<BR>Hi, all – Happy New Year! <BR> <BR>#1 Do most Paris dining establishments <BR>have what we Americans call a “full bar”? <BR> <BR>#2 Must you order your meal before you get the wine list?(This happened to us in Florence). My wife doesn’t drink <BR>cocktails but does like a glass of wine before dinner (usually from the bottle we have with dinner) <BR> <BR>#3 When ordering a drink such as a gin and tonic, do you routinely have to ask for additional ice to get what we expect <BR>in the US? <BR> <BR>#4 If you get *really* good service in an expensive restaurant,how much additional tip do you leave? <BR> <BR>Thanks. <BR>

Hi Larry, Happy New Year to you. <BR> In my experience,the larger restaurants do have a full bar. <BR> I think that you need to look at the dining experience in Europe as if you were in a new restaurant in the US.If you hadn't been to a place before...you would say to your waiter...."We'd like to order from the wine list(because my wife will have aglass from that bottle)&gt; <BR> If you want "extra " ice....you would say " I'd like plenty of ice with that, please".It really is not so different than it is here. <BR> Tipping is at your discretion. If the bill is $100.00usd you can decide whether to leave 10% or 20% extra.Since we usually tip 20% ( and their tip is usuallyu included) I would think 10% over would be fine. I usually leave the extra tip in cash. <BR> I guess the most important thing is not to feel intimidated.Just ask nicely...and I don't think you will be disappointed. Nancy

Bonne Nouvelle Annee, <BR> <BR>You will usually be asked if you want an aperitif, or before dinner drink after you are seated. At the same time you will usually be given the Carte des Vins with the menu. If they don't give you the wine list you should ask for one. Most restaurants do have excellent house wines by the glass, half or full carafe, these are usually a good value and fairly reliable. <BR> <BR>Finally we generally don't tip like we do in the US. I think this is controversial, but service is included in the bill. The problems is that I think the owner rather than the waiter get the "added service" charge. I believe it was added when the French government mandated increased pay for waiters and it was added by the owners to cover the increased costs. Most say it is appropriate to leave some change if the service was very good, i.e. 20 or 30 francs. <BR> <BR>I would be interested in hearing the comments and experiences of others. <BR> <BR>Caio, <BR> <BR>Randall Smith

Adding to the interesting responses, a few items: <BR> <BR>Aperitifs, instead of "hard" liquor are served before the meal so as not to interfere with the taste of their delicious food on your palate. Wine would certainly fall into that category. My husband drink gin, too, but he usually reserves that for the lounge area and prefers to sample one of the local aperitifs instead - in France, for instance, Ricard (licorice-flavored) with water or Campari and soda. We will often retire to a separate area for coffee and digestifs (after dinner drinks). Always trust them to assist you with the wine choice, too - in my opinion, their waiters are highly proficient and take great pride in all that they do. <BR> <BR>We travel extensively in areas where tips are included. Often times, we will leave extra money so as to round out the bill - it's simply a nice way of letting them know that their service was appreciated but clearly, they do not expect to receive something outside of what is normally charged.

My experience is the same as the previous posters'. The times I've not seen a full bar have been in small neighborhood restaurants. The wine list and menu are presented at the same time, so you can choose appropriately. The wine comes before the meal (I would assume so that you can try it before the food is on the table, in case it's not drinkable), and that's what I usually have for my 'cocktail'. Once in a while I get rambunctious and order an aperitif or beer. Quite honestly, I've never ordered a mixed drink in France, so the ice thing never came up. We have to Coke addicts in our group, and they always ask for extra ice - it usually comes in a separate glass with a spoon.<BR>The tip is included (service compris) but it's customary to leave a few francs extra. I've also given a waiter 100ff for watching out for my sister when I had to leave her for a couple of hours while I got someone to the airport - I didn't ask him, he just took her under his wing.

My husband and I enjoy Scotch on the rocks before dinner. For lots of ice, ask for "beacoup glacons". Nearly all restaurants (not to be confused with bistros, brasseries, cafes) have full liquor service, although many of the others do as well. You may or may not always find your preferred brand. The wine list is almost always provided immediately. Leaving the coins delivered with your change is always sufficient. No additional gratuity is really required.

Larry <BR>In my experience: <BR>The larger luxury restaurants, and other places that are used to having <BR>"foreign" customers, will have a full bar. Some small neighborhood cafes will have perhaps just a small selection of one or two hard liquors, sherry, etc. <BR> <BR>When you are asked if you want an aperitif, you can certainly ask to see the wine list at that time. Or, if your wife will prefer a white wine before dinner but you will be having red wine with dinner, most restaurants will offer at least a "house" wine by the glass, and many places have a very nice selection of fine wines by the glass. <BR>Also, if your wife likes a glass of white wine slightly sweetened with some cassis (currant) liqueur, she can order a kir as an aperitif, not to mention a glass of champagne, a very popular <BR>alternative. <BR>Re the g & t cocktail:You of course can ask for extra ice, but don't expect the mix to taste exactly the way it does at home. It is unlikely that many restaurants will have more than one <BR>brand of gin, if you are fussy about that. You can order one of course, but perhaps this would be the time to try one of the French aperitifs, like <BR>Lillet for example, as Sabina suggested. <BR> <BR>In an "expensive" restaurant when the service has been good, my companions and I have left between 5 and 10% extra on the table. Don't add this extra onto your credit card bill. The total of your restaurant check will already have service included; if you are leaving any extra, you want it to go directly to the waiters. <BR>In more casual restaurants, leaving 10 or 20 or 30FF extra if you want to is fine. I don't feel that leaving very small change like centime coins is appropriate, as they have very very little value--it's like leaving pennies in the US. <BR> <BR>