Trip Report: One hotel and another 8 meals in Paris
Jun 2nd, 2008, 07:21 AM
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Trip Report: One hotel and another 8 meals in Paris
There followeth reviews of the Hotel Parc St. Severin in the 5th arrondissement and of the following restaurants:
<b>Ambassade d�Aubergne
Lutetia
Lavinia
Fables de la Fontaine
Atelier Robuchon
Mavromatis
Bofinger
Chez Vong</b>
Although we were in Paris in April, we returned for another 4 days in May when we learned that our daughter and son-in-law are expecting twins in November and won�t be able to make a New Years trip with us this year. We asked where they�d like to go to celebrate their wonderful news and they replied �the Loire and Paris, of course.� So we sacrificed and decided to go for the second time in two months. Pretty tough.
We had wonderful weather and a great time. Can�t think of anything that went wrong (except for a small glitch with our garmin which we finally conquered). I�ll report separately on the Loire part of the trip and there include some sightseeing information but since we tend to concentrate on food, this report will be almost completely about that subject. So read no further if you�re one of those folks who travels to broaden their horizons and their knowledge rather than their backside. And so without apologies�..
<b>Hotel Parc St. Severin</b>
This has always been our mainstay (have never used that word so appropriately before) but for the last several trips we�ve moved around the city staying in the Marais and more recently in the 6th. So this was a sort of homecoming. And we came back to a remodeled house! Nothing major but enough to make it noticeable and nicely so.
For those of you who are new and may not have heard of the Parc St. Severin (over the years, it�s been quite a favorite on this site), it�s across a pedestrian street from the church of the same name and just off all the touristy streets with all the Greek restaurants in the area between St. Germain and the Seine east of Blvd St. Michel, on rue de la Parchemenerie. The most notable thing about it is that it has a couple of rooms on the top floor with small balconies overlooking the church where you can take your breakfast�one of those truly romantic Paris moments. Otherwise it�s just a really nice three star place in a central location with rates on the lower-middle side of the spectrum for three star hotels.
The remodel was primarily changing paint colors and upholstery in the public rooms and drapes, spreads and carpets in the rooms. But they did a nice job and the whole place is just a little spiffier than it�s been so the value is now even greater than before. I recommend this place highly with the only downside being its specific location. It�s generally good with access within a block or two to two metros and a velib station right around the corner. However, it is touristy and at certain times of the year and day, the crush can be overwhelming. The windows are double-glazed so we�ve not had noise problems except at the change of year time from non-AC to AC when we kept our windows open. If the place were just down St. Germain about 4 blocks in the 6th, it would be perfect. However, for sure we�ll return, probably continually.
Now on to eating, the primary purpose of this report.
<b>Ambassade d�Auvergne</b>
We first came to this 3rd arrondissement restaurant a few blocks from the Pompidou Center many years ago after I found one of those cards about the place on the floor of our plane while we were flying to Paris. I took it as a sign and searched it out. Ever since I�ve been a devoted fan of aligote, the potato, garlic and cheese concoction from the Auvergne which is my primary reason for returning here time and again. This time it was my daughter who asked that it be put on the itinerary so she could introduce her husband to the wonders of it. And it is wonderful.
For a very reasonable sum (165 euros for 4 persons including 2 bottles of wine) you get not only food but also theater as they bring the aligote in a large copper kettle, whisk it in front of your eyes and then hoist the potato-laden wooden spoon to a height of over 3 or 4 feet and pull the mixture into long strings. It�s gooey, gloppy goodness and served with an Auvergne sausage or a leg of duck, it makes a wonderful lunch, especially if you choose as a starter artichoke soup with blue cheese bits. DD had only a taste of the aligot but loved her lentil salad with lardons. All the food here is authentic (as is the décor of copper cookware and hams, etc. hanging from the ceiling) and a bit on the heavy side, but it sure is wonderful.
<b>Brasserie du Lutetia</b>
We discovered this place (in the Lutetia hotel right at the Sevres-Babylone metro stop) on our April trip and decided it would make a good first night stop with the kids since they serve continuously and we could eat early and get to bed early after the flight and be well rested to start the rest of our trip. DH also loved it when we�d been there in April and wanted to repeat his plateau de fruits de mer experience. You can�t go home again. It was ok but not as good as the first time. Can�t say why, it just wasn�t. However, the place is stunning in black, stainless and glass with lots of light, all designed by Sonia Rykeil and based on our first time there, I�d still recommend it.
<b>Lavinia</b>
This is a wine store with food but not just a little bar au vins, a real supermarket of a wine store on the Blvd Madeleine. The restaurant is only open until 8 p.m. so lunch is the meal to have here, especially if you�re a wine lover. You can accompany your meal with any wine in the store (and they have some astronomical number of wines, like 6000 or so) at the retail cost of the bottle. No corkage. No mark up. And the food is no after thought. While simple, it�s excellent. We had the charcuterie plat which has fantastic porc rillettes. Other dishes among the group included sardines arranged in a glistening circle, steak tartare, smoked salmon, cucumber gazpacho with goat cheese, scallops with mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables with mozzarella. A grazer�s feast.
<b>Fables de la Fontaine</b>
This was my favorite meal of the trip. Christian Constant of Crillon and Violon d� Ingres fame owns this street in direct sight line of the Eiffel Tower or at least seems to. He now has 4 or maybe even 5 places on it. This was I think the first he opened after his success at Violon and it may be his best. It�s tiny, with seating only for about 24 folks inside and another 12 or so outside at the fountain in the courtyard they share with the bistro Fontaine de Mars. There�s nothing particularly swell about the décor except that for a tiny place with close seating it�s not warm as you would expect it to be, just comfortable and pleasant. Perhaps it helps that the wait staff is personable, friendly and exceedingly helpful.
The food, now that�s something else again. Wonderful, exciting, but not overwhelming or too frou-frou. Amuse of parmesan crème topped by red pepper mousse with crunchies. Langostines in crunchy/crispy egg roll skins with the best basil, lime sauce ever. I can still taste that sauce. Wish I could bottle it. Crisp-skinned daurade fillets (3 each, so not a skimpy portion) and spring veggies�peas, artichokes and tomato topped by a thin, nearly transparent chorizo wafer and rings of white and dark green foam. Lovely desserts�wild strawberries with cream and tiramisu. This was one of our most expensive meals but very worthwhile and main courses were only 28 euros so you can eat here quite reasonably, especially for the quality of the food. As usual, our wine selections drove the price up substantially.
Constant�s other places on the street (besides his flagship Violon) are even more informal and less expensive. The street as a whole is a foodie heaven�Rue St. Dominique. Check it out. But if you want to dine at Fables, you�ll for sure need reservations. It�s small, it�s wonderful and it fills fast.
<b>Atelier Joel Robuchon</b>
This was the splurge of the trip. We had our hotel make our reservations over a month in advance and our son-in-law, a burgeoning foodie, was very excited to be eating in a two star establishment. We�d been a couple of times before and had been talking it up and it didn�t disappoint. Between the 4 of us we had 15 dishes, all beautiful, tasty and duly recorded in stills and DVD. Some of the favorites�coquilles st. jacques swimming in butter in their shells with a hint of coriander, gazpacho like no other you�ve had before drizzled in oil in a pattern that looks like glistening watercress, bone marrow spread on toasted bread atop the bone from which it had been scooped, anchovies arranged in a rectangular pattern and with an acidic twinge in contrast to the circle of sardines we�d had at Lavinia, and a wonderful assiette de fromages with camembert, St. Nectaire, Roquefort and a second blue cheese, all at perfect temperature and states of unctiousness.
The place is smashing in black with red food accents, bottles and jars filled with red colored foods. And the atmosphere is casual chic due especially to the seating arrangement which is all �at the bar.� Since we were a party of four, we were seated at a corner which made conversation much nicer than if we�d all been strung out on a side. The whole experience continues to work very well.
<b>Mavromatis</b>
We�d been to this Greek restaurant many years ago and liked it. At that time we thought it the most upscale, traditional, but classy Greek place we�d ever dined and over the years I�d seen reviews remark similarly about it. But it came as a real shock to see how upscale�and how modern�it has become. This was the most surprising meal of the trip. While they still have more traditional menu items, we ordered their signature �trios� of avant-garde presentations which riffed on the Greek standards. The food was beautiful, stunning even, and yet, you could still make out its Greek roots.
The appetizer trio consisted of a dolmades (stuffed grape leaf) in a tzatziki sauce, tiny medallions of squid and fried aubergines (eggplant) in a tomato sauce. The main course trio was slices of lamb shoulder, moussaka rolled in a zucchini slice and another lamb piece rolled around halumi cheese. The dessert trio was crème brulee, filberts with crème caramel and raspberries with rosewater foam. DH who opted out of the trio fantasia, had a first course of langostines atop oysters on the half shell with saffron foam. It was beautiful and he was in heaven.
The �Trio� menu is 42 euros per person and a wonderful value. Strange as it may sound, if someone were to tell me that they wanted to experience a great meal of nouvelle French food in a lovely setting but couldn�t afford to break the bank to do so, I�d tell them to go to this Greek restaurant and order the trios. For us it continued the �small plates� theme set earlier in the day at Robuchon with nearly equal beauty but less than half the price.
It was a perfect night, so we chose to be seated outside, as did most of the other diners who arrived early as we did. While the outdoor seating is just on a street across from a neighborhood gym, they do their best to provide atmosphere with olive trees in pots and other foliage. The indoor seating is quite traditional (but traditional French, not blue and white Greek) with round tables and caned chairs and also some greenery. The place is across the street and down a block from the Censier-Daubenton metro stop in the 5th arrondissement.
<b>Bofinger</b>
Again, this place seemed to be in the right place at the right time�just when we needed lunch. It also provided the requisite �beautiful old-fashioned brasserie� that we wanted to add to our SIL�s Paris dining experiences. The place is stunning with its flowers and its stained glass ceiling and all the requisite coat rack paraphernalia of a proper brasserie. The food is acceptable and traditional if not fantastic. We had a plateau de fruits de mer and choucroute with duck confit to complete the traditional brasserie experience. If you haven�t been, you really have to go. It�s tradition.
<b>Chez Vong</b>
This place is part of our own family�s tradition. We discovered it on one of our first trips to Paris and we�ve introduced nearly all of our traveling companions to it. DD ate there as a child and she and the SIL ate there on their honeymoon trip. DH celebrated his 60th birthday with friends at this place. We still consider it the most beautiful Chinese restaurant we�ve ever been in. It feels like you�re entering a cave. It�s dark, decorated with flowers here and there and is elegant, not kitschy as so many of its sister places are.
As the least romantic of our party, I, however, felt compelled to point out that the food, while still good, is not getting better and if anything is declining and is certainly priced way over the market. Nonetheless, the place is an eternal family favorite and we�ll keep going back as long as it�s open. If you are in Paris and have a person in your party who wants to eat Chinese food and you want to do so in a lovely setting and are willing to pay more for the setting than for the food, this is still not a bad place and I still recommend it on that basis. How�s that for damning with faint praise?
So there you have it. Four days, four people, eight meals�mostly good�and all in Paris in the springtime. What more could you want? Happy to answer any questions if I can. Enjoy.
<b>Ambassade d�Aubergne
Lutetia
Lavinia
Fables de la Fontaine
Atelier Robuchon
Mavromatis
Bofinger
Chez Vong</b>
Although we were in Paris in April, we returned for another 4 days in May when we learned that our daughter and son-in-law are expecting twins in November and won�t be able to make a New Years trip with us this year. We asked where they�d like to go to celebrate their wonderful news and they replied �the Loire and Paris, of course.� So we sacrificed and decided to go for the second time in two months. Pretty tough.
We had wonderful weather and a great time. Can�t think of anything that went wrong (except for a small glitch with our garmin which we finally conquered). I�ll report separately on the Loire part of the trip and there include some sightseeing information but since we tend to concentrate on food, this report will be almost completely about that subject. So read no further if you�re one of those folks who travels to broaden their horizons and their knowledge rather than their backside. And so without apologies�..
<b>Hotel Parc St. Severin</b>
This has always been our mainstay (have never used that word so appropriately before) but for the last several trips we�ve moved around the city staying in the Marais and more recently in the 6th. So this was a sort of homecoming. And we came back to a remodeled house! Nothing major but enough to make it noticeable and nicely so.
For those of you who are new and may not have heard of the Parc St. Severin (over the years, it�s been quite a favorite on this site), it�s across a pedestrian street from the church of the same name and just off all the touristy streets with all the Greek restaurants in the area between St. Germain and the Seine east of Blvd St. Michel, on rue de la Parchemenerie. The most notable thing about it is that it has a couple of rooms on the top floor with small balconies overlooking the church where you can take your breakfast�one of those truly romantic Paris moments. Otherwise it�s just a really nice three star place in a central location with rates on the lower-middle side of the spectrum for three star hotels.
The remodel was primarily changing paint colors and upholstery in the public rooms and drapes, spreads and carpets in the rooms. But they did a nice job and the whole place is just a little spiffier than it�s been so the value is now even greater than before. I recommend this place highly with the only downside being its specific location. It�s generally good with access within a block or two to two metros and a velib station right around the corner. However, it is touristy and at certain times of the year and day, the crush can be overwhelming. The windows are double-glazed so we�ve not had noise problems except at the change of year time from non-AC to AC when we kept our windows open. If the place were just down St. Germain about 4 blocks in the 6th, it would be perfect. However, for sure we�ll return, probably continually.
Now on to eating, the primary purpose of this report.
<b>Ambassade d�Auvergne</b>
We first came to this 3rd arrondissement restaurant a few blocks from the Pompidou Center many years ago after I found one of those cards about the place on the floor of our plane while we were flying to Paris. I took it as a sign and searched it out. Ever since I�ve been a devoted fan of aligote, the potato, garlic and cheese concoction from the Auvergne which is my primary reason for returning here time and again. This time it was my daughter who asked that it be put on the itinerary so she could introduce her husband to the wonders of it. And it is wonderful.
For a very reasonable sum (165 euros for 4 persons including 2 bottles of wine) you get not only food but also theater as they bring the aligote in a large copper kettle, whisk it in front of your eyes and then hoist the potato-laden wooden spoon to a height of over 3 or 4 feet and pull the mixture into long strings. It�s gooey, gloppy goodness and served with an Auvergne sausage or a leg of duck, it makes a wonderful lunch, especially if you choose as a starter artichoke soup with blue cheese bits. DD had only a taste of the aligot but loved her lentil salad with lardons. All the food here is authentic (as is the décor of copper cookware and hams, etc. hanging from the ceiling) and a bit on the heavy side, but it sure is wonderful.
<b>Brasserie du Lutetia</b>
We discovered this place (in the Lutetia hotel right at the Sevres-Babylone metro stop) on our April trip and decided it would make a good first night stop with the kids since they serve continuously and we could eat early and get to bed early after the flight and be well rested to start the rest of our trip. DH also loved it when we�d been there in April and wanted to repeat his plateau de fruits de mer experience. You can�t go home again. It was ok but not as good as the first time. Can�t say why, it just wasn�t. However, the place is stunning in black, stainless and glass with lots of light, all designed by Sonia Rykeil and based on our first time there, I�d still recommend it.
<b>Lavinia</b>
This is a wine store with food but not just a little bar au vins, a real supermarket of a wine store on the Blvd Madeleine. The restaurant is only open until 8 p.m. so lunch is the meal to have here, especially if you�re a wine lover. You can accompany your meal with any wine in the store (and they have some astronomical number of wines, like 6000 or so) at the retail cost of the bottle. No corkage. No mark up. And the food is no after thought. While simple, it�s excellent. We had the charcuterie plat which has fantastic porc rillettes. Other dishes among the group included sardines arranged in a glistening circle, steak tartare, smoked salmon, cucumber gazpacho with goat cheese, scallops with mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables with mozzarella. A grazer�s feast.
<b>Fables de la Fontaine</b>
This was my favorite meal of the trip. Christian Constant of Crillon and Violon d� Ingres fame owns this street in direct sight line of the Eiffel Tower or at least seems to. He now has 4 or maybe even 5 places on it. This was I think the first he opened after his success at Violon and it may be his best. It�s tiny, with seating only for about 24 folks inside and another 12 or so outside at the fountain in the courtyard they share with the bistro Fontaine de Mars. There�s nothing particularly swell about the décor except that for a tiny place with close seating it�s not warm as you would expect it to be, just comfortable and pleasant. Perhaps it helps that the wait staff is personable, friendly and exceedingly helpful.
The food, now that�s something else again. Wonderful, exciting, but not overwhelming or too frou-frou. Amuse of parmesan crème topped by red pepper mousse with crunchies. Langostines in crunchy/crispy egg roll skins with the best basil, lime sauce ever. I can still taste that sauce. Wish I could bottle it. Crisp-skinned daurade fillets (3 each, so not a skimpy portion) and spring veggies�peas, artichokes and tomato topped by a thin, nearly transparent chorizo wafer and rings of white and dark green foam. Lovely desserts�wild strawberries with cream and tiramisu. This was one of our most expensive meals but very worthwhile and main courses were only 28 euros so you can eat here quite reasonably, especially for the quality of the food. As usual, our wine selections drove the price up substantially.
Constant�s other places on the street (besides his flagship Violon) are even more informal and less expensive. The street as a whole is a foodie heaven�Rue St. Dominique. Check it out. But if you want to dine at Fables, you�ll for sure need reservations. It�s small, it�s wonderful and it fills fast.
<b>Atelier Joel Robuchon</b>
This was the splurge of the trip. We had our hotel make our reservations over a month in advance and our son-in-law, a burgeoning foodie, was very excited to be eating in a two star establishment. We�d been a couple of times before and had been talking it up and it didn�t disappoint. Between the 4 of us we had 15 dishes, all beautiful, tasty and duly recorded in stills and DVD. Some of the favorites�coquilles st. jacques swimming in butter in their shells with a hint of coriander, gazpacho like no other you�ve had before drizzled in oil in a pattern that looks like glistening watercress, bone marrow spread on toasted bread atop the bone from which it had been scooped, anchovies arranged in a rectangular pattern and with an acidic twinge in contrast to the circle of sardines we�d had at Lavinia, and a wonderful assiette de fromages with camembert, St. Nectaire, Roquefort and a second blue cheese, all at perfect temperature and states of unctiousness.
The place is smashing in black with red food accents, bottles and jars filled with red colored foods. And the atmosphere is casual chic due especially to the seating arrangement which is all �at the bar.� Since we were a party of four, we were seated at a corner which made conversation much nicer than if we�d all been strung out on a side. The whole experience continues to work very well.
<b>Mavromatis</b>
We�d been to this Greek restaurant many years ago and liked it. At that time we thought it the most upscale, traditional, but classy Greek place we�d ever dined and over the years I�d seen reviews remark similarly about it. But it came as a real shock to see how upscale�and how modern�it has become. This was the most surprising meal of the trip. While they still have more traditional menu items, we ordered their signature �trios� of avant-garde presentations which riffed on the Greek standards. The food was beautiful, stunning even, and yet, you could still make out its Greek roots.
The appetizer trio consisted of a dolmades (stuffed grape leaf) in a tzatziki sauce, tiny medallions of squid and fried aubergines (eggplant) in a tomato sauce. The main course trio was slices of lamb shoulder, moussaka rolled in a zucchini slice and another lamb piece rolled around halumi cheese. The dessert trio was crème brulee, filberts with crème caramel and raspberries with rosewater foam. DH who opted out of the trio fantasia, had a first course of langostines atop oysters on the half shell with saffron foam. It was beautiful and he was in heaven.
The �Trio� menu is 42 euros per person and a wonderful value. Strange as it may sound, if someone were to tell me that they wanted to experience a great meal of nouvelle French food in a lovely setting but couldn�t afford to break the bank to do so, I�d tell them to go to this Greek restaurant and order the trios. For us it continued the �small plates� theme set earlier in the day at Robuchon with nearly equal beauty but less than half the price.
It was a perfect night, so we chose to be seated outside, as did most of the other diners who arrived early as we did. While the outdoor seating is just on a street across from a neighborhood gym, they do their best to provide atmosphere with olive trees in pots and other foliage. The indoor seating is quite traditional (but traditional French, not blue and white Greek) with round tables and caned chairs and also some greenery. The place is across the street and down a block from the Censier-Daubenton metro stop in the 5th arrondissement.
<b>Bofinger</b>
Again, this place seemed to be in the right place at the right time�just when we needed lunch. It also provided the requisite �beautiful old-fashioned brasserie� that we wanted to add to our SIL�s Paris dining experiences. The place is stunning with its flowers and its stained glass ceiling and all the requisite coat rack paraphernalia of a proper brasserie. The food is acceptable and traditional if not fantastic. We had a plateau de fruits de mer and choucroute with duck confit to complete the traditional brasserie experience. If you haven�t been, you really have to go. It�s tradition.
<b>Chez Vong</b>
This place is part of our own family�s tradition. We discovered it on one of our first trips to Paris and we�ve introduced nearly all of our traveling companions to it. DD ate there as a child and she and the SIL ate there on their honeymoon trip. DH celebrated his 60th birthday with friends at this place. We still consider it the most beautiful Chinese restaurant we�ve ever been in. It feels like you�re entering a cave. It�s dark, decorated with flowers here and there and is elegant, not kitschy as so many of its sister places are.
As the least romantic of our party, I, however, felt compelled to point out that the food, while still good, is not getting better and if anything is declining and is certainly priced way over the market. Nonetheless, the place is an eternal family favorite and we�ll keep going back as long as it�s open. If you are in Paris and have a person in your party who wants to eat Chinese food and you want to do so in a lovely setting and are willing to pay more for the setting than for the food, this is still not a bad place and I still recommend it on that basis. How�s that for damning with faint praise?
So there you have it. Four days, four people, eight meals�mostly good�and all in Paris in the springtime. What more could you want? Happy to answer any questions if I can. Enjoy.
Jun 2nd, 2008, 06:28 PM
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SIL here...
Beneficiary of a wonderful spring trip to Paris. This was my 4th trip to the city of lights. The first was my honeymoon, and two subsequent trips since for work.
You couldn't dream of better weather for our stay. Plus, all of Paris was in full bloom. The four of us each filled are camera memory cards.
Meals - Our family historically takes time at the end of each meal to rate the experience. We catch opinions up front (numerically) before we get home and start day dreaming about them. Sitting at the office writing a trip report you can romanticize up all your meals when you're comparing them to what local cafeteria will provide you that day. We rate our meals with three equal categories - food, service and ambiance.
On to the ratings..
Highest rated food - Fontaine - MIL and I had the same meal. Amazing!
Lowest rated food - Lutetia - Not bad by any means, but it was up against stiff competition.
Family Overall Ratings
1. (tie) L'Atelier Robuchon & Chez Vong
3. Fables de la Fontaine
4. Bofinger
5. Mavromatis
6. Lavinia
7. Ambassade d’Aubergne
8. Lutetia
Beneficiary of a wonderful spring trip to Paris. This was my 4th trip to the city of lights. The first was my honeymoon, and two subsequent trips since for work.
You couldn't dream of better weather for our stay. Plus, all of Paris was in full bloom. The four of us each filled are camera memory cards.
Meals - Our family historically takes time at the end of each meal to rate the experience. We catch opinions up front (numerically) before we get home and start day dreaming about them. Sitting at the office writing a trip report you can romanticize up all your meals when you're comparing them to what local cafeteria will provide you that day. We rate our meals with three equal categories - food, service and ambiance.
On to the ratings..
Highest rated food - Fontaine - MIL and I had the same meal. Amazing!
Lowest rated food - Lutetia - Not bad by any means, but it was up against stiff competition.
Family Overall Ratings
1. (tie) L'Atelier Robuchon & Chez Vong
3. Fables de la Fontaine
4. Bofinger
5. Mavromatis
6. Lavinia
7. Ambassade d’Aubergne
8. Lutetia
Jun 2nd, 2008, 06:45 PM
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Always enjoy your TRs, Julie.
I'm considering going to Atelier Joel Robuchon on our next trip. Would you mind telling me how much was the bill (w/o alcohol)? Was 15 dishes enough or could you have eaten more? My DH has a hearty appetite so I'm not sure how many dishes we would need btw the 2 of us.
I'm considering going to Atelier Joel Robuchon on our next trip. Would you mind telling me how much was the bill (w/o alcohol)? Was 15 dishes enough or could you have eaten more? My DH has a hearty appetite so I'm not sure how many dishes we would need btw the 2 of us.
Jun 3rd, 2008, 04:01 AM
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Julie's DD here with my weigh-in ...
First, thanks so much to Mom and Dad for again showing us what the world has to offer and better yet how to best enjoy it!
As representative for the Asian food appreciaters among us, I believe Dad would second my opinion that Chez Vong serves excellent Chinese food. I'm not sure the quality has changed, perhaps we've been desensitized over the years to the tasty gems we are now presented. But to some extent I agree with DM, the atmosphere is definitely the star of this show.
For anyone who enjoys their food but also DOES care about their backside, the Parc St. Severin is located near a newly opened "First Fitness" chain-style gym - I believe it was two blocks away and you can ask at the front desk of the hotel for directions or just find it by walking around the hotel. Modern equipment - both a medium-sized floor of brand new and diverse cardio machines with a bank of TVs for distraction and an upper story split between brand new resistance machines and free weights - are paired with very clean and well-appointed locker rooms (there is an electronic lock system allowing you to use the lockers even as a guest). I believe the pricing was a little high - I think 30 euros per day. The hours were 7am-10pm weekdays and I believe reduced on weekends, and the gym was closed on Victory Day. Staff spoke some English and we managed.
I may have missed the high traffic times, but this gym was always fairly empty and such a great way to keep the meals and the waistline in balance (or imagined waistline for those of us expecting). A little warm, but I'm guessing in the summer months they will have the AC properly adjusted. What a find!
First, thanks so much to Mom and Dad for again showing us what the world has to offer and better yet how to best enjoy it!
As representative for the Asian food appreciaters among us, I believe Dad would second my opinion that Chez Vong serves excellent Chinese food. I'm not sure the quality has changed, perhaps we've been desensitized over the years to the tasty gems we are now presented. But to some extent I agree with DM, the atmosphere is definitely the star of this show.
For anyone who enjoys their food but also DOES care about their backside, the Parc St. Severin is located near a newly opened "First Fitness" chain-style gym - I believe it was two blocks away and you can ask at the front desk of the hotel for directions or just find it by walking around the hotel. Modern equipment - both a medium-sized floor of brand new and diverse cardio machines with a bank of TVs for distraction and an upper story split between brand new resistance machines and free weights - are paired with very clean and well-appointed locker rooms (there is an electronic lock system allowing you to use the lockers even as a guest). I believe the pricing was a little high - I think 30 euros per day. The hours were 7am-10pm weekdays and I believe reduced on weekends, and the gym was closed on Victory Day. Staff spoke some English and we managed.
I may have missed the high traffic times, but this gym was always fairly empty and such a great way to keep the meals and the waistline in balance (or imagined waistline for those of us expecting). A little warm, but I'm guessing in the summer months they will have the AC properly adjusted. What a find!
Jun 3rd, 2008, 05:56 AM
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yk, wines, beers and bottled water came to about 1/4 of our total bill. If I divide the remainder in half (two of you, four of us) it would come to about 150 euros for two. Portions aren't large but they aren't super skimpy and the meal is paced so you fill up. The least expensive plates were a vegetable mille-feuille at 14 and the fresh anchovies/sardines at 14 also. Two of us had cutlets of suckling pig at 22 euros apiece, the most expensive plates ordered. also for 22 euros I got two very large scallops swimming in butter in their shells. Hope that gives you some better idea on prices and portions. Even if you have to duck around the corner following your meal in order to fill up a still hungry husband, this place is a wonderful experience and for a Michelin 2 star, quite reasonable in comparison to others. I recommend it highly.
Jun 3rd, 2008, 06:14 AM
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Julie, thanks for the price breakdown. I suppose maybe we shouldn't go, given the saying,
"If you have to ask, you can't afford it."
I wonder how those prices compare with his L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in NYC. Afterall, we only live a couple of hours from NYC, and perhaps it'll be cheaper there.
P.S. it's lovely that your daughter weighs in.
"If you have to ask, you can't afford it."
I wonder how those prices compare with his L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in NYC. Afterall, we only live a couple of hours from NYC, and perhaps it'll be cheaper there.
P.S. it's lovely that your daughter weighs in.
Jun 3rd, 2008, 07:50 AM
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Zagat NYC shows $131 per person at the NYC branch. Zagat Paris posts 100 euros per person for the Paris original. so pricewise they look quite equivalent.
I just went on the website for the NYC restaurant. it's very different from the Paris restaurant. It's table service--not bar, and the menu appears quite a bit different--more geared to meals than tapas style dining (though you can order actual main course servings at the Paris restaurant as well, we just never have.) Personally I love the bar/counter service idea, especially for a big whoopty do place like this. but if you'd be more comfortable splurging in a more standard setting with table seating, by all means opt for the closer NYC sibling.
I just went on the website for the NYC restaurant. it's very different from the Paris restaurant. It's table service--not bar, and the menu appears quite a bit different--more geared to meals than tapas style dining (though you can order actual main course servings at the Paris restaurant as well, we just never have.) Personally I love the bar/counter service idea, especially for a big whoopty do place like this. but if you'd be more comfortable splurging in a more standard setting with table seating, by all means opt for the closer NYC sibling.
