowded and tight, and empty tables were available when we showed up without reservations. The third time in, the head greeter recognized us and led us directly to a well-located table. There was no behavior I perceived that put me down because I don't speak much French. In fact, the staff was fine. One of our waitresses spoke fair English, but she was so busy serving other customers that she did not have time to talk much with us. I sensed she wanted to ask us many things about visiting the USA, and she could have told us a lot about Paris. Even in a short time she conveyed some useful information. <BR>Also the menu was a little limited, so that after 3 meals, I would have wished for a little more variety had I returned for a 4th sitting. <BR>Again, a good B place for my tastes and expectations. It could not be too bad, given the large number of locals who were eating there. (They spoke French too fluently to each other to be all foreign tourists.) If all else fails, there is a McDonalds on Rue des Rennes, just south from the entrance to the Hotel Acacias St. Germain. (No, I did not opt for a hamburger!!) <BR>