PBT

While I am salivating over a hearty turkey meal in the immediate future, I am thinking ahead. I am starting to make reservations at various Paris restaurants for our trip in January. We are planning to do a prix fixe lunch at La Tour D'Argent and/or Taillevent and have dinner at Jamin and La Maree. On the subject of prixe fixe menus, I am a bit worried that I will not be able to find anything I like. While I consider myself open-minded when it comes to enjoying ethnic cuisine, whether it's Phad Thai noodles, Korean bulgogi, Spanish tapas, sushi or borscht, there are certain foods that I just don't eat. That includes any kind of seafood other than fish and certain exotic meats like frogs, crocs, pigeons, pickled pig's feet and the like. Do the prix fixe menus in this type of restaurants give you any kind of choice (like they do in the U.S. even in 4-star restaurants where you may have a few appetizers and two or three entrees to choose from on your prix fixe menu)? I want it to be an enjoyable experience but there is nothing worse than having to pay a bill after your meal and still feeling hungry. Any advice for this picky customer?

elaine

I'm not sure why you are worried, at the restaurants you mention and at even casual restaurants there are almost always lots of choices, and almost every time you will find a simple grilled steak, a roasted chicken, and a broiled or sauteeed fish are among the choices. Frogs legs are not an everyday dish even for Parisians.

Grasshopper

Not to worry. Just be sure to wear your caribou jacket!

jody

A prix fixe menu will have several choices under each section..sometimes up to 5 or 6. A menu de gustation will have a set menu with no choices.

I especially like that some prix fixe menus allow one to choose 2 or 3 courses. I'm sometimes not able to eat all 3 and would rather skip dessert..I know..I'm weird!

kite

Could someone tell me what 4-star restaurants are? Is this an American classification?

Christina

I have never seen a restaurant in Paris that only served one thing to everyone, prix fixe or not. I think I read there is one wellknown restaurant in Paris that does only have one particular menu a day/meal, but I can't recall which one it is. But that is really unusual. It sounds like you are eating at normal French restaurants, you shouldn't expect such bizarre dishes (crocs?). I don't think they have frogs anymore--at least they are imported, and I've never seen that on a menu in France in years and years.

I don't know what a 4* restaurant is. I suppose it is some American classification, but I don't know which one.

JoeG

When we were in France last year we went to a prix fixe lunch, we told our server to "just bring on the food." - Best meal we ever had! How could you go wrong? Take the plunge!
JoeG

PBT

Thanks for allaying my fears. I just wanted to be sure that dining at a fine restaurant in Paris will not be anything unlike having lunch or dinner at La Cote Basque or Chanterelle in New York.

I believe the four-/five-star ratings in the U.S. are from the Mobil Guide. But these are loosely used whereas I got the feeling that Michelin's ratings are much more precise as to their criteria.

cmt

You seem to have a pretty wide range of food restrictions. I have no experience with these very high level Paris restaurants, but if I ever did go to one of them, I'd want to feel free to taste a variety of things without fear that I'd be wasting money on a meal which I might have to leave mostly untouched. If I were not willing to try unusual meats and unusual varieties of seafood and organ meats that are not a usual part of my diet, I would probably avoid going to an expensive restaurant where the menu would not be within my control. Maybe you would be better off making your own selctions from the menu, instead of taking the prix fixe lunch, so then you can avoid the foods that you absolutely won't eat, and enjoy the ones that you're fairly sure you'd like.

While I do not have too many things that I'm unwilling to eat at all, and I do enjoy trying unfamiliar things, I do have one thing that I KNOW is a good food, but that I just do not want to eat, unless it is only a relatively minor ingredient: eggs. That is not usually a problem, and actually I will eat, for example, a small piece of something like frittata. But, because of my feelings about eggs, I would generally avoid going to a restaurant in which most of the menu items are omelets, crèpes, or soufflés.

ira

I just wanted to be sure that dining at a fine restaurant in Paris will not be anything unlike having lunch or dinner at La Cote Basque or Chanterelle in New York. <

Dear colleague,

Is a Cadillac not unlike a Rolls Royce?

Surfergirl

PBT -- I've eaten at 3 out of the 4 you mentioned at one time or another, and you can rest assured, you will not have a problem. At all.

ira

Hi PBT,

At www.taillevent.com you can view the sampler menu.

If you won't eat the shellfish and leek ravioli, you can give it to me.