Thanks, Jean; I thought that was probably so.

I believe that reservethebest is defunct. It switched over to
bestrestaurantsparis.com

Have fun... I read and drool...

But it's online booking feature is still not working in Aug.

Yeek, big grammatical error. Should not be apostrophe in "its".

grandmere,
I would tell you to keep Le Pamphlet in the Marais on your list, even on the very top of your list, but you may need to save it for another time, as it's closed from Aug. 7-23. Just phenomenal Basque/Bearn cuisine, served in an elegant farmhouse setting with fine linens, fine china and amazingly well spaced tables for a Parisian bistro. It's our number one choice for Southwest fare in Paris. It's a Bibi Gourmand in the '06 Michelin. Great value!

We love Le Reminet as well, but unfortunately it's closed from Aug. 7-30.

Baracane is solid, old style Basque/Bearn fare with mild prices, not as gourmet as Le Pamphlet but dependable Southwest fare, and Fish has terrific Provencal cuisine.

Since Underhill recommends Au Petit Marguery, we shall put it at the top of our list for our next visit. Underhill's choices for me are golden.

Is "Le Petit Marguery" the same restaurant as "Au Petit Marguery"?

Many years ago Le PM was a CAFE chain In recent years only one of the cafes were left and also Le Petite M.(a bistro )located in the 13th and the one we are talking about. About 3 yrs ago it was sold(for the better thankfully) and they changed the name to Au Petit M.

Maribel, Le Pamphlet should work since we arrive in Paris on 8/28. Is there a sample menu online somewhere? I'm not familiar with the cuisine of southwestern France; foie gras and cassoulet come to mind. It seems to me it was written up in NYT w/in last couple of years; maybe I've saved the article. (Or maybe not!)

Grandma....I dial 101 6868 before I dial the 011 for an international call. It is 9/10cents a minute and for less than 50c(which is about what a hotel charges for a phone call)you can make your reservation from home at ease.

Grandmere, my memory is that Le Pamphlet is more a creative spin on southwestern French cuisine, not the traditional menu with cassoulet.

grandmere,
Le Pamplet is closed Sat. lunch, all day Sun, and Mon. lunch.

Nikki is correct;
Le Pamphlet is not a traditional mom-and-pop, nostalgic Southwestern spot serving huge pots of cassoulet and foie, but rather it serves creative, high gourmet, market driven cuisine using Southwestern (mainly Basque) ingredientes (Espelette pepper, Bayonne ham, Spanish jabugo, chorizo, pimientos de piquillo, etc.), as do Helene Darroze and Yves Camdeborde in some of their dishes.

The chef, Alain Carrère, hails from Béarn and worked with Christian Constant. and cooked at Le Crillon. The Champerard guide gives it a 13.5 with heart, a 13 from Gault Millau. And a Bibi Gourmand from the '06 Michelin. Le Pudlo likes it too.

I believe their set menus are around 30 for lunch, 45 for dinner.

Some sample dishes:

Levée de bar et fondue de poireaux

Tomate de Marmande farcie d'un confit de lapin

Gaspacho de légumes pour saucer

Pimientos farcis d'une brandade,

la viennoise de rognon de veau

Paupiettes d'aubergine au confit de lapin

Dos de bar sauvage poêlé aux ris de veau et fèves,

Sole meunière aux jeunes carottes et pain d'épice

Carpaccio de tête de veau aux langoustines

Equally creative dessert and a well selected Southwestern leaning wine list with Madirans, Cahors, Jurançon, even some selections from Navarra.

Sweet and caring service from the chef's wife and warm welcome from the chef himself. Feels homey.

Hope this helps.

Spare my blushes, Maribel! I do hope you enjoy Au Petit Marguery...we've yet to be disappointed.

Thank you, all, for the detailed responses (Maribel, you gave a great list of dishes for Le Pamphlet). I surely have enough info now to make some good choices!

Hi grandmere,
Just read on the France board of tripadvisor that Le Pamphlet had a flood from broken pipes and won't reopen until Nov. but....

I also just discovered that Le Pamphlet has opened an annex. Le Petit Pamphlet. Apparently, the intention of chef Carrere was to offer a place with relaxed atmosphere and gentle prices. His menu here features the cuisine of Languedoc-Roussillon and Catalunya and consists of 5 starters, 4 main courses and 5 desserts that change according to market and season. The wine list has bottles for around 20 €, again, mostly from the Languedoc-Roussillon.

Sample dishes:

lieu jaune meuniere (pollack) with mashed potatoes, capers, sun-dried tomatoes and tiny cubes of tuna

risotto of squid in ts own ink with garlic and parsley

rice pudding
crème brûlée

At 15 rue St. Gilles
Closes Sat. lunch, Sun., Mon. lunch
Phone: (33) 1 4271 2221

Putting this on the top of my list.

ttt

Well, how about this for up to the minute news! Thank you for calling my attention to this, Maribel; it sounds interesting.

grandmere,

I've seldom seen a tourist in Chez Fernand, we discovered it by accident and return often. The waitstaff has rather limited English but you can muddle through!

I recommended it to someone else here and she said her starter was the best thing she had on their whole trip. You can book it on reservethe best..or whatever he new name for that website is. I don't think it's fully operational until September though.

Jody, do you know if Chez Fernand is open in Aug.? It sounds very nice.

Sorry, don't know .

ttt