Please help me with Paris restaurants before I lose my mind!
 

The challenge: Find four inexpensive to moderate-priced (restaurants (up to about 40 Euro for a 3-course menu, plus wine) to provide a high-quality, authentic Parisian dining experience.

The diners: 2 couples, mid-30s, first time in Paris for my husband, 2nd time for the other couple, and 5th time for me.

Us: adventurous eaters, no kids, drink a bottle of wine every night, have been known to spend $300 on an excellent meal.

Them: not-so-adventurous eaters, 2 kids (staying home), nervous about budget, looking for nice atmosphere.

Locations: We will be staying at the Hilton Champs-Elysees (not my preference but the lodging is being paid for), so at least one dinner needs to be in the vicinity. We will probably be near the Eiffel Tower one evening. St. Germain is also a possibility. Or, anyplace else easily accessible by metro so we can get back safely at night.

The possibilities: I know this is tough, but please help me by selecting ONLY from the following list. I've done my research on this board and Trip Advisor. I'm looking for places with consistent positive reviews on food, atmosphere, and service. My friend has looked in Fodor's and picked out the restaurants marked with an *. To make her happy we should probably pick at least one or two of these.

Alcazar*
L’Alsace
La Bastide Odéon*
Le Bistrot d'Opio
Le Boeuf sur le Toit
Brasserie Bofinger
La Butte Chaillot*
Chez Andre
Chez Savy*
Le Coupe Chou
La Fontaine de Mars
La Fermette Marbeuf*
Fouquet's
Le Grand Colbert
Brasserie de l'Île St-Louis*
Brasserie Lipp
Le Petit Troquet*
Le Pied du Cochon
Le Troquet
1728 (out of our budget?)

Thank you for your assistance, awesome Fodorites!

Paris drove me crazy on the first two trips...so many choices for hotels and restaurants.

One vote for Le Petit Troquet, within your price range, food is excellent and it's charming atmosphere. We've eaten their twice in the past and will return again next April. In the 7th so it's convenient to your hotel.

On our last trip we ate at La Bastide Odéon* twice. Everything was excellent, but not too "fussy". The atmosphere is sophisticated, but relaxed and comfortable---our waiter (Arnaud) was a delight. We had just come from Italy and he insisted I try the risotto with scallops and he was spot on. The chef even came out after he heard how much I enjoyed it.

Le Bistrot d'Opio is another favorite. "Hopping" atmosphere. Be aware, it's very small---tables are rather pushed together. They have a dish with meat skewers hanging from a little rack, served with several mustards...Mmmm.

Fontaine de Mars was also good (especially the duck). A quieter ambience. Nice to be able to walk down to the tower for the light show after dinner.

At all these our bill for two was 110 - 130 euros with kir royales, wine and a shared dessert.

Hi H,

Sit down. Have a glass of kir. Relax.

You are overestimating the importance of choosing the perfect restaurant.

Every one on your list is fine.

Your friend has some good choices:
Brasserie de l'Île St-Louis*
Le Petit Troquet*

I like
Brasserie Lipp for the choucroute.

Have you looked up the retaurants on your list on this forum? They have all been mentioned.

((I))

Thanks for posting this - I would like to follow this thread. :-)

Fontaine de Mars is a VERY good and VERY typical truly French bistro.It has a very passable cassoulet and very good seared foie gras, in addition to much more. It is all a la carte. Make reservations. Open on sunday but be sure to make reservation the day before.
Le Petit Trocquet is very good as is Brasserie en l'Isle (lunch is fun there because if you eat outside you have a great view of Notre Dame).
Not on your list but the best is La Florimond.
Au Pied du Cochon is open 24/7 and has the best onion soup in Paris.
You don't have to eat close to your hotel--transportation is too easy in Paris to be tied to that.
For a great meal that will impress your friends for being SO inexpensive for what you get eat Auberge du Jarente on rue Jarente in the Marais. VERY good cassoulet and good magret. Plus other stuff of course.
Another great bargain is Bistro du 7eme and Bistro du 17eme.
For an old style historic bistro that won't break the bank eat at Balzar.
Make your friends splurge on a lunch at Jules Verne.

Don't forget that if you think a restaurant is over the budget but you'd really like to try it you can eat there for lunch one day at lower prices and do dinner on the cheap that night.

ira,
Ha! Very funny! No really, I will calm down eventually. It is really sick though...I have actually made a SPREADSHEET. I have never done that for a vacation before...EVER!

You guys are doing great! Keep the votes coming!

>It is really sick though...I have actually made a SPREADSHEET. <

Oh dear, H, you **are** overdoing it. :)

((I))

Given ther prestige of where you are staying, I would rely on your concierge to make reservations for you- it will take some of the stress of you and may result in better seating/coming up with a table that you might not.

When you two couples are out and about walking around and glancing at the menus... you just might find somewhere you all want to eat that wasn't on the spreadsheet. Please allow for serendipity...

Am planning my third trip to Paris and saw your post. Le Grande Vefour for their pre fixe lunch--book as soon as possible. Fabulous experience in jewelbox setting. Willy's wine bar was also a highlight.

It seems you might be headed for disappointment with the high expectations you're setting. The search for the perfect French restaurant could overwhelm your vacation.
I agree with the previous idea to let serendipity play a role, too. It's so much fun to 'discover' your own little special restaurant in Paris. We happened across one, ate there on the spur of the moment, loved it, then later found out that many, many posters here recommend it highly. It was serendipity. (But it's not on your list, so I won't name it per your request. Don't want to confuse the matter.)
Relax, and enjoy!

I dined at Le P'Tit Troquet, Fontaine du Mars, and Jules Verne (lunch) while in Paris in early July. All of them were more than wonderful! Lunch at Jules Verne, however, was approximately $113 US, but totally worth the experience, the view, and the food! One of the waiters had an attitude when we first began, but we had him smiling by the end of our meal.

Le P'Tit Troquet was a totally wonderful French experience with the delightful owner (wife - forgot her name) making our experience even better!

Fontaine du Mars was a jewel also with great food, wonderful atmosphere (sitting outside on Rue St. Dominique) - totally great!

I am very jealous!!!

Joy/Luvparee

Thanks all for the words of caution. As I joked earlier, I have never done this much advance research on restaurants in my life. We usually DO let serendipity guide us and only rarely make a reservation in advance. But this time my friends really wanted to plan a bit and since it's my husband's first time in Paris....well, you know how it goes!

So don't worry, we plan to use my spreadsheet :-) as a guide and will indeed let ourselves wander and explore. I asked for comments on my list for the very reason MaureenB mentioned - because I know you all have your particular favorite that you've just happened upon, and I'm sure we will too!

Gretchen, French onion soup is perhaps one of my most favorite things on this planet, so thanks for the tip about Au Pied de Cochon!

Joy, from everything I've read, I think P'Tit Troquet and Fontaine de Mars may be the two places that we mark with a big star!

hausfrau,
I have eaten at all but 2 of the restaurants on your list and my votes would have to be for La Fontaine de Mars (my husbands favorite as well) and Le Petit Troquet.
I would email your hotel and have them make the reservations for you.
Enjoy
1jan1

I'm eternally grateful to La Bastide Odeon for greeting us warmly late one rainy evening when we didn't have a reservation and not only entered the restaurant wearing dripping orange plastic ponchos but mud-spattered running shoes as well. The hostess showed us to a table as if we were her favorite customers (we'd never been there before) and sat us next to Bernardo Bertolucci despite our decidely unglamorous presentation. The food was also excellent and reasonably priced. The service was impeccable.

Try the Bistro de Breteuil, on the Place of the same name, in the 7th. For around 36 Euros you get 3 courses (lots of choices within each), an apéritif, and after-dinner coffee--plus a bottle of wine per couple. This is a very good deal, and both the food and the atmosphere are excellent.

hausfrau,
I can second keeping La Fontaine de Mars, La B. O. and Le Petit Trouquet on your list, but don't take Le Troquet off!

If you're willing to take that metro ride to the 15th (metro: Sèvres-Lecourbe or Cambrone), you'll have an extremely authentic, wonderful bistro meal with cuisine from the Pays Basque-Béarn. Chef Etchebest came from le Crillon. The 4 course meal is a great value at 37€, and lunch at 27€ and the wine list has many South West selections (Irouléguy, Madiran, Juraçon) that are quite well priced. We had very friendly service from our young waiter who had studied in the US. Very, very worth the metro trip. It's a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin guide-good price/quality ratio. and we thought the 23 food rating from Zagat was well deserved.
But for this one, you must reserve!
Closed Sun./Mon.
01 45 66 89 00

Hi nessundorma
>I'm eternally grateful to La Bastide Odeon ...and sat us next to Bernardo Bertolucci despite our decidely unglamorous presentation. <

Has Sr Bertolucci ever been back? :)

((I))

Je ne sais pas.

I also do not know whether the choice of restaurant was his or that of his tablemate, Tina Brown. He had a small entourage and she was interviewing him. He was in Paris shooting a movie about May 1968, later released as The Dreamers.

hausfrau,
On your friend's list, we have been to and enjoyed:

Le Coupe Chou
La Fontaine de Mars

Sandy

Based on my own knowledge, some checking for food and cost scores in the latest Zagat guide to Paris, and the perameters you've laid out, I'd go with the following 4 picks:
Bastide d'Odeon, Petit Troquet, Grand Colbert, and Bofinger.

Bastide d'Odeon and P Troquet are both her picks. Both are small. P Troquet is family run and as cute as it gets. Odeon is just good and pleasant and comfortable and should offer plenty for the less adventuresome eaters in your group.

Grand Colbert and Bofinger are both larger, more famous places on your list. Bofinger is the most highly rated for food of the several brasseries (others--Alsace, Pied de Cochon, Boeuf sur le Toit) and the best of that group. Also the most visually stunning and memorable for your traveling companions who are into atmosphere. Be sure to be seated in the domed room. At least one of your party must order the choucroute.

Grand Colbert and Fermette Marbeuf are pretty similar experiences. They have identical Zagat food ratings but in my experience, I think the food at Colbert has the edge. The atmosphere at Marbeuf is fairly close to Bofinger, so I'd not do both. Colbert, OTOH, is somewhat unique, very theatrical and in the beautiful Galleries Colbert, a treat in itself. You or your husband (the more adventurous eaters) should order the herring in oil with boiled potatoes. It's a wonderful dish and is interesting because it's brought to your table and left there for you to take as much as you like and then it's removed to be passed on to the next person who orders it, a unique manner of serving that one doesn't encounter in the US.

For sure I'd steer clear of Alcazar. It's trendy and quite different from the other more traditional French places on your list. You could easily find something similar in the US.

I'd also drop Fouquet as too expensive and not worth the price.

If you can feel comfortable selecting only one rather than two of the other woman's picks, I'd substitute Troquet for Petit Troquet since the former would provide a Basque touch, another interesting option and Troquet has one of the highest Zagat food scores in your price range.

I sympathize with your problem. I've spent the last 3 months off and on selecting definites, first alternates and second alternates in various areas for our upcoming 10 day stint in Paris. It's not easy. Good luck. Enjoy. And for sure, report back. You might try having each member of your party rate each of the restaurants on a 10 point scale for three or four factors like food, decor, service, price/value ratio.
Record your votes and analyze them at the end of the trip. It's fun to see how different people feel about the same things and if you travel with the other couple again, you'll have a better idea of what they really enjoy--not to mention what you and your husband like.

Julie wins the prize for following all of my rules. :-) Awesome details, thanks!!!

Maribel, you must have been reading my mind because I was just thinking about Troquet being so far away...it will be tough in our short timeframe but I WILL keep it on the list!

Thank you everyone for all of your great responses (even if you didn't follow my rules, wink, wink). I've sent my spreadsheet off to my friends for their assessment. We are going at the end of September so I will be sure to report back!

As long as you're going to the Eiffel Tower, I would like to recommend a really great Italian restaurant nearby. It's not on your preferred list, but it's a neighborhood place that won't be in any large publications. The name of the restaurant is IOLANDA'S. It's at the foot of the Bir Hakim Metro station, which is elevated in this location. It's about 1000 feet from the Eiffel Tower, just past the Australian embassy. In my humble opinion, it's one of the best Italian restaurants on earth. The prices are good, as befitting a neighborhood place. There are very few, if any, tourists here. The owner is from Naples. He lived in the same section of Naples in which my wife was raised.

The only one on the list we have eaten at is Le Petit Troquet. It was some time ago but even my kids remember their meals. The husband appreared somewhat lukewardm to the presence of our kids (who were and always are)incredibly well behaved yet seemed oblivious to the dog sitting under the next table. The food was quite wonderful.

As the holiday organiser in our household, can I recommend a bit of delegation. it can be a dreadful strain being responsible for all the decisions, and somehow th thanks and praise for a good choice are never as fulsome as the blame for a bad one!
IMO the idea of letting the concierge do thier job is a good one - alternatively, let your DH do some work!

Waldo:
Not to hijack the thread, but please tell me a little about the menu at Iolanda's. Thanks.

The menu at Iolanda's is mainly Neopolitan. They make a great pizza, but it's not a pizzeria. They make the BEST Bolognese I have ever had. This is a disg featuring fettucini, a flat "spaghetti", in a fantastic meat sauce. They use plenty of meat, and that gives it a great flavor. The sea food is also terrific. The chef, Salvatore, does something with shrimp, which are good to begin with, that makes them out of this world. Salvatore is proud of his marinara sauce, in which he uses fresh carrots, which are almost liquified, as a thickening agent. To sum up, the menu is standard Italian, mostly Neopolitan, but the gem is the way that the food is prepared. The desserts are also grand, and they are made right there in the restaurant, not brought in. If you do go there, do not be startled by the big dog right inside the entry door. He is very gentle and is like a son to the owner. The mutt doesn't bother anyone. He just lays there like a lump. As i previously mentioned, don't expect to see many, if any, tourists there. It's mainly a neighborhood place, with definetly non-tourist prices and quality. I'm salivating right now, thinking of it. If you take the Metro, get off at the Bir Hakim stop. You get a FANTASTIC view of the Eiffel Tower before you reach the station when the Metro goes from subway to elevated line. Take your camera and get ready for a quick snapshot of the Tower from the train as soon as you get out of the subway and onto the Metro bridge across the Seine just before the station.

That view IS great and I wasn't ready with my camera! :((

hausfrau: I am an overplanner like you so I understand. Plus I LOVE to eat.

Just keep in mind, for some of the more popular Paris restaurants, do make a reservation because they can fill up. You can have your hotel call.

Just as an example, we tried to do a "walk-in" for 2 highly recommended restaurants -- Le Pamphlet (spelling?) and Auberge Jarente, both in the Marais, and they were packed!

Have a great time.

Waldo: The Italian place sounds terrific, I just might have a hard time convincing my fellow travelers to eat Italian in Paris. :-)

bettyo70, thanks for understanding, and yes, we will probably make reservations for two of the nights. A lot of places now offer reservations online, which is quite convenient!

Thanks again, everyone, for saving my sanity. We head to Paris on the 27th.

Bonnes vacances, hausfrau! Don't forget to post back here about your trip. I never get tired of hearing about Paris shops, restaurants, new discoveries, strange encounters, etc.

I'll be in The Big Apple on the 27th...

Betty

Waldo:

<i>Take your camera and get ready for a quick snapshot of the Tower from the train as soon as you get out of the subway and onto the Metro bridge across the Seine just before the station.</i>

I think I'm not reading this correctly. One gets off on the tower side of the Seine, right? I've added Iolanda's for our first night...then up the tower (I'm taking 1st timers). Thanks for the tip.

Oh! When we descend from the metro, can we see Iolanda's. Do we need an address? Reservations?

When you emerge from the Metro tunnel, you are on the opposite side of the Seine from the Eiffel Tower. You immediately see the Tower BEFORE you cross the Seine on the Metro bridge which crosses the river. Once you get on the Tower side of the river, it's too late to take the photo. A good photo is composed of the river and a barge which is always docked on the Tower side, and the Tower itself, which rises majestically over the landscape. When you get off at the station, Bir Hakim, which immediately appears, you go down the steps, this is Rue Grennelle, and you will see Iolanda's right there. Bon Appetit!!!

Chez Denise. It is near Les Halles, an authentic gem in the midst of tourist traps. Fried lambs brains for the adventurous eaters and a reasonably priced and delicious steak with a beatiful roasted marrow bone for the less adventurous.
Each time I have been there I have met some wonderful French diners who shared their wine and laughter and I go back everytime I am in Paris.

Waldo:

You are assuming approaching Bir Hakeim from the Passy stop. Correct?

I had planned to approach from La Motte Picquet Grenelle. May have to change my route around!

Yep. You have to approach Bir Hakim from Passy.

I love Le Grand Colbert. On no account go to Jules Verne in La Tour Eiffel. It is only for the 'hoi polloi' tourists from New York. Great food and ambience in Le Grand Colbert where they filmed the critical scene of &quot;Something's Gotta Give&quot; starring Jack Nicholson. Please try too 'Le Cinq' (3 Michelin stars) in the Four Seasons George Cinq. It is simply the best and I know because I am Dr. Michael Lim The Travelling Gourmet and I travel the world in search of good things to eat and lovely wines to taste. Bon appetit!