lisaindc

Hi Barbara, You might consider trying Ze Kitchen Gallerie. I was there with my parents in May twice and had excellent, relatively simply prepared fish at both meals, but there were also meats on the menu as well. In general the food has a bit of an Asian flair. I would describe it as definitely more dependent on spices than on sauces if that makes sense. I hope you have a wonderful anniversary!! My parents are actually returning in late October to celebrate my father's birthday and I am unbelievably jealous of their chance to return so soon!

Flyboy

Ah, but "Lisa in DC", you still have the wonderful Bistrot du Coin on Connecticut for a little taste of France:

http://www.bistrotducoin.com/

Gotta go back next week! Mmmmmmm!

lisaindc

I have heard good things about it, but I am ashamed to say it is yet one more thing I have failed to take full advantage of in my 12 years here. I am often amazed at how easily I take all that DC has to offer for granted.

JeanneB

mvor: There's another restaurant I want to mention. It's across the street from Bistrot d'Opio. We were never able to get reservations there. From what we could see, it's tiny. This sounds wierd, but we could never figure out where the door was! We stood outside in the rain gazing thru the windows (like little urchins) and it looked and smelled fabulous.

I never wrote down the name, so when I got home I tried to find it on pagesjaune. I think it's probably "Machon d'Henri" at 8 Rue Guisarde. Online research leads me to think it's related to Au Moulin a Vent - Chez Henri in the 5th. If you're over that way you may want to check it out.

vslparis

In France, the food is not "swimming in sauce" like it can be is in the US. The sauce is just an a small amont that compliements the fish or meat on the plate. Simple is the word of the day .

skatterfly

JeanneB... isn't it amazing you can use the pagesjaune to locate so much info!!!

And by the way, my memorable meal was a lamb dish too. Probably the blackboard special.

I'll check out that other restaurant you mentioned across the street when we're there. I just love walking down that street in search of a cute little restaurant to try. While there I'll also be going to Bastide D'Odeon... it's a personal favorite and I just can't get this salade out of my mind I had last time... with artichoke hearts. Amazing. I'm even willing to risk the potentially bad service that one of the posters here mentioend. But we'll be staying in an apartment with a baby (and my parents) so I think we'll be doing a lot of shopping the markets and cooking at home. My mom's willing to babysit for us every night in Paris if we want to... so I'm on the hunt for some good new places, too.


BarbaraF...
After thinking about it again...

Depending on where you guys are staying, another option for you if the restaurants get to be too much rich food or you just want something completely easy and basic for a meal (of course not your anniversary dinenr), is just do a picnic lunch in your room or on one of the bridges. All the public markets (like on rue de Buci) you can get spit roasted chickens, potatoes with the drippings, and all various sorts of salads, sliced meats, cheeses, breads, desserts, fresh ruit, need I say more?

Oh, I can't wait to get there.

~kat

JeanneB

I'm so jealous of you! We were in Paris in the late fall. Among my fondest memories is sitting in an itty-bitty Italian restaurant right across the Seine from Notre Dame. From our window table we looked out on the night-lit cathedral through the golden-yellow leaves of the plane trees. Lots of leaves had already fallen...in the soft glow of the street lamps it looked like the streets were paved with gold. It just doesn't get any better than that.

Vincent

Unfortunately, "French" restaurants abroad tend to serve a cuisine that ceased to exist just as we lost our African empire! So, yes, my grandparents used to sit for 4 hour lunches every Sunday, and the food, although good, was not on the light side. But things have changed a lot, and, also, thank God, long gone are the days when French waiters were about to send you to Abu Ghraib if you asked for a "changement de garniture". And, without being too cruel, a quick look on the comparative waistlines of French and American people tells volumes about the so called "swimming in cream sauce" French dishes...

elaine

Vincent, are you the Vincent B of yore?
If so, welcome back. If not, welcome anyway.

Vincent

Yeah, I guess that's me... Thanks for your greeting!

mvor

JeanneB, thanks for the additional rec. I could just imagine you in the rain, poor things. I just googled it and it appears to be another Henri as you suggested. We're veggie (although my husband eats birds and fish) so am not sure if it would work but I will give it a look--even if it's just to find the door. I can't wait to hear Kat's opinion when she gets back. I hope you get to Paris soon, your description of your meal overlooking Notre Dame is priceless. Maureen

SuQue

Zagat's PARIS restaurant guide categorizes the restaurants by type (seafood, ethnicity, )location in the back of the book.

Leely

Don't know if you've thought of this, but the last time I was in Paris I had to come up with a variety of dining ideas to satisfy a few different palates and a few distinct budgets. I found the eGullet web site absolutely invaluable--their France forum will have your head spinning. In the end, we dined at a few of the places I found through them and they were great.

If you have time, you might do a little lurking on that site.

S4842

You will love the Hotel D'Aubusson. And, Sebastian, one of the concierges, is fabulous with recommendations. A couple of blocks away is a great restaurant that sound exactly like what you are looking for - Fish La Boissonnerie
6th arrondissement
69, rue de Seine (Odéon) Paris 014 3543469

ira

topping

mamc

I have been trying to remember a recent meal in Paris that was swimming in cream sauce, drenched in butter or stuffed with cheese. I have failed. You have some wonderful recommendations in this thread for restaurants where you can get grilled meat or fish or roasted chicken. Some we have recently tried and liked are (the oft-mentioned)Bastide d'Odeon, Fish - La Boissonnerie, La Mediterranee, Rotisserie d'en Face and Ze Kitchen Gallerie, all in the 6th and La Fontaine de Mars and Clos de Gourmets in the 7th and Le Pamphlet in the 4th. Others have liked Relais de Entrecote (I think that is the name) in the 6th where they serve only steak frites. Paris has wonderful food without rich sauces.

tskobo

Call your family doctor and say one word: "Lomotil". It is absolutely the best pill and I never travel without it. That way, your husband won't have to worry as much. I'm serious on this one! If you never heard of this, call your doctor.