Lianne

Please tell me if any of the top Paris restaurants are open during the weekend. I have been so busy researching which restaurants I would like to dine at, but then realized that the guide books do not list weekend dining times for them. Am I missing something? It would seem like the restaurants would be losing a lot of business during the weekends if they are closed.<BR><BR>Also, does anyone know if Le Grand Vefour offers their lamb specialty with chocolate/coffee sauce with their lunch Prix Fixe meal? I have been trying to locate a menu on the internet for this restaurant, but have had no luck.<BR><BR>I would also appreciate comparisons between Le Grand Vefour, Taillevent, La Tour D'Argent, Guy Savoy, and Alain Ducasse (sp?). And, I know that Jules Verne is not up to the quality of the other restaurants I've listed, but is it still worth dining there for the experience? Or should I just select 2 of the others?<BR><BR>I would also love suggestions for some hot newcomers to the restaurant scene. Often these restaurants are wonderful, but a bit less expenssive.<BR><BR>I truly appreciate the help of anyone who can answer my questions.

ks

Access Paris lists all restaurants hours and day open.

iluvparis

Wehn i was in paris not only were the restaurants open but they were also open much later then the weekday hours.

Donna

Days and hours vary, so you'd have to check each restaurant. Le Grand Vefour, for example, is open for lunch Monday through Friday and dinner Monday through Thursday. Some of the top dining destinations are not open Saturday or Sunday. Go to www.reservethebest.com, where you can check most of these places, and reserve online for those listed.<BR><BR>As for Le Jules Verne, the food is magnificent. You must book way ahead, and have a confirmed hotel reservation (to provide a Paris phone number). I recommend reserving at 7PM, so you can enjoy the view from outdoors after your meal, then the piano lounge (with the very best views) until closing.<BR><BR>Guy Savoy, has many other restaurants, which are very nice, with exquisite food, for lesser tariffs, as do many of the other top chefs in Paris.

Lianne

Donna, thank you for your helpful reply. I am happy that you like Jules Verne. I have already made reservations for 8:00 PM for a Sunday. Do you think I should change the reservation to 7:00, or should I leave it for 8:00?<BR><BR>Unfortunatly, I will only be in Paris for 2 weekends, Friday through Sunday. This limits my ability to dine at some of the top restaurants since they will not be open those days. I have tickets for the ballet at Opera Garnier the first Friday. Do you think that it would be a good idea to go to Le Grand Vefour or Taillevent for a late lunch before the ballet? The problem is that ususally the latest lunch reservation that can be had is at 2:00 or 2:30. If lunch takes 3 hours, I will have 2 hours between the end of lunch and the show. Any suggestions for that period of time. I hate to waste even an hour.<BR><BR>Also, this will be our first day in Paris after a long overnight flight from New York. Do you think that eating at a fine dining establishment and then going to the ballet is a bit over ambitious? This was the only day I could get tickets at Palais Garnier due to the Easter holiday period. And it will probably be the only time I can go to Le Grand Vefour or Taillevent due to their hours.<BR><BR>Please advise. I would love to hear your opinion. Thank you much. <BR><BR>

Donna

When we visited Le Grand Vefour, it was for lunch. A magnificent experience! (I can still remember the foie gras ravioli with truffle oil!) <BR><BR>Musee du Louvre is an easy walk from Le Grand Vefour, where you could easily spend two hours. If you like to shop, there are many surrounding the Jardins du Palais Royal (steps from Le Grand Vefour). After that, you could wander over to Place Vendome (home of Chanel, etc.). Also nearby are many of the spectacular &quot;galleries&quot;, Vivienne, for example (indoor &quot;malls&quot; full of shops and boutiques). From there, you could head for Opera Garnier and, if you still have time to spare, see if Cafe de la Paix has reopened (currently closed for renovations). The interior is drop-dead gorgeous (like sitting amidst a Renoir painting) and there's a lovely cafe in the front, perfect for relaxing and watching the passing parade. If not open, a little farther east on Capucines is the Grand Cafe, an Art Nouveau gem, also nice for relaxing and enjoying a cafe.<BR><BR>I'm guessing you'll be all dressed up, shoes included. Just bring comfortable shoes in a tote (a tapestry tote is &quot;dressier&quot;, or I've even carried just a paper shopping bag with handles).<BR><BR>But, you can just walk about (you'll like want after lunch) in the general direction of Opera Garnier (or take a stroll through the Jardin Tuileries first), admiring the architecture, window shopping, and resting at an appealing cafe here and there.<BR><BR>Regarding lunch and ballet on the day you land, go ahead and make the lunch reservations. Then, see how you feel after you've arrived in Paris and checked into your hotel. You're really going to have to listen to your body. If you've gotten a good nights sleep the night before departure and managed to sleep for a few hours on the plane, you should be fine. But, if you're dragging yourself around, you may want to cancel your lunch reservations (as early as you know, and someone at the front desk will do this for you - there's always a concierge delighted to scoop a same day cancellation) and have a nap (otherwise you may find yourselves dozing off during the ballet, though if you see any of it at all in that splendid venue, it will be worth the price of the tickets). Or, you could plan to return to your hotel and nap between lunch and the ballet, if you feel the urge. Your stamina the first day will depend upon you. Some are too charged up to even think of napping (or wasting an hour); others just cannot get going without a nap; others sort of take it easy the first day and go to bed early. You won't really know until you get there. But, I'd recommend giving it your best try to do both.<BR><BR>As for Le Jules Vernes, if you can change to 7, I'd recommend it, but 8 is just fine. <BR><BR>By the way, the reason many of those temples of haute cuisine are not open weekends: These are very successful chefs/restauranteurs who understand that there is more to life than making the most money possible, like spending time with their families and enjoying other pursuits!

xxx

I'm curious why anyone would recommend going to Jules Verne at 7 instead of 8, unless at that time of year it would have to do with a sunset. Fine dining in Paris does not normally start at 7. I never go before 9.

Paris Fan

I'm sure the idea is to get up to JV while still light outside, have a cocktail and watch the sun set. Then have dinner, enjoy the lights and remain all evening. Sounds like a plan to me!!

Lianne

Donna, you have been soooo helpful. Thank you for taking the time to write such detailed replies. <BR><BR>I was thinking about visiting the Louvre during the time between lunch and the ballet, but then I realized that the line to get in might use up half that time, and the museum closes at 6:00, I believe, on Fridays. Please correct me if I am wrong.<BR><BR>Your suggestion of just strolling through the park, and window shopping, sounds nice also. Having just eaten a large meal, however, I am not sure about visiting a cafe. Although, the cafes you suggested sound wonderful. Is it acceptable to just order bottled water, or would that be frowned upon?<BR><BR>Also, can you pleas tell me the appropriate attire for lunch at Le Grand Vefour and the ballet? I have read that lunch at the top restaurants is more casual than dinner, and that the ballet is somewhat more casual than the opera. I certainly do want to be dressed appropriately, but probably won't want to get &quot;more&quot; dressed than necessary given that it is our first night in Paris. I usually love primping for a special occassion, but not when I am tired.<BR><BR>Donna, do you think it would be acceptable to ask LGV if they serve their specialty lamb with coffee and chocolate sauce during lunch when I call to make reservations? I do not want to offend by asking the wrong questions. I have wanted to try this entree ever since reading about it. By the way, I think that the great chefs of Paris have the right idea regarding being closed on the weekends. There is alot more to life than work, even if you do love it!<BR><BR>I have 3 last questions, if I may:<BR><BR>1) Do you have suggestions for casual meals for lunch and dinner for the rest of our stay?<BR><BR>2)Do you have any idea of when sunset occurs during mid April? The suggestion of being at Jules Verne both before and after the sun sets sounds great.<BR><BR>3) Do multi day museum passes need to be utilized on consecutive days? Do you think that I should order them before my trip, or should I wait to purchase them in Paris? <BR><BR>Thank you again for your most helpful advice.<BR><BR>

Donna

<BR>At Eastertime, I believe sunset is just before 8PM. Le Jules Vernes opens for dinner at 7PM. Yes, it is best to arrive during daylight so you can enjoy the scenery during dusk, sunset, twilight, and finally in the dark when the lights are turned over and it could not be more magical or romantic. <BR><BR>You may want to make your reservations for Le Grand Vefour through www.reservethebest.com - to my recollection, you cannot reserve at Le Grand Vefour more than 30 (or some number) days ahead whereupon the date fills up immediately. According to their website, the &quot;mocha-covered rack of lamb with eggplant preserves&quot; is still one of the specialties.<BR><BR>In my observation, attire for lunch at the nicer restaurants is NOT more casual than dinner. It's only tourists who hope to get away with &quot;more casual&quot;. At Le Grand Vefour, all the gents, save a tourist or two, were dressed in coats and ties. Each and every lady was turned out in elegance to the max. Residents and international travelers plan their attire to blend with the surroundings, whether it is a business lunch, lunch with the ladies, or a special occasion. Same with the ballet. There will be those who dress for the occasion, but you'll see just about anything and everything on the tourists.<BR><BR>I can tell you, though, that if you are deemed overly inappropriately attired, you may be advised that your reservation cannot be found. Those who wish to stick to casual attire are best advised to stick to casual places. That said, a nice black skirt or pair of slacks, beautiful white or ivory blouse, and a sweater or blazer (in your favorite and most flattering color), along with a nice belt and plain black low heeled pumps, will take you anywhere, and be &quot;comfortable&quot;. Add a strand of pearls or thin gold chain, a scarf, and nice earrings, and you'll be tres chic! (For really comfortable dressy shoes, try Munro American, Trotters, Naturalizers...)<BR>

Donna

For casual meals for lunch and dinner, among my favorite resources are the Access Guide to Paris, Routard Paris, and Paris Bistros by the Hamburgers. You can always &quot;happen upon&quot; a very nice place for lunch wherever you happen be. Just peruse the posted menus and peek inside until you find an appealing place. For dinner, I usually recommend dining near wherever you're staying. After a long day of being out and about, especially on short trips, it's best toward head &quot;home&quot;, rather than to yet another destination, for dinner. (Often we've had reservations we've been looking forward to, but are just to tired to make the trip there and back at the end of the day.)<BR><BR>Another fine resource for excellent, moderately priced, dining in Paris is Leeds Good Guide to Paris Restaurants, which you can download off the web. If you download it as a text file, you can highly appealing places before printing, or cut and paste only the appealing and conveniently located ones to a new file and print that. The download is a little pricey, but the guide is more than well worth the price. Chock full of gems.<BR><BR>Where are you staying?<BR><BR>The multi-day museum passes are valid for consecutive days. Do NOT order them from home. They can be purchased at almost any metro station, at any participating venue, even at some hotel front desks. If you have a pass, you can breeze on into the Louvre through the Passage Richelieu. See www.louvre.fr (then click on English) for a map of the entrances. We have never encountered the long lines you hear about at the Louvre. But, we always go after lunch, and never, as everyone and all the tour guides advise, at opening time. <BR><BR>Cafes are everywhere and you are always welcome to sit as long as you like with just a beverage. Some cafes have a section of tables that are set with flatware, glassware, napkins and those of for people who wish to order food. Just select a table that's not set.

Christina

Sunset in mid-April is 8:30-9 pm, they are on daylight savings time then, I believe. You can find that info online at www.sunrisesunset.com<BR><BR>I would never try to do what you are doing, it just sounds horrendous to me for the first day after a transatlantic flight with a major time difference. So, I think it is too ambitious, but people do vary and so you should go with your habits. If you've never traveled that distance before so you don't know how you'll feel, I think you should scale down. Planning a long elaborate lunch then a late night at a ballet (where you'll be sitting for several hours watching something which can tend to make you doze off) and then expecting to visit a museum in between those two is just too much. Also, you'll have to get all dressed up for the lunch and so you aren't going to want to walk around a lot doing ordinary activities in-between those two, I'd guess. Well, I wouldn't anyway. You could easily go shopping in-between if you wanted at the big dept. stores which are right behind the Opera -- Galeries Lafayette is open until 7 pm, for example. As for the cafe, I think the idea would be just to sit and rest during that time with coffee or something.<BR><BR>I think the restaurant will be the limiting factor on your dress, rather than the ballet. YOu can wear to the ballet the same thing you'd wear to a ballet in any major city. However, you could get by at a little lower level than the restaurant, of course. YOu won't get kicked out of the ballet no matter what, but you could be okay there with nice black slacks, good shoes, and a nice blouse/top as well as a simple skirt+top or simple dress.<BR><BR>One nice thing about the ballet in Paris is that they start earlier and often end by 10 pm, which I suspect that program will. I always eat after the ballet when in Paris because that's early enough. You have to know your own biorhythms and how you react to that time change and travel, but if I had to go to a fancy lunch and ballet my first day, I'd probably book the lunch early so I'd go to that after checking in and cleaning up and changing clothes, and then go to the hotel for a nap before the ballet.

Lianne

Donna and Christina, thank you for the additional information. A nice pair of slacks or skirt, nice blouse and jacket does sound comfy enough. I am going to look into getting a pair of comfortable black pumps which always come in handy -Naturalizer sounds like a good idea. Would a nice suit also be a good choice?<BR><BR>By the way, we will be staying at the Mercure Tour Eiffel Suffren during the first weekend, and then at the Scribe the second weekend. <BR><BR>Thank you for the resource suggestions. I went to the library and they had Bistros of Paris. It looks very informative. Donna, you are so right about eating dinner at an establishment near the hotel we are staying at. I have done the same as you, and have made reservations in advance only to cancel them after a wonderfully long and tiring day of sightseeing. It always is exciting to do research at home and to select the restaurants that are just pefect, but once at the destination you have to go with how you feel that day. And it is always enjoyable to dine at smaller local establishments that have wonderful food and local charm. Two of the best meals we had last year in Italy were at small, local restaurants!<BR><BR>Also, thank you Donna for the tip about the museum passes. I will definitely wait until we arrive in Paris to purchase them!<BR><BR>Christina, thanks to you for the website regarding sunrises and sunsets. I will check that shortly. And I will change my reservation to 7:00 PM if I can.<BR><BR>This is all very exciting. I know that I have almost four months before our vacation, but the planning is almost as exciting as the trip itself.<BR><BR>Thank you again!