he's not just a pretty face.

hotmail now working

Maybe not, but I bet the clothes are.

We ate there in Nov 2011.

We weren't that impressed altho my wifes beef bourguignon was decent. I had the duck and it was very dry and over cooked. Had the fois gas as a starter and was definately better elsewhere.

I like the description above of "beer hall" seating. Spot on. Can be interesting. We met a nice American couple and traded Paris tips.

And yes, the toliets were a disappointment for my wife.

had Sunday lunch there in 2011....and YES the REAL restaurant was in Midnight In Paris.
lunch was ok...nothing to rave about, but the atmosphere was best thing....and definitely
NO CREDIT CARDS.

meant to say Saturday lunch

We had dinner there in 2009; fun for a one-time experience b/c of its history, etc., but would probably not go back. Mashed potatoes were great, and the rest of the meal was ok (forget what I had).

Mimi, have you written about your trip elsewhere on here? I did not know you had a trip coming up soon; good for you!

I ate there about 10 years ago, as it was very convenient to my hotel, opened early, was inexpensive, and had a "history".
Was quite a casual place then - almost like one long table. Food was just OK. I never went back during my subsequent trips to Paris, but probably would if I were staying closeby as before.

If it's not too late for your restaurant planning, I wish to second Les Papilles, and also to recommend l'Avant-Gout.

Bon apetit!

Mimi Try Le Reminet too and Itineraries !

If I were in the area and wanted a reasonable meal in old-fashioned atmosphere, I would eat there again (We ate there September 2011 for sentimental reasons). Agree with above comment re: cash, toilet, etc.

I wouldn't make it one of my "destination/reserved dining" experiences, personally, when there are better to be had for my precious few special meals.

Le Reminet used to be good, but the Countess de Billy and my sister have both stated that it is no longer a star.

I am sure, dear Mimi, that you and gomiki will be dining at your old haunt Le Comptoir de Relais? Qui?

Oh, to be young and free again and to run through the Luxembourg Gardens in my Lacroix dressing gown with my hair drenched in Krug!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Your old, old friend,
Pepper

Pepper, you remind me of Woody Allen's
piece for the New Yorker:

want more than anything to be Gigi. To meander, feather-light, down the boulevards of belle epoque Paris in a little blue sailor dress, my sweet face framed by a flat, disk-shaped hat with two ribbons dangling mischievously past my bangs. And I would be squealing, “Maman! Regardez! Maman!” And my room would be paneled and perfect and cluttered with overstuffed pillows and a Victorian chaise and my bed, meltingly soft, with embroidered silk sheets, and everything would be warmly lit by sconces and table lamps whose globes were painted with buds and floral themes. And I would sit and brush my hair and put it up over my eyes, trying out new styles and giggling. And dinner would consist of a cup of thick chocolate beaten up with the yolk of an egg, some toast and grapes and for breakfast, soft-boiled eggs with cherries in them. (I would awaken refreshed each day in a nightgown and stretch like a kitten, rubbing the sleep from my saucer eyes with my tiny fists.)

And then, joys of joys - Gaston (who had delighted in me as a young girl but never dreamed that eventually I would blossom to stunning womanhood) would come to visit and, unable to believe his eyes, would suddenly realize that I am no longer the innocent, frail wisp of a child he has known but I have, obeying destiny, ripened into a creature of breathtaking loveliness. Now I toss my head, allowing my hair to bounce from shoulder to shoulder, offering Gaston the scent of perfume from my neck. Unable to resist, he cups my delicate face in his hands and asks me to go with him to Maxim’s. From here it gets a little vague and the image of my black-rimmed glasses and shopping bag from Zabar’s intrudes but by then I’m usually radiant and sobbing.
”

Woody Allen on which literary character he would most want to be, NY Times Book Review, 1984

That was fabulous! Thanks for sharing it.

That's delightful, Mimi. Gigi has been one of my favorite characters, and now the name has special meaning, as that's what our darling little girl (who turned three yesterday) calls me.

And don't worry about Turkish toilets. Once you've been faced with one and used it, you'll never give it a second thought again.

toupary,
I've encountered more than one but with my balance and I won't go into the rest of what I think.
ive been a Colette fan since a teen. My favorites are The Pure and Impure and Cheri and the last of Cheri. I belonged to the Colette assoc in Paris for a few years and went to the museum devoted to her in a castle in her village.