Would restaurants/bistros allow a prix-fixe meal (or an expensive dish) to be shared by 2 people? Or even the suggestion of it will automatically relegate us to third-class citizens?

We would like to sample some pricey prix-fixe menus in Paris, but don't want to drain our wallets. We're not big eaters and don't intend on getting full on these meals anyhow. A tasting would be divine enough.

Please advise on how to go about asking for such sharing (in French) and any recommended restaurants and bistros.

Merci!

In my experience, the portions in France are much smaller than in the US. I would think if you split them, you'd go away hungry.

I don't think it would be appreciated.

I am not a small person..but I've always found the portions in France to be more than ample! MAybe it's just that 3 courses is more than i want.

At Allard a few weeks ago I ordered the plat de jour..It was 3 huge pieces of beef shank and about 1/2 pound of carrots! There was no way I could have added dessert after the entree and the plat! Even then I ended up leaving a piece of beef and a lot of carrots ..even though my DH had taken a goodly portion.

The salads we get for lunch are huge!Baguettes morre than enough for 2

I wouldn't ask to share. If you really want to do this, have one person order a single small item, and the other order a prix-fixe meal. Then you can inobtrusively share it.

To avoid overstuffing, we have done it this way:
I order the appetizer and a main dish, hubby orders a main dish and a dessert. He might taste the appetizer and I might taste the dessert.

If you aren't that hungry then go to a cafe or brasserie where you can just get a salad or an omelette or something simple.

Many small bistros have 6-10 tables and one sitting; they need don't do 'just dessert and coffee', they aren't going to want to split a meal either.

If you want to try a more expensive restaurant experience, then offset the expense of that meal by picnicking in your room another night.

Well said Travelnut..

I can't imagine splitting a prix-fixe meal which is priced for one person.
But if it is too much food when you get two meals, just ask for a doggie bag. That's considered a no-no also, but probably no more embarrassing than trying to split one prix-fixe meal.

I suppose in one sense one could argue that if you are not occupying a larger table, you are taking up no more space than you would if only one person were eating there, so they aren't out anything. Unless you ask for extra dishes, etc., and then they have extra service. I really wouldn't do this, but I'd never do it anyway. However, the key thing I think is that JC98 wants to do this in an expensive restaurant, not a cheaper one. I really don't think you are going to be looked on well if you go to an expensive restaurant and order one dinner and ask to split it. I wouldn't want to be there.

I remember once I as sitting in Laduree, just a tea salon, but a rather expensive one -- and some women next to me had one woman ordering a dessert and the other woman fished out a tea bag from her purse and asked the waiter to bring her cup and saucer and boiling water for free. Yikes, I thought the guy was going to hit the roof, although he maintained his decorum.

oh, upon re-reading the original post, the question is not just about the entire dinner (which I wouldn't do), but about any expensive dish? I think it would certianly be okay to split one expensive side dish or dessert if you ordered other stuff to make a meal in addition. That should be okay, and I could see why one might want to do that to try something different.

We sometimes share appetizers in the pleasant but modest restaurants we dine at in eastern Paris. We ask if it would be all right. It always is, and often the waiter brings an extra plate. We've never been charged for that. French portions have grown larger over time, sometimes to the point that it's challenging to finish a three-course meal. In a finer restuarant, say, much over 50 euros per person, I wouldn't try this kind of sharing, and I wouldn't do it in any restaurant with the main course. Why don't you just skip the appetizer, or skip the dessert, or both? Most restaurants have a la carte menus.

I never found a moderately priced meal that we could share - just not enough of it.
Dave-in-Paris please give us a few names of places you eat at in Eastern Paris? Is that the area known as Bellville?

Tod,

Not quite that far east. Halfway between Place de la Bastille and Place de la Nation. I'll get back to you about restuarants.

Dave

Friend and I shared main course at Chez Maitre Paul, and I'm glad we did. We both ordered expensive starters and desserts, and could never have eaten a complete main course. The waiter raised his eyebrows, but "tant pis" (that's too bad).

It's much easier to share a starter or a dessert by one person just not ordering one.

As far as sharing a prix fixe meal, that doesn't sound cricket to me.

Thanks, all, for your advice. My issue was cost, not portion size. I hear of these excellent restaurants (like L'Astrance) that offers prix-fixe menus of 7 or 8 courses (each tiny for sure) of whatever the chef feels like cooking that day. And each meal costs easily $100 USD per person for lunch!

My friend and I would like to try these places, but blowing over $200 for lunch seems too expensive, if not almost immorally wrong. However, we still like to get a taste of these creative offerings by sharing the prix-fixe -- like what the judges get to do on the Iron Chef -- and we don't count on getting full on these meals at all.

Anyhow, the general consensus here is that it's a bad idea, so we'll decide either to forego eating at those places altogether or splurge.

Thanks.

I have split portions with my travel mates many times, and never really thought about it. Maybe I have never thought about it because we are unobtrusive about it. It isn't a cost issue for me really, I just do not feel well when I eat a lot at one sitting. My friend is diabetic and we are of the eat less more often category. Sometime she will only order an appetizer for her dinner. I have learned to let my husband if he is with us or the appetizer he would like and I have a bite. I cannot abide by throwing out food and since I never have facilities while traveling to store and reheat food safetly I do not take a doggie bag. At home I do, and give it to my dog Kiaya.

So do you all feel that splitting should not be done in any restaurant or upscale restaurant? I just cannot waste all the food I am not able to eat.

Traveled all through England and Scotland and was in many nice restaurants and the staff did not appear to mind. I am in the restaurant industry in the US and we never seemed to mind anywhere that I worked.

Or is this unique to Paris. Now I am going to be self concious when eating out, I do not want to appear rude.

Perhaps the solution is not to order prix-fixe meals and just order one or two courses instead. Different ones for each person, so you could then discreetly sample.

dsm, I think the main objection was the idea of two people splitting a "prix fixe" meal. I'm sure you know what that is -- a specially-priced meal that already includes all courses, usually, and is considered the best bargain of the restaurant. That is a meal for one person.

As for being "rude", I don't think this is exactly an etiquette issue, but a business issue. If you try to do some things a restaurant doesn't want, they'll tell you it's not allowed. For example, you can't go into a full-service restaurant and sit down at a table during dinner hours and say you just want a cup of coffee.

I don't think splitting a dessert or appetizer, etc., is the problem or the issue here.

AS JC98 said, they want to go to one of those Michelin star restaurants with really expensive meals and then split one.

AH thanks Christina for the polite reply as sometimes I can be a little dense. No, I would not go to a Michelin starred restaurant and do that.

The issue is that prix-fixe means 1 meal for 1 person to eat. That's the whole idea. If you can't afford a $100 lunch, than you shouldn't choose that restaurant.

I feel like ordering an expensive dish and sharing, or mixing and matching courses is another thing. Or looking for a "tasting menu" somewhere maybe?

But overall I'm guessing you will have a happier experience by simply choosing restaurants that you can afford.