Still excited about my 1st trip to Paris - but have a few ??? about the 6th
 

Just two weeks from tomorrow I will be in Paris for the first time!!! Except for my post about being excited as a first timer, I have managed to not ask too many questions. There is soooooo much information here that I've been able to plan most of my trip just be reading other people's posts, etc.

But now I am looking for just a few suggestions for the neighborhood I'll be staying in. It's in the 6th arrondissement (St. Germain) on Rue Dauphine (midway between the Pont Neuf bridge and Rue de Buci).

I would like a few suggestions for places in our neighborhood for breakfast, lunch, dinner. I am not looking for upscale. I prefer casual places with good food. We may very well have our big meal of the day around mid afternoon. (I know I'm not being much help - sorry). I would also like recommendations of bakeries, places to get hot chocolate, au pain chocolate, etc.

I have the Paris Mapguide by Michael Middleditch and I've made notations with arrows pointing to the street of places to try in other areas, but I don't have much for my own neighborhood.

Oh - one more question .......return flight is on Saturday morning around 11:00 a.m. How many hours before should I schedule my return taxi ride?

Merci!

I would book a 7AM pickup. You might not need that much time but my last time at CDG security took an hour. And the time before checking in took about an hour.

It's pain au chocolate and you can get that in any bakery. They're all over the place in Paris. I would go for some great pastries. In your area try Gerard Mulot near the St-Germain covered market (they also have really good take out quiche). I can't remember the name of the patisserie on rue Bonaparte but it's great too. The best lemon tart I've had is from Dalloyau, across from the Luxembourg Gardens (near the Senate entrance).

> It's pain au chocolate

2nd correction > pain au chocolaT (no e at the end).

Buffalogirl, you are going to love Paris!

There are a lot of places for breakfast around that area. My favorites are Paul and Eric Kayser. Pauls opens by 7:00 am. There is a bakery across from Paul that makes the best cream brulee but I can't remember the name at the moment.

Have a great time!

Hi, BuffaloGirl,
You might try L'Heure Gourmande, at 22 Passage Dauphine. It's a little tea room with good lunches and hot chocolate, on a pedestrian passage. The passage runs between rue Mazarine and rue Dauphine, and opens at both, though there is an iron fence with a gate. I always saw it open on rue Mazarine, which is where I accessed it, but the rue Dauphine entrance should be available too. If you check Google Street View, you'll see it on rue Dauphine opposite the intersection with rue Christine, next to a parking garage entrance. The gate is open in the picture.
Anyway, I really liked it for a lightish meal, not too expensive. I don't think they have a website, but if you Google, there's lots of information about it. There may be another of that name on rue Beaugrenelle, but this is the one close to you.
Hope you have a chance to try it; think you'll like it.
Sandy

We've stayed several times on the same street you'll be on, and will be staying there again next month.

For breakfast, assuming you're not eating at your hotel, you can go to any of the nearby cafes for croissants or pain au chocolat and coffee or hot chocolate. I like Cafe Conti, because they get their baked goods from the excellent Carton (6 rue de Buci), which is basically across the street. One time, the cafe ran out, and I saw one of the waiters run over to the patisserie for more! Another cafe, a little way down that same street, offerd a "formule" that included a SMALL croissant, glass of orange juice, but good hot chocolate.

Carton has other goodies, as well. Get a bag of chouquettes, or try a canele. Also nearby are Laduree (21 rue Bonaparte) (very good macarons), Boulangerie Paul (so close that I didn't write down the address), LeDoux (12 rue Mabillon), Pierre Herme (72 rue Bonaparte), Gerard Mulot (76 rue de Seine).

Right in that area, there are a bunch of places to get crepes. Some are sit-down places that look extremely casual; I've never been to those. We've gotten quite a few crepes as a to-go snack, dessert or light meal, though. Just stop at any place that has the fillings you like, and where you can tell they're making the crepes fresh.

For lunch or dinner, I don't really know your price range, but check out Fish La Boissonnerie (69 Rue du Seine), Les Bouquinistes (53, quai des Grand Augustins), Le 122
(122 Rue de Grenelle), Cinq Mars (51 rue de Verneuil). Leon de Bruxelles (131 Blvd. St. Germain) is a lot of fun if you like mussels.

Enjoy - it's a fun neighborhood.

Thanks, everyone. I had a feeling I was butchering "pain au chocolat" but was too tired to look it up.

Lemon tart sounds so good. I love lemon anything!

I have read on other threads here that Kayser bakery is the best. Duly noted.

I forgot to mention crepes. I've read a lot of threads here about them and have made notations on my map. I see that some people don't look kindly on them but, damn it......I'm in Paris, and I'm going to eat some crepes! Because I can.

I'm done with all the other planning, and am now turning my thoughts to all the wonderful foods I will be enjoying (the jury is still out on me eating snails though). :-)

Hey, sorry, BuffaloGirl, the parking garage entrance is on rue Mazarine, not rue Dauphine, and if you notice, there's a teapot-shaped sign right at both gates to the passage.

Sandy

sandyh and Lexma90 - we were all responding at the same time. Thank you for your recommendations. I am noting them in my Paris Mapguide right now!

That's been my main neighborhood since 1981, but it keeps changing so much. I was there a few months ago as I stay in your same area and my favorite bakery, on rue de Buci, since the early 80s, is gone! It was there in both spring and summer of 2009, when I was there, but now is gone. Scream! It was across the street from Pauls which I'm personally not a big fan of. There was a lot of construction going on. I don't know what's there now.

So, on the next trip, I guess I'll have to walk way down to Gerard Mulot for the morning bread/croissant. There is another small bakery on rue de Buci, and I tried it, but I think I'll now start either going to Gerard Mulot or all the way to Poilane on the rue Cherche Midi. What I like about going to Poilane is that I can buy the bread by the slice. As I'm usually one person, I don't need a whole or half loaf of bread that will start to dry out before I can eat it. So, I like to buy it 2-3 slices at a time. I'm very picky as to bread and baked goods.

As for restaurants, there are so many in the neighborhood, just walk around and read the various menus. I like Le Temps de Purdu at 54, rue de Seine, between rue de Buci and rue Jacob. I've eaten there probably since the 80s. Across the street is Fish, which I tried to get into, but was booked solid the night a friend and I went.

I can't remember all of the places that I have eaten at. Plus, the neighborhood and places change. And since I rent apartments now, I tend to cook at dinner time especially or if I'm hungry earlier in the day, I either go to my regular restaurant of decades or drop in at a cafe and have an omelette and fries. I like the cafe on the corner of rue de Seine and Blvd. St. Germain. And then there's the other one that's a block away, on Blvd. St.Germain, going west of the above mentioned one. The manager of the hotel that I used to stay at and I used to meet there for a bite. And next to that last cafe mentioned is a small restaurant that I took my mom to and she loved the food. It has a few tables outside. I can't remember the name of it.

I read that the new Ralph Lauren restaurant opened at the corner of rue de Rennes and Blvd. St. Germain. I think it opened right after I got back in the spring. There was a big write up.

And there's always my traditional Cafe Flore for a quick, convenient bite, a kir royale and people watching as it's in the neighborhood. Happy Travels!

Thanks, Guenmai! Bread by the slice......love that idea!

I think that most days we will eat breakfast and dinner in our neighborhood. We are staying in an apartment, so we will pick up some things to keep stocked in out kitchen as well.

Then again, I have no idea where I will be at any time on any given day, as we will be walking, and walking, and walking all over Paris.

I read about pear and chocolate crepes on a thread here. I haven't stopped thinking about them since. And the orange ones. And the ones with melted dark chocolate. Sigh.

The pear and chocolate crepes are my favorite!!!

Try the nutella crepes from the street vendor by the St-Germain-des-Pres church. He's on blvd St-Germain on the corner of rue Bonaparte, just by the metro entrance. And there's a large Monoprix supermarket across the street from the church, I think it's on rue de Rennes.

If you are planning to eat your big meal in the middle of the afternoon, your choices will be limited to cafes and brasseries that have continuous service. Most restaurants and bistros are closed between lunch and dinner.

I was about to post the same thing as Nikki said. Plus the popular chalkboard specials of the day will be long gone.

Parisiens tend eat at traditional times and you may be disappointed if you stick to the middle of the afternoon for your main meal.

I, too, appreciate all the suggestions, since we will be staying on Rue de Buci in November.

We may have to stay longer just to try all these wonderful-sounding places!

Byrd

Thanks for letting me know that Nikki and sassy_cat. I guess we will just eat at traditional times. I don't think that will be a problem. !-)

Even at cafes and brasseries, what you can order may be limited in the middle of the afternoon. No one eats their main meal in the middle of the afternoon. Some cafes have a regular dinner service with a particular menu (carte) at that time, and it will likely not be available mid-afternoon. You'll be limited to the quick or snack foods, probably sandwiches and salads, things like that.

I know it's Paris but we love Marco Polo at the corner of rue St Sulpice and rue Conde in the 6th...Italian might suit you after a few days of French fare...you've already gotten great suggestions for pastries...I also love the crepe stand right by the St Germain church...if you get a chance you must hop over to Berthillon for ice cream on Ile St Louis!! :-)

I'll second the Marco Polo recommendation. I ate there twice during my last visit to Paris. Very friendly atmosphere and good food.

The thought of pear and chocolate crepes has me drooling...any recommendations for the best places to get them?