Yes - LOL! Needless to say - we were completely lost when coming out of the metro. After dinner, walking back, we realized how off the mark we were in. Including the fact that Le Galopin was a few doors from La Tete dans Les Olives.

We just arrived from Paris this past weekend and dined at Le Galopin (stayed in the Marais). We actually got lost for approximately 20 minutes wandering the streets (9pmish), and we were completely fine. It's definitely "grittier" than the center of Paris, but that's part of the charm. I believe the neighborhood is "Chinatown". If you're familiar with NYC - it reminded me of the Lower East Side.

I reserved approximately a week prior and had no problems for a dinner reservation at 9pm.

We too rented an apartment in the Marais (near the Bastille and St. Paul metro stations). It took us approximately 30 minutes via metro (with transfers) and another 20 minutes on foot (we lost our bearing and got lost) to finally arrive at Le Galopin, so you may want to consider somewhere closer (unless you of course take the early seating rez to get you home earlier.

I had a reservation at Au Passage for the same night, but opted to try Le Galopin. They serve tapas style and the decor is bare, and we decided that were looking for something else. It was easy to get this reservation as well (we had a reservation for 9:30pm).

Au Vieux Comptoir may be your best bet if you're looking for something closer - it's right outside the Chatelet metro and easy walking distance from the Marais as well. (I secured these rez via email).

I can't speak for the other restaurants, but I think it all depends on what you're in the mood for. If you're concerned about getting home at a decent hour, just pick the restaurant you really want to go to, and take a reservation for the first seating.

Thank you to everyone that responded to my original post requesting feedback on my proposed itinerary. We just returned yesterday from Paris, and as promised I'm reporting back....

FRIDAY LUNCH - Breizh Cafe (3 arr)
Operating on slight jet lag, we grabbed a late lunch (approx. 3pm) at Breizh Cafe. This is a tiny place with approximately 12 tables. The kitchen is open and you can see them making the crepes/gallette once you walk into the restaurant. We made no reservations since we were coming after lunch hours. We had no problems getting a table. Crowd was mostly tourists. I had a savory galette - "champagnarde galette" with fromage, mushrooms, creme, sunchokes and magret de canard. It was delicious - a little "earthy" probably from the mushrooms. I loved the sunchokes! My husband had a sweet crepe - with pears, caramel and vanilla ice cream. I think it was a little too sweet for him. And we had a small pitcher of the cider. Total = 33,60 euro

FRIDAY DINNER - Les Papilles (5 arr)
This was probably our one of our favorite dinners. Not as touristy as I thought it would be even though we had a 7:30pm reservation. I love the idea of picking your own wine bottle, but I have to admit, it was a little difficult since we did not want to disturb the other diners located right near the wine shelves. Bertrand the owner was friendly. We sat right in the front, and we saw everyone coming in. Bertrand did his best to accomodate the walk-ins allowing them to sit at the bar. We selected a great bottle of Bordeaux and started with an entree a pumpkin and chestnut soup w/olive oil, croutons, bacon, chestnuts, pumpkin and creme fraiche. It was so flavorful. Our plat was braised pork belly over white lentils, carrots, snowpeas. This was simply amazing comfort food. Our cheese course was blue chees with plums and honey. And for desert a pineapple panna cotta. The entire meal was simple, filling, comforting and most of all delicious. We definitely plan on going back during our next visit. It's also a great first meal to have once you arrive in Paris. Total = 107,50 euro.

SATURDAY LUNCH - Au Vieux Comptoir (1 arr)
The restaurant is unasuming but when you walk in, you can hear the buzz. Anne the owner was efficiently running around taking orders and carrying the "specials" board around to all the tables which her husband was cooking in the tiny kitchen. Out of all the places we ate, this restaurant had the most local diners. The place is tiny with a great selection of wines. We had lunch reservations for 1:30pm but arrived early at 1pm. They were able to seat us right away. We started with the foie gras de canard "maison" - large portion! It was delicious with a little kick to it. I had Poelle St. Jacques (4 large scallops) with a lemony fumee and my husband had the poulet avec champignons. Both of us had a mashed potatoes on the side with tons of butter! The food was delicious. The chicken was a little dry but overall tasty. We also ordered a carafe of the house red. For desert I had a mousse chocolat and my husband had a millefeuille with berries and cream. Everything was delicious, and I loved everything about the place - service, the decor, the food, etc. Total = 98,50 euro

SATURDAY DINNER - Le Galopin (10arr)
This was our second favorite dinner. The cuisine was definitely different from our other meals (more traditional). We had 9pm reservation. The restaurant was a bit of a trek for us. We took the Metro, and when we got out, it was pouring rain! We were lost for awhile, but eventually found our way to the restaurant 45 minutes late! The restaurant's on a quiet street (a few doors down from La Tete Dans). Tiny restaurant with an open kitchen. We had a 7 course meal (2 amuse bouche, 1 entree, 2 plats, and 2 desserts (or 1 cheese course). I can't remember all the dishes - except for the main course which was a seabass and a pork. Everything was delicious. The food was so light, refreshing, and clean with a little bit of an asian twist with enoki vegetables, soy, etc.. We walked out satiated but not overly stuffed. We ordered a bottle of red, and I had an eau de vie. Total = 130,00.

SUNDAY DINNER - Les Cocottes (7arr)
This meal was a little bit of a disappointment for us. It was a Sunday night and what we had going for us was this restaurant was open on Sundays and no reservations needed. A few tourists (japanese) and some locals. You can either eat at a long bar or communal style. It was a little bit loud and difficult to hear. My husband started with a ravioli langoustines and the bouef bourgignon over macaroni. I had started with parsnip soup (very rich) and ordered the potatoes stuffed with pigs feet. I was really looking forward to this meal, but the server came back and told me they ran out but would I like the chicken special instead. I opted for that - and probably should have gone with my gut and ordered the duck confit instead. Needless to say the chicken special was basically breaded chicken fingers over potato gratin! What a let for my last meal in Paris! For dessert we had a belgian waffle with whipped cream and caramel sauce and I had the clafoutis. We also ordered a bottle of red wine. The place seems too much of a scene - and a little "gimmicky" with the cocottes. Overall, I found the food to be average. Total = 96,00 euro.

Overall, we had an amazing dining experience during our visit. I think I over researched and over-read the boards about the french dining etiquette and dress code, and this made me extremely nervous which was completely unnecessary. My husband wore jeans and a button down shirt and sweater to dinner every night, while I wore some combination of black and we were completely fine. I attempted to speak french at every restaurant and all the servers were very accomodating.
Regarding the questions I read on the board about dining without reservations - there were french locals that tried to walk-in without reservations (it's not just the tourists), and they were turned away as well. Like any city you're visiting, your best bet, is to book a few restaurants to guarantee a good meal without having to eat a tourist trap.

Lastly, What I loved about most of the places we went to (Breizh Cafe, Les Papilles, Au Vieux Comptoir and Le Galopin) was that they were all run by the owners. You could see the attention to detail in the food and that they truly enjoyed what they were doing. My husband and I are looking forward to our next visit to Paris next year.

Ok - that's exactly what happened to me. I asked for a 9pm reservation and he came back with 7:30pm!

Thank you Parigi for your feedback and suggestions. I've decided to change our itinerary.

1) Friday Lunch - Breizh Cafe or pick something up at the markets

2) Friday Dinner - Les Papilles. Should I move to the reservation to the second seating?

3) Saturday Lunch/Dinner - In your opinion - Chez l'Ami Jean, Chez Casimir or Dumonet? Or should we opt to go here for lunch instead of dinner (if it's open). We will probably walk around the covered passages like you suggested.

4) I plan on cancelling Aux Passages. Is it possible to dine at one of the 3 lunch options above AND have dinner at Le Galopin or is that too much food?

5) Sunday Lunch - TBD

6) Sunday Dinner - Les Cocottes

Thanks again.

Thank you Delucacheesemonger and mangeur for the tip on the flea markets. I'll adjust our itinerary accordingly. We'll be going to Porte de Vanves on Saturday instead of Sunday.

I am now reconsidering Dumonet.

My husband and I are going to Paris next week for 3 nights/4days. I have been many times but it will be my husband's first visit, so I'm quite anxious and hoping that he will have a good time. Although our visit is short, we plan on eating well, sightseeing, and spending Sunday at Les Puces de Saint-Ouen.

We are both from the NYC area and enjoy eating out. Ambience and service is just as important to us as good food. His favorite restaurant in NYC is Aqua Grill. He prefers quiet intimate places. I often feel like I have to twist his arm to try new things, but when he does he enjoys himself (i.e. Aldea - he loved it). Me on the other hand, I am much more adventurous overall. Since this is his first time (and a surprise birthday trip for him), I'm going to to restrain myself and all the places I want to try and keep him in mind.

So with all that being said, my goal is to gradually introduce him to the Paris that I love. I would like him to experience the traditional places and not necessarily the "hip" new places (maybe that's for our next trip). rI've ented an apartment near Place des Vosges and plan on having a light breakfast every morning. My husband LOVES sweets and chocolates, so I'm sure that part of Paris will win him over.

I've done extensive research on Chowhound reading the boards going back 2 years, as well as parisbymouth.com, fooding, David Lebovitz' blog; and I've printed out Patricia Wells dictionary in preparation for the trip. And this is my proposed itiinerary. I apologize for the very long introduction but wanted to make sure you have enough information to comment. Thanks so much in advance!

FRIDAY (early afternoon flight arrival)
LUNCH - Breizh Cafe
DINNER - Les Papilles
I've already made reservations for 7:30pm. I opted on the earlier side since it will be a long day for us.

SATURDAY
BREAKFAST - coffee, crossaints, baguette, cheese in the apartment
LUNCH - open
DINNER - Aux Passages
I have 9pm reservations. But after reading the boards I'm wondering if this is a good choice. My other choices are Au Fils des Saisons or Le Galopin. It might be last minutes so I'm worried about where I can get in.

SUNDAY
BREAKFAST - coffee, crossaints, baguette, cheese in the apartment
We will be spending the day at the flea markets at Les Puces de Saint Ouen and Montmartre/Sacre Coeur.
LUNCH - Coquelicot Boulangerie
DINNER - Les Cocottes. No reservations required so I thought we would wing it.

I'm hesitating going to Chez L'Ami Jean, Josephine Chez Dumonet because I feel that will be too overwhelming for my husband - i.e. tight tables, atmosphere, etc.

Again, I thank everyone in advance for any comments and insights, and I promise when I return to provide an update.