I'm a little intimidated by the prospect of eating in a nice restaurant in Paris. My husband and I enjoy and nice meal every now and then but we are wholly unfamiliar not only with french cuisine but with everything and anything associated with eating in a French restaurant. Strange question I guess but where do two no frills people eat in Paris? How do we conquer our culinary fears!?

There are plenty of restaurants that are relaxed and also very good in Paris. It needn't be stuffy, formal or even very expensive. I suggest you get a good book, like Patricia Wells Food Lover's Guide to Paris (www.patriciawells.com) or the Time Out Guide to Paris restaurants which can be purchased at big news stands here and in English bookshops. Both include tips on enjoying your experience in a French restaurants. Service is not as friendly as in the US but often just as efficient if not more. Coffee is not drunk with meals. It's best not to wear sneakers, shorts or other tourist attire. Booking a table is a good idea; try for after 8 pm or you might find yourselves either alone or surrounded by other Americans. Get a good menu translator-type book and try to get familiar with the food names before you go. Learn a few words of French: please, thank you, that was delicious, the bill, please. Try to experiment and you will enjoy yourselves. Have fun. Feel free to email me if you want.

The pocket-sized "Marling Menu Master"<BR>gives translations and explains how restaurants operate.

French cuisine isn't so different from your everyday fare that you'll have to worry. Beef, pork, chicken; tomatoes, potatoes, spinach; eggs, cheese, ice cream; bread, croissants, pastries. All familiar stuff, eaten with knives, forks and spoons, served at the appropriate times (dessert comes after the main course, etc.).<BR><BR>The carte (french word for menu) can be daunting, so it's perfectly ok to ask the waiter for suggestions or help. If you want wine, but don't know what to order, again, ask your waiter.<BR><BR>The French do dress up a bit to go out to dinner, so you do the same. You'll feel out of place if you're in shorts and t-shirts while everyone else is in coats and ties.<BR><BR>If you make a reservation, keep it and arrive on time.<BR><BR>Guidebooks are a great source for restaurant recos and descriptions. If you can get to a French restaurant in your area, you'll be able to see the food's not that odd. There are lots of cookbooks that'll describe French food; there are a couple of books out about French food and dining in Paris (Patricia Wells has written a couple).<BR><BR>Mind your manners and be nice, and you'll have no problem enjoying dining in Paris.<BR><BR>Get yourself a book that translates menus - a good bookstore or internet site will have a couple from which to choose.<BR><BR>

First, I recommend the book "Eating and Drinking in Paris" by Andy Herbach and Michael Dillon, published by Open Road Publishing. The paperback has a wealth of basic information including a most comprehensive "menu reader" which offers translations of just about any word you'd find on a French menu (oops, I mean "carte").<BR>I'll disagree slightly with Francesca. WE found service in Paris restaurants just a friendly as in the US. Further, unlike many American restaurants, we felt that we were being rushed so that they could seat someone else.<BR>

Cafe Balzar is wonderful. Located in the Latin Quarter on Rue des Ecoles. The food was fabulous, the cafe atmosphere and service were super. The waiter spoke English very well as we found they did both in Paris, Cannes and Monte Carlo.Very friendly,too. Quite a change from the last time I was in Paris 20 years ago.<BR>We were 2 families with 5 teenagers and were treated very well. Wore sundresses and other nice casual wear.<BR>Hope you enjoy it.<BR>Also, on the streets, especially in the St. Michel street are there are a lot of crepe stands on the street that are wonderful - chocolate and banana to die for.<BR>Fodors, Frommers and Zagat were a great help to locating terrific cafe's and restaurants.<BR>

See www.anamericaninparis.com<BR><BR>And, no, I'm not Fred.

Ooops, a correction on my earlier post. That last sentence should read that unlike some American restaurants, we never felt rushed in Paris restaurants.

Cathy, great web site. Thanks, Fred.

I'm really not Fred, and detest it when Fred, himself, promotes his website here. But, his "guide" really is fabulous for first-times, as opposed to plowing through a stack of other tour guides (and paying for them, versus the $10 Fred hopes you will send him to defray the cost of his website). If you haven't got loads of time for reading and research and organizing your findings and/or would just like lots of sort-of insider tips, Fred's guide is terrific.

Get "Bistros of Paris" by the Hamburgers. Lots of places not mentioned over and over again in all the other guides, which are full of tourists and generally avoided by the locals. There IS such a thing as "French comfort food". You'll love it! Bring a comprehensive food glossary, one that's totally alphabetical and NOT in sections by course or type of food (how would you know?), but one that's completely alphabetical and includes lots of preparation descriptions.

Cathy:<BR><BR>If you'd like a list of fairly casual places that my family has enjoyed over the past 7 years or so, feel free to e-mail me. These are places we've been to with our kids, who are now 12 and 15, so they are not intimidating - still, we like good food and great Parisian atmosphere, so they are not fast-food or chain places. Just local watering spots with good food and some atmosphere.

The best menu translator I've found is in "The Food Lover's Guide to France" by Patricia Wells. She includes not just the main words for various ingredients but actual terms for whole dishes that you'll find on menus, all in continuous alphabetical order and with descriptions of the ingredients within the typical french dishes. I've just ripped out the glossary pages and taken them with me in my purse to decode French menus. The book is also a worthwhile guide that you'll use often when planning return trips to France.