Re the P quarter loaf: Our last one, when we had an apartment two blocks up the street on rue du Cherche-Midi in Jan, lasted for five days, including slices at breakfast. Lovely toasted. -- Jake

Re Chalet des Iles -- the little ferry launch that you take across the small lake to arrive at the restaurant commences the magic at this lovely little place. Our son certainly liked it for that reason. Some locations are about more than "just the food," and this is one. After, or before, it is lovely to stroll around the little Ile. Glad to see it is apparently open again, I remember it was closed by fire a while ago. -- Jake

"Super to see you, souphie" -- for sure! -- Jake

Max, Nicely done. And dandy photos -- and I appreciate your considerate approach to taking them with minimum intrusion on others in the room. -- Jake

Your Paris dining plans sound dandy to us. We've happily rented an apt in the 11th and enjoyed the area.

Re Alsace, glad to see you are going to the little hotel in Katzenhal, just outside of Colmar, and very near other nice villages. For dining nearby -- and putting aside the fairly numerous Michelin starred places -- we hope you might enjoy the hotel's nice little dining room, and two other local and similarly fine (not fancy) places that we again recommend, mentioned in your earlier thread --
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/888657 -- "Restaurant des Cascades," in Stosswihr, at the end of the road in a low-mountain valley, http://www.restaurant-des-cascades.com -- and "Le Pressoir de Bacchus," up north at 50 route des Vins, 67650 Blienschwiller. -- Jake

"Not fancy" -- and certainly not in the same category as Le Cep, but indeed traditional and "local basic":

Very nearby, we have enjoyed lunches at "Le Chiroublon" -- a corner bar with a pretty little restaurant in the back. It's located in the center, such as it is, of sleepy little Chiroubles. I recall it as the only visible non-cave commerce in the village. Twice I've had their chicken in taragon and cream (my wife said it evoked her French grandmother's recipe)-- what could be better with real Beaujolais?

Sorry to hear of Le Cep's closing, we aimed to go twice, were foiled each time, and always assumed it would wait for us, tant pis. We too would like to hear of a local place in the same league; the others we've tried for dinner were good, not great. -- Jake

Thanks mangeur, as usual with your recs, this goes into our future file. -- Jake

I agree, well done, and we too must finally get to Le Cinq. Also, I share your apparent enthusiasm for (real) Beaujolais, a simple pleasure. -- Jake

Dandy! We have found that dining with Patricia gives us the answer 93.78 percent of the time. -- Jake

We gave up on MMM a few years ago -- rather out of date and not very well organized anyway – and now use Patricia Wells' Glossary downloaded to Dropbox.com (marked within Dropbox as a "favorite" so we have access even without the Internet) on an iPhone or other similar device. -- Jake

Hi pastrychica,

We too love chestnuts. We had our first liqueur de châtaigne aperitif a few years ago at the hotel Château d'Ygrande (near Moulins and Montlucon, northern Auvergne), surrounded by chestnut tree forests. Mixed with local sparking wine, it was the house aperitif, and we brought a bottle home (that’s the bulbous “Distillerie de Volcans,” empty now!). From then we searched in Paris for that or a comparable rendition, but after two tries (and they were hard to find there) we were not satisfied – what we found in Paris were both “crème,” not “liqueur” de châtaigne, and not as good as what we remembered at Ygrande -- too sweet without the balancing pleasant background slight touch of bitterness that we recalled . . . .

And so on a recent trip to the Ardèche and environs, we were on the lookout for “artisnale” liqueur de châtaigne. And we found quite a few in shops featuring regional products. Pictured below are two, and also two regional crèmes that we picked up for comparison.

One set was from a shop in 48104 Nasbinals, in Lozère; the châtaigne came from the nearby “Plateau de l’Aubrac,” but according to a small sticker on the back that I just noticed, both were distilled by “Philippe Aurian, Artisan Liquoriste,” by separate lots and dates. His place is pretty far away (between Bordeaux and Toulouse) in 32100 Condom. Apparently Philippe Aurian is a serious operation making a huge range of distilled products under different labels. (See http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2012/01/03/1252036-condom-les-regals-de-l-innovant-liquoriste.html ; http://www.produitsregionaux.fr/rub-Information_Aperitifs_Artisanaux-II.htm .)

The other set we bought in 07110 Largèntiere, deep in the Ardèche; that liqueur version also came from Philippe Aunian (but also labeled “Brin d’Ardèche”); the crème, it turned out, was from the only truly local distiller, “Didier Marien, Producteur à Valousset,” much closer in 07110 Laboule. We were told in Largèntere that the crème version is sometimes lower in alcohol, and that the liqueur version is more suitable for sipping on its own, but both are also for pouring atop ice cream, or using (just a touch!) in sauces -- and we’ve done it all. (I just looked, and the ingredients list for all three Philippe Aurian bottlings is the same: “alcool, sucre, aröme naturel, aröme,” and all are 24 percent. The Didier Marien crème is: “alcool, sucre, Macération de châtaigne,” and it’s 16 percent.)

At home we use both versions to make our own “kir ardechios” -- a little bit at the bottom of a glass into which we pour dry white wine, and sometimes we’ll make it with an inexpensive dry sparkling wine. But we don’t use too much, or it’s too sweet for us.

PS, those interested in châtaigne generally might visit the “musée de châtaigne” in 07260 Joyeuse (near Largèntiere) -- proudly setting out the history of châtaigne in the region. http://www.musee-chataigneraie.fr/uk-accueil-chataigne.php In their boutique (http://www.musee-chataigneraie.fr/bou... ) they had even more châtaigne libations, but we bought only châtaigne flour.

-- Jake (now I should apply for a commission from the châtaigne advisory board).

We order kirs all the time, especially in the countryside. Many places have their own maison concoction, using one of a variety of fruit flavors: strawberry, raspberry, peach, blackberry, in addition to the standard cassis. Or, more exotic, such as kir chataignes. -- Jake

Lately, both at home and at restos in France, we like a small amount of sweet wine before dinner. Or we make what I think is called castagnou -- vin blanc and liqueur de châtaigne, which we packed back from the Ardeche. (We've not been able to find the good artisanal stuff in Paris.) Sometimes we make it with an inexpensive sparkling wine. The base is sweet, a little goes a long way. -- Jake

Re LaFourchette, we've used it many times in and outside Paris, works very well, no reliability issue. -- Jake

Re Agape Substance -- based on reviews here and elsewhere in Dec 2012, we crossed this off our list -- not sure if you've seen those. -- Jake

Pas de problem. I would not wait until end of April, but try it end of March.

I was referring to the seasonal closing. When we were reserving last year we found many places in this general area closed Jan-early April. Some monitored email reservation requests when closed, for others it took weeks and follow-up requests to get a response. I'd not worry too much about Faurie, I assume they are simply on a well deserved break.

I look forward to reading more about your planning -- sounds like a great trip. I suspect that Faurie is closed now, they may not be responding for that reason. -- Jake

Thanks to this site and thread, we found and dined at Passionfish on Friday night. The place was very busy (and a bit loud), but our young and sophisticated/wine-savvy waitress (in the front room) easily accommodated our request to create a 5-course tasting menu by splitting the scallop app (with a great accompaniment of diced vegetables, fine texture and flavor); crab/avacodo salad (bright, and with just-enuf spicy ginger); mussels (PEI) in a spicy broth; and perfect Sturgeon -- followed by pear bread pudding. With 4 matching wines, it was all so very nice -- what a fine place. -- Jake

PS: Speaking again of lunch -- for a very "local feeling" place near Munster (worth a visit on its own to see the town and storks), we'd again recommend "Restaurant des Cascades," in Stosswihr, at the end of the road in a low-mountain valley. http://www.restaurant-des-cascades.co... -- Jake

Hi Barry, thanks for doing recon for our next trip to this beautiful and distinctive area. We hope for a report back! It's a simple place in a simple village, but struck us as having a particularly good feel in the dining rooms and bar. And I agree with others that Auberge de l'Ill would be a fine nearby splurge --we were sorry not to return there in 2011, and may go back there for lunch on the patio next time.

-- Jake

Good plan. In case you are looking for lunch on the drive down, we'd suggest Le Pressoir de Bacchus, 50 route des Vins, 67650 Blienschwiller. (No Web site that I can find.) It's a wife-husband place (she, Sylvie, is in the kitchen; he's front of house). As the sign outside the door says, “Ni Bistrot, Ni Gastro . . . C’est la cuisine de Sylvie!” I posted here about this and others in the area around Fall 2011.

In case you are looking for a place to stay, next time we head to the-outside-of-Colmar area we plan to stay in the simple Hotel A l’Agneau, in Katzenthal. http://www.agneau-katzenthal.com/en.php It's a traditional hotel restaurant in a typical-style regional house next to a family-run winery, with two small, pretty, and packed, trpical Alsatian dining rooms. -- Jake

Some recent reviews of Le Reminet, including ours, have been pretty good. And if you book through la fourchette.com, you can get 40% off.

I've never seen a good review of Le Procope, at least not one that I would trust. We were there 10 years ago, and the best thing I can say about it is that my generous father-in-law paid. If you are looking for something of opulent style with pretty good if not great food, check Le Train Bleu. The most amazing and over-the-top train station restaurant ever, also in all the guides. -- Jake

Salut quarolquinzieme, thanks, and we hope to hear your take on this special place. Note: We had a surprisingly hard time finding it, partly because our GPS ("Madame") insisted that the official address, 36 Avenue Cévennes, was about 1 km away. For others similarly misled, Hotel Restaurant Faurie is on the northwest edge of town, across from the abandoned gare (on the little street, Champ de Mars), with some fairly nice hiking/walking trails starting on nearby roads a minute or so away. And we certainly needed to walk -- both to work up appetite and work off all this dining! -- Jake

PS, re discounts -- we recently made a reservation with 40 percent off the carte at Le Reminet. All went fine, and the discount was presented on l'addition without any prompting. -- Jake

You already know that Faurie is worth a stop if you are near. I wrote of our experience in a post last fall. And Faurie came pleasantly to mind a few days ago when we read this article in the NYTimes: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/06/din...

Now we know what he served, among many other things, at the amazing post-dinner breakfast! -- Jake

Hi Plafield, I agree with you -- maybe not "worth a journey," but dandy if nearby. And it certainly is rewarding to see and experience neighborhoods beyond the single-digit arrondissements; we enjoyed the long walks to both of these. -- Jake

DCM, I just looked at our tab and they have either reformed or they took pity on us or they gouged you extra. Our charge was 9 Euros. Still high, it's often 6,50 at non-fancy places, but better than yours! -- Jake

Salut Jo, oferl, mangeur, and Parnassien, thanks for the nice comments, all the more for coming from all of you.

Mangeur, re “discerning comments,” I doubt I have half the culinary knowledge of many of you (that’s my wife’s dept, and she does not post), but as two of these little reviews suggest, I can fairly quickly discern basic things like when a table’s not optimal in terms of location or lighting! And so I’ve decided that it does not hurt to ask for an upgrade, and it’s much better than dining with a twinge of regret.

Parnassien, Mamie Gateaux — yes, a simple little treat. And “le Petit Verdot” — it was on our list because of your rec, yet it was one of many places closed over the holidays and beyond. We walked by the little place often and sometimes there appeared a hand-written notice saying in essence that it was available for renting to private groups. Assuming it will be open to the public this coming mid-September, it’s still on our Cherche-Midi list for then . . . .

Oh, and DCM: I’ll check our l’Huitriere bill for the Chateldon. — Jake

Thanking all again for the useful information from the posters on this site, here’s a report from late Dec 2012-early Jan 2013. As suggested on some recent posts, I’ll mention costs, which in this case are generally for two -- usually including a bottled sparkling water and a full (at dinner) or half (at lunch) bottle or carafe of wine, one dessert to split, and 1 or two express cafes.

Lunches

Le Nemrod. http://www.lenemrod.com/ A casual neighborhood café/bistro/ bar a vins next door to our favorite apartment, it’s open all day and past midnight. We got to know the staff smokers who took their breaks in our doorway from 8:00-00:30 each day. Minutes after arriving from CDG we had a nice wild mushroom omelette and salad cruditee, with a carafe of darn good Brouilly from an extensive Beaujolais selection. €53. 51, rue du Cherche-Midi, 6th.

H. Kitchen. Not to be (or maybe designed to be?) confused with the (former) Hidden Kitchen. We were the first in the empty room for lunch, and were very lucky to be seated without a reservation. The small, spare & yet elegant neighborhood place filled up immediately with local families. The cooking shows clear Asian influence -- thanks to Dr. John for steering us here (http://johntalbottsparis.typepad.com/john_talbotts_paris/2012/11/h-kitchen-in-the-6th-yet-another-pair-of-japanese-chefs-cooking-french-food-when-will-it-end.html). We had to agree to vacate by 13:00, but we were happy just to get in, and for once we got l’addition quickly. We will be pleased to return for dinner. €73. 18, rue Mayet, 6th.

A l’Huitriere. http://www.huitriere.fr/Restaurant/La-cuisine.html We took the TGV to Lille and at DCM’s suggestion headed here, and really enjoyed it. The room is elegant (and we appreciated it more so after we asked to be moved to a better table pres de la fenetre, SVP), and although expensive, the quality was high, the service very fine, and it was a great way to spend a long rainy afternoon before visiting the last day of the Christmas market en route to the excellent Palais de Beaux Arts. €261. 3 rue de Chats Bossus, 59000 Lille.

Les Philosophes. http://www.cafeine.com/pdf/menu_philo.pdf So many of our first choices were “fermee exceptionnelle” between Christmas and until right after Jan 2 that we had to make quite a few adjustments en route, and this was a happy one, where we had among other things a fine confit de canard with a carafe of nice Crozes Hermitage. It was bursting busy -- I’d get there early, or reserve. Service was fast, maybe even too much so. The carte proclaims: “Le Vrai fait maison,” and our waiter enthused that the confit was as well. €82. Note: looks like a nice place to go for, as the carte proposes, “Petite restauration”/ late breakfast too. 28 rue Vielle du Temple, 4th.

Brasserie Mollard. http://www.mollard.fr/ On New Year’s day we headed for lunch at Garnier for a fruits de mer platter, but were turned off by its rather shockingly high prices and so we went next door. Lucky to get in without a res, we had to settle for the frontmost room/ reception area and sat next to a delightful couple who live around the corner and ended up chatting with them in Franglais. The platter was good, but not among the best we’ve had; the crab in particular seemed suspect. All of the front rooms (circa 1867) are incredible; but the back of the restaurant feels like 1975 -- avoid! €131, including a nice Muscadet. 115, rue Saint-Lazare, 8th.

Le 122. http://www.le122.fr . We had a nice table for four at this bright & cleanly stylish place, and would happily return for dinner next time. More details here: http://johntalbottsparis.typepad.com/john_talbotts_paris/2013/01/le-122-another-pleasant-albeit-not-blow-your-mind-out-meal.html . €109 for our share. 122, bien sur, rue de Grenelle, 7th.

Mamie Gateaux. There continues to be an odd web site here: www.mamie-gateaux.com . We returned a third time in recent years to one of my wife’s favorite simple lunch places, right around the corner from the Au Bon Marche. Nice soups, quiches and tartes. €20. 66, rue du Cherche-Midi, 6th.

Bistrot Landais. http://www.lebistrotlandais.fr/ Inspired by Ptipois’s rec (http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/875853 ), we went for confit de canard (€10 less than a pretty similar dish at Les Philosophes, and maybe as good). We really liked this simple corner/neighborhood bistro with a friendly feel. The langue de boeuf was pretty good too, tho not up to the version at Le Dirigeable (below). €55, with a 50 cl of nice Galliac. 104, rue du Cherche-Midi, 6th.

Dinners:

Le Reminet. http://www.lereminet.com/ We had a nice table by the front door on our somewhat jetlagged first night. We ordered from the carte at 40 percent off, thanks to a promotion from La Fourchette/ The Fork, which was honored on the bill, no prompting needed. Standing out was a pigeon farci, and a persille homard. Oh, and a buche de noel. €159, including a very nice lesser Burgogne. 3, rue de Grands Degres, 5th.

Carnet de Voyage. Our table for 6 was one of the few of non-Asian groups in this hopping place that takes no reservations, so be prepared to wait. This was Chinese (specifically, Yunnan) cooking, and unlike anything we’ve never experienced in San Francisco, with some notable presentations in hot woks left at the table. Maybe Ptipois will elaborate. €45, I forget? (Not expensive at all.) 4 rue de Budapest, 9th.

La Rotisserie d’en Face. http://www.larotisseriecagna.fr/ With somewhat slim pickings on New Year’s day for dinner we returned here after many years, and it was good, if not great. Most memorable: Pate de sanglier en croute, and cervelle de veau meuniere. My wife’s pigeonneau aux petits pois was too dry. €134. 2, rue Christine, 6th.

La Cagouille. http://www.la-cagouille.fr/ The seafood (that’s all they serve) seemed fresh and of highest quality. Here we had the impression that it’s all about the food -- and an incredible carte des vins et cognacs. The general area/setting and rather 1980s-feeling/nautical main room left us cold, which is a bit ironic because it also was far too bright. I was ready to confess to a crime that I did not commit under the halogen interrogation spot where we were first seated before we asked once again to move pres de la fenetre (actually a sliding door). They were a bit grumpy about that, but complied. And then I noticed that they sat nobody else there all night. Maybe it would be nicer to dine out on the terrace in good weather. €141, including a verre of cognac. 10, place Constantin Brancusi, 14th.

Le Dirigeable. We were in the mood for a simple place, and this is one – thanks to mangeur for the rec. Memorable: langue de boeff, and veau. My sanglier was a bit dry, as it often can be. We never saw the carte des vins but we were in simple mode and happy to order “natural” vins du moment in carafes and verres off the board. And it was nice chatting with the owner, Guy, who spent many years at restaurants in San Francisco (we agreed with him that Zuni is a favorite). €98. Can’t find a web site, but see a review here: http://notdrinkingpoison.blogspot.com/2010/09/some-other-better-paris-le-dirigeable.html 37, rue dAlleray, 15 th.

Spring. http://www.springparis.fr/ There were three of us for at the four-top facing the kitchen -- what an impressive scene, and fun to watch that team. My wife was back at apartment with the same nasty bug that had sidelined me days earlier, and so she missed the most memorable dish that I’ve had in a long time: Truffle sandwich, along with incredible bullion and more truffles atop. Once again, Spring delivered the best dining of the trip. €118 per person, with champagne given free to our table -- I think I was with the right companions. (Speaking of fellow diners, after the French couple next to us left at 22:00, in came Laura and Braden of Verjus/ and formerly Hidden Kitchen -- they were are closed for a few weeks of remodeling and were dining around town; and downstairs that Saturday night was the US Ambassador and his family.)

Axuria. http://www.axuria-restaurant.fr/ Because it’s open 7 days, this was a nice Sunday dinner option. Memorable: raviole truffes, and turbot. The soufflé grand marnier was OK, if a bit rubbery. Décor a bit oddly cold -- looked better on the web site than in person, but I suspect it’s more pleasant in daylight. €128. 4 Ave. Felix Faure, 15th.

Semilla. Accross the street from its cousin, Fish La Boissonerie (has it reopened yet, as they said it would by the end of Jan?). Nice, stylish room, open kitchen -- the ventilation is as not as good as Spring’s, tho, some strong fish smells kept wafting me. Memorable at our table for 3: entrees: “Raviolie” (1 huge, in billion -- very nice); pomelos. Plats: Daurade, Carre de couchon. My tete de veau was good, tho not among the best I’ve had. Like Fish, it’s associated with the wine shop La Dernier Goute, right around the corner, and we had some good & interesting wines by carafe. €159. 54 rue de Seine, 6th. -- Jake