Split Portions at Fine Paris Restaurants
 

I have read elsewhere that finer restaurants in Paris will permit you to split portions with a partner without charging a supplement (they already charge plenty). But do they stille expect you to order two of each course? If not, they're only getting paid for the equivalent of one meal for two persons. Any experence with this scenario? Thanks.

Would you feel comfortable doing this at a fine restaurant in your own city?

In a fine restaurant in Paris - or anywhere else - you can;t simply go in and order one dinner for two people. (Or perhaps you're asking about sharing - so each can taste the other's dish?)

Almost any restaurant will allow you to split an appetizer or a dessert. And many have smaller size portions if you're not a big eater (but this is less of a problem in europe since portions are not so huge as in the US). And no one is required to have every course if they're not that hungry.

But to simply order one dinner and two plates won't fly at any restaurant.

It's not infrequently happened that Mrs F's been off her food. Or (much less frequently) that I've been off. So what we've ordered has often been "I'll have three courses and she'll just have a starter"

And I've never found any French restaurant, however high an opinion it had of itself, "refusing" us - or even being that interested in our eccentric choice. In this or in anything else, come to that. Restaurants really have better things to do than behave like a police force, or worry about anything except making the food properly and getting paid.

Even at a non-high end restaurant I noticed a couple where the husband ordered a full meal while the wife didn't want to eat, but she asked if they could accomodate her with just a salad instead. I think it's bad form to split one meal.

I think it's bad form to order more food that you can comfortably eat.

There are times when I've ordered an appetizer as my dinner, my husband has ordered an entree, and we've shared both.

I think ordering an appetizer as a meal while a companion orders an entree is far different than just ordering 1 entree to split.

At some restaurants, there are appetizers that are better than many of the entrees (I can think of some Thai restaurants as an example).

Just ordering 1 entree for two people would be a faux pas at many nice restaurants in my U.S. city, as I imagine it would be in Paris.

Hi G,

>do they stille expect you to order two of each course?<

No. Each diner may order what he/she wishes.

However, you are required, by law, to buy wine.

((I))

I sometimes order two starters if I'm not very hungry. Ordering one main course to share is a bit unusual; it would depend on the restaurant how they react. We were in a tiny restaurant in Antwerp last month, and they asked diners to order at least two courses per person. They cannot survive in the restaurant business when people occupy a table and then order one course only (let alone one course to share!). Most European restaurant do not have such a high turnover of tables.

If you can't afford to eat an entree, then go some place else.

The portions are usually so small in Europe, why would anyone want to split one? If the issue is not wanting to spend money, then go someplace that you can afford.

I travel alot with my elderly mother. Senior citizens tend to eat smaller portions. She will order soup or starter and I will order the fixed menu. She will have "a taste" of my meal and we split the dessert. Not one Western European country or USA restaurant has ever raised an eyebrow. Not even the French.

Ordering more food than you can eat is difficult in most traditional Parisian restaurants, since the portions are designed small. If you eat a full meal with all the usual courses, it should fill you quite precisely. It's not like the U.S. where food is shoveled onto your plate by the pound.

American-style restaurants will give you oversized portions similar to what you might find in the U.S., but they are the exception to the rule.

Even McDonald's serves smaller portions in France. This is one reason why French people aren't as fat as Americans.

I think the key point in the question was "finer restaurants". Restaurants don't automatically expect anyone to order a la carte one of each course. I do not order every course if I don't have the prix fixe meal because I do not eat that much, and cannot eat both an appetizer and dessert. However, not ordering something is a little different than asking the restaurant to provide you with plates and cutlery to split something, and the question is a little confusing because it apparently is referring to splitting the entire meal, not just one course.

I do not agree with Flanneruk that restaurants, especially expensive, finer ones, do not care at all what you order and have better things to do than that. They care a lot, and that does, indeed, have something to do with them making money. Just try taking up a table in an expensive, full-fledged restaurant for several hours in the evening prime hours and ordering only an appetizer for the entire time. I have seen restaurants (not the finer ones, as it might be gauche) even state some of these police rules on the menus, including ones in the window (ie, I have seen more than once "no salads as meals"). You also cannot take up a table in some places (not cafes) and just order drinks, for example, so they certainly do care about what people order and it does affect their revenue.

You can split dishes all the time. While it is not as common to do there (as, maybe here in the US), they will still accommodate you. I do that all the time, that way there is an oppty to try more dishes without have to order 2 of everything. When placing your order, ask for another "assiette" (plate) and then just order 1 of each item (appetizer, first course, second course) and then share. That is perfectly permissible.

Thank you all for your input. We tend to be light eaters in the evening, when we anticipate visiting one high end restaurant in Paris. But we would like to try as many different dishes as possible. The point regarding size of portions in Paris vs the U.S. is well taken. Perhaps splitting portions will not be an issue.

French portions aren't smaller - what they are is an appropriate size for 1 person. Americans are used to a mountain of food on their plates and a Styrofoam to-go box so they can continue the feeding frenzy at home. The Europeans have a different (and healthier) approach.

There is nothing wrong with 1 person ordering an appetizer or salad while the other orders a main entree, but I would not order 1 meal with 2 plates, 2 forks, etc. with the intent of getting 2 meals fo rthe price of 1.

Grantop, I find your post just a little bit insulting to some of us Americans. I know where you are coming from..many chain places and steak houses do serve ridiculously huge portions. And many Americans are used to this. But at most of the places I eat in New York City, for example,the portions are anything but huge. Please don't give the impression that we are all size-50-waisted, fanny-pack on-polyester-pants wearing slobs shlepping doggie bags everywhere we go!! As far as the original poster's query, it sounds a bit tacky to plan ahead to split a meal as a routine. I would say, go to a less expensive place if you are worried that you cannot afford a meal of at least one course apiece. Of course there are exceptions, such as when dining with an elderly person or when someone is not feeling well.

We can afford an upscale meal, although it is not a routine event. We just don't want to waste good food and/or upset the restaurant management in Paris.

There are so many excellent restaurants in Paris where you can get an amazing meal w/o spending Taillevant prices.

One place where you can get many small dishes is L'Atelier Robuchon (or something like that). We ate there in February 2004 and you sit at a bar and order small dishes. The food is pricey, but excellent, and you don't need to spend $500 like you would at a 3-star (and $500 at a 3-star would be getting out light).