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Restaurant Le Temps Perdu et autres choses: Petit Sejour a Paris (mini trip report)

Restaurant Le Temps Perdu et autres choses: Petit Sejour a Paris (mini trip report)

Old Oct 19th, 2003, 12:48 PM
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Restaurant Le Temps Perdu et autres choses: Petit Sejour a Paris (mini trip report)

I arrived in Paris early this morning, taking the Thalys down from Brussels. What a change! I was here about 6 weeks ago when the temperature was about 34 Celsius, this morning it felt about 34 Fahrenheit. The heat wave is really over!
My hotel room wasn't ready, so I went down to the Champs Elysees (I'm staying in the 9th, an assigned hotel, not one I would have chosen on my own) and into the Sephora store. Joined the shopping masses. Afterwards I took a walk down the rue Francois Premier and the Ave. Montaigne to see the windows of the haute couture shops were displaying. One thing is for sure: the French may complain about Americanization, but the Italians are taking over the top end of things. The French couture shops (Chanel, Dior, etc.) were outnumbered by the Italians (Gucci, Prada, Beretta, D & G, and so on).
I was getting hungry so I stopped into the little Bar des Theatres, on 9 Ave. Montaigne, just down and across the street from the VERY chic and expensive Plaza Athenee. What a real treat this place turned out to be! Mostly middle-aged couples from the neighborhood having casual Sunday lunch with their adult children. The bar was packed with chauffeurs for the various rock stars, celebs and fashionistas staying over at the Plaza Athenee.
I had a nice salad appetizer, roast chicken, green beans, and a half bottle of Brouilly, for about 30 euros. The service was excellent, very friendly and funny. My table was unbalanced, kept rocking, and the waiter asked "Avez vous si grand faim, il faut manger la table?" (were you so hungry you had to eat the table?). Everyone was joking and chatting to each other. A few people smoking but I really didn't notice it. This isn't a place I'd go out of my way to find, but if I were in the neighborhood and wanted a basic bistro meal, I recommend it.
The afternoon was spent wandering the Tuileries the Concorde area. A beautiful, crisp fall day and everyone was out and about.
Dinner was at Le Temps Perdu (54 rue de Seine, 6th arrond), which was highly recommended by a few Fodorites. I had booked a table from the restaurant's web site.
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Old Oct 19th, 2003, 12:56 PM
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Le Temps Perdu: First the bad bits.
1) The web site promises that customers who reserve a table online will be offered a free kir royale when they arrive. This did NOT happen. No one mentioned anything about it. I could have brought it up, but I really wasn't in the mood anyway. Still, if it's promoted and they know you booked online, they should offer you the drink.
2) I arrived at about 8 pm. Almost everyone else there was American! I was seated between two tables of Americans and the parties at BOTH were talking about how to tell the difference between Americans and Parisians (one man insists it's in the eyes). Not quite what I was expected. However, these were early diners who left shortly after I arrived and by 8:30, most of the clientele were French.
I ordered the prix fixe menu (3 courses, 25 euros) plus a half bottle of Brouilly (I was in a Brouilly mood today). The prix fixe menu gives you a lot of choices, I had a warm goat cheese salad, then salmon. Both were good, but not especially memorable. Dessert was an "Opera" patisserie. Again, nice but not superb. The decor of the restaurant is pretty (the beams in the ceiling are definitely the real thing). Overall, I had a good meal and I would think about eating there again if I were in the neighborhood, but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat there. Actually, I had just as good a meal and more fun at the Bar des Theatres.
Afterwards, I wandered around the rue Jacob, Place Furstenburg, rue de Seine areas and then went over to the rue de la Harpe to post a message from the Easy Everything cafe. Surprisingly, it was closed--not sure if it's close permanently.
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Old Oct 19th, 2003, 03:16 PM
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ira
 
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Hi BT,

Thanks for the "on the spot" reports. Keep 'em coming.
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Old Oct 19th, 2003, 03:53 PM
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BTilke,
Thanks for the review of the Le Temps Perdue. I've walked past there a few times and was never quite sure if I wanted to have dinner there. Thanks for letting me know that I don't! But as you know, Sunday is a tough day to find dinner in Paris, so given the situation, it was a good choice.
However, if Le Gare in the 16th was just an easy a "trip", I would have gone there, you know I like that place.

There's a nice 24 hour cafe on the corner of rue de Seine and Blvd St. Germain called Cafe Mondrian. I love that place for breakfast or a late night ice cream. It's great when you're not in the mood for the hype and prices of Cafe Flor or Deux Magots.

Next time you're visiting the italian designers on rue Montaigne, try lunch at L'Avenue at 41 r. Montaigne. It's a Costes Bros place and where all the chi-chi meet and greet. Lots of kissing and table hopping, but the food is actually good when you want something plain and simple.
BTW, your next "big" Paris meal should be at L'Astrance on r. Beethoven (16th) If you haven't already experienced that place, put in on the list.
Best, Candice
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Old Oct 19th, 2003, 05:37 PM
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I'm one of the posters who has recommended Le Temps Perdu. I learned long ago that nearly all the restaurants in the Rue Buci area are pretty much American tourists, but like BTilke have also found that the French eat later. I usually go after 9 PM, and am usually surrounded by Parisians there.
I can't say that the food is "outstanding" except for the price, perhaps it is. It is certainly very good, in my opinion, and there is a nice menu. I've always been very pleased with the service, which also tends to be very friendly. All in all, it is one of my favorite lower priced restaurants in the area.

By the way, I've eated at Mondrian a number of times, and while it is a nice little cafe, it is as expensive as Le Temps Perdu, but the food is not nearly so good -- more standard bistro fare, in my opinion. And you really are packed in like sardines there if the place is full.
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Old Oct 19th, 2003, 05:52 PM
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That was exactly my feeling...for 3 courses at 25 E , I am not expecting Alain Ducasse! Just a good place convenient after a long day and with friendly service..what is so wrong with eating with other Americans? I do it all the time at home , here in Fl.


If the French come in later , it doesn't change a thing.I'm not into eavesdropping on conversations! Well at least they do come in so it can;t be too bad!

Thanks for posting BTilke..
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Old Oct 19th, 2003, 08:11 PM
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Patrick,
One of my favorite little inexpensive places in the 6th is Lou Pescadou on rue Mabillion. It's near St. Sulpice church.
Okay, I'll give Temps Perdu a try when I'm in Paris next.
I always have dinner after 9:00PM and find places that have both Parisians as well as visitors from other places.
I've never had dinner at Cafe Mondrian, just breakfast and late night snacks, so I wasn't aware of their high prices for dinner. Thanks for the heads-up on that.
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Old Oct 20th, 2003, 03:33 AM
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On another board several ate at L'Astrance and found it quite lacking. These are folks that live in Paris full and part time so not just "tourists". Said the service was bad and food unappealing. Just an FYI.
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Old Oct 20th, 2003, 04:35 AM
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Hi all, doing a quick post from the conference. Forgive any typos, it's not a qwerty keyboard.
I did have a drink at L'Avenue, but it was too early to eat when I was there.
Jody, I wish you had been with me during part of the meal, the couple seated at the next table cracked me up. I think they were colleagues, not a married or otherwise "social" couple. But the woman was hard of hearing and her partner--I think they were Irish--kept speaking very softly, so about every 30 seconds, she'd say "HUH?" *very* loudly. She spoke pretty loudly too, but he was looking around the room and didn't always pay attention to what she was saying, so for about 45 minutes I was treated to this:
blahblahblah...HUH?
BLAHBLAHBLAH...hmmm?
blahblahblah...HUH?

It was hard to keep a straight face, just as it's hard NOT to eavesdrop on people sitting about 8 inches away.
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Old Oct 20th, 2003, 05:03 AM
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Are you sure they weren't married!!!>)

: : :
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Old Oct 20th, 2003, 05:48 AM
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Is it true that you get a 30% discount for suffering the terrible indecency of having to eat with Americans? The place must have been a madhouse with all the loud talk, poor table manners, asking silly questions of the waiters, roll throwing and fart-seat gags by immature businessmen.
 
Old Oct 20th, 2003, 07:51 PM
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Hi Gretchen,
Not everyone loves every restaurant and every restuarant has it's bad nights.

I was brought to L'Astrance by friends of mine who were born, raised and have lived in Paris their whole lives. So, my recommendation was not as a "tourist".
L'Astrance is different and not everyone will like it, but the two times I've been there, the service was fantastic - professional, caring, but not overly fussy.
The food is different and I liked it very much, but of course, that's a personal preference.
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Old Oct 21st, 2003, 12:26 PM
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Yesterday and today were pretty much work days, spent almost completely at the Palais des Congres out by the Porte Maillot. Last night I was too knackered to go out for dinner and just enjoyed lounging in my room reading a bunch of British newspapers that were available to guest at the hotel (Observer, Guardian, Financial Times, etc.) and watching French TV. Today I had some free time in the afternoon and did something I had long thought about but never got around to...having tea at the Plaza Athenee. It was a delightful experience, everyone was very friendly and welcoming. Also having tea at the time were a couple of supposedly famous rap stars, but I'm not up on the hip hop scene, so I have no idea who they were. A pot of tea, Darjeeling Margaret's Hope, cost only 8 euros, which I thought was not pricey at all, considering it was delicious tea, served in a large silver pot and the always attentive wait staff poured each cup, instead of simply the first cup. I spent about an hour there just enjoying the pampering atmosphere (and the beautiful chairs were very comfortable). For those of you who have had tea at elegant places in London, try this for comparison.
Dinner was at Matsuri sushi restaurant; very pleasant, good sushi, and a nice mix of Parisians and Japanese.
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