rjkaneda's Profile
Le Comptoir du Relais Paris
That's good to know. Is the food substantially different during the week, as compared to what's served on Saturday?
Le Comptoir du Relais Paris
My wife and I ate there last night (Saturday, Sep 26, 2009). We were in the neighborhood and walked in at about 6:30, no reservations. Only a few tables were occupied. We were seated immediately. The service was a bit hectic and the place was quite full by 7:30. The food was good -- my wife had sauteed mushrooms to start and I had "pot au feu en terrine." Onglet for my wife and duckling for me followed. All were quite good. No dessert. Bottle of the wine of the week (cote roannaise). It all came out to 93 euros, which wasn't bad. The people-watching aspect of the place can be either very entertaining or very distracting, depending on your mood. We were quite entertained.
Confit de canard in Paris
La Fontaine's confit de canard is quite respectable.
Best to reserve early -- since President Obama ate there early in June, reservations have been a bit harder to come by.
Strassbourg rec
Chez Yvonne, best of the traditional winstubs in Strasbourg. Although its cuisine is not exactly appropriate for August. . . .
http://www.chez-yvonne.net/francais/accueil.php
Flying to Paris For One Blow-Out Meal
Regalade's appetizer is not foie gras. More like pâté de campagne.
the ultimate pre-nouvelle?
There is always the very quirky Chez Gramond.
http://www.whitings-writings.com/bistro_reviews/gramond.htm
Flying to Paris For One Blow-Out Meal
Don't get me wrong -- la Fontaine de Mars is a nice place, but if you're going to spend hundreds, if not thousands, you have many many many options aside from la Fontaine de Mars.
Flying to Paris For One Blow-Out Meal
La Fontaine de Mars is a nice bistro, with plenty of Parisian charm, and it provided a nice night out for the Obamas, but I would agree that in terms of cuisine, it is strictly mid-level. As I mentioned in another thread, the reason the restaurant was chosen for the presidential outing was only partly based on the food.
Le Florimond or La Fontaine de Mars
It's also got those private and semi-private rooms upstairs, which is where the Obama party had its meal.
Le Florimond or La Fontaine de Mars
When the White House asks Embassy Paris for recommendations of this sort, the Embassy often recommends a place that it thinks will offer the kind of experience desired and that will provide the proper ambiance and care, which does not always translate into "the best" and which involves considerations beyond the purely gastronomic.
La Fontaine de Mars has been frequented by many generations of Embassy Paris staff. They know the place well and it knows the Embassy. When it came time to make recommendations, this was kept in mind. Other places were on the list but la Fontaine was selected. By all acounts, everyone enjoyed the evening there.
Le Florimond or La Fontaine de Mars
According to the press, he had gigot d'agneau and an ile flottante. The others reportedly had filet de boeuf and creme brulee. No wine, apparently.
Is financial crisis affecting gastronomy in Paris?
I was at Balzar for dinner last week (May 7, 2009) and the place was only half-full. I've probably eaten there 50 times in the last 10-15 years and I've never seen it that (relatively) empty.
rabbit in paris
I've never been there but many folks like Monsieur Lapin (do a search on Chowhounds).
http://www.monsieur-lapin.fr/
Restaurants in Strasbourg
Best winstub in Strasbourg is Chez Yvonne. A bit kitschy, but that's part of its charm.
http://www.chez-yvonne.net/english/accueil.php
See this exchange (posts 21 and 22):
http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?p=3437609
Mulhaupt, also mentioned in the referenced exchange, is a great place for chocolate and other sweets.
Brasserie suggestions in Paris (5th arr.)
I think the quality of the food at La Coupole has dropped noticeably in recent times, much more so than at the other Flo brasseries. It's still a fun place to go but the food has become quite marginal. Was there for a business lunch recently and, on a whim, ordered the "famous" curry. It was really not very good at all.
The Bistrot du Dome is one of the most pleasant restaurants in Paris, especially the one in Montparnasse, on rue Delambre. Service is great and so is the food.
Here's the plan ..comments?
Since you're staying in that neighborhood, go to brasserie Thoumieux, an old classic. It's also a place where one can eat alone comfortably. It's a few blocks east of La Fontaine de Mars on Rue St-Dominique. La Fontaine is a nice place, too, run by the ever charming Mme Boudon.
http://www.thoumieux.com/ (seems to be a bit under construction).
Finding (affordable) nori in Paris?
I don't know about the prices, but you could try Kanae in the Beaugrenelle part of the 15th.
http://www.kanae-paris.com/f_magasin.html
Please recommend me a Parisian bistro!
L'Opportun is open Saturdays but closed Sundays, I think.
Please recommend me a Parisian bistro!
If you are staying in the Montparnasse area and like beef/veal, check out l'Opportun, a Lyonnais bistrot at the Edgar Quinet stop (no walk at all from Montparnasse station). The owner won a Meilleur Pot prize in the 90s.
For a warts-and-all review:
http://www.whitings-writings.com/bistro_reviews/opportun.htm
Specialty is onglet (beef or veal). It's not the cheapest but the ambience is great and so is the food.
When Chirac was president, he hosted then-Spanish PM Aznar to a meal at l'Opportun.
Young & Yee
I used to eat at Young & Yee occasionally during my Harvard years (1971-75). When I was back for my 25th reunion in 2000, I had a lunch to myself (my wife was downtown shopping) so I went to Y&Y by myself, for old time's sake. It was exactly the same. The food wasn't great but the memories were. Sorry to see it's gone.
Afraid of bistro-overload
Have a platter of oysters and other seafood as an alternative to the restaurant/bistro fare.
For fish, try the Bistrot du Dome (offshoot of the Dome in Montparnasse). There are two of them: One is on the rue Delambre next to the Dome, the other diagonally across from Bofinger in the Bastille area.
Economical Paris Bistros: You can still eat well for 30 Euros or less!
Polidor is a true Parisian institution -- since 1845 or so. Not haute cusine but fun and a bit unique (communal tables).
On rue Monsieur le Prince in the 5th.
Economical Paris Bistros: You can still eat well for 30 Euros or less!
I ate at Polidor last night (March 17) for the first time in many years. Always a fun place with workman-like, decent food. The two set-price menus are 22 and 32 euros.
Questions about Chez L'Ami Jean
OK, merci. Glad your experience was better than mine.
I'm beginning to think I was there on an exceptionally bad day. But if that's the case, there seem to be a number of "bad days" recently, judging by some of the other posts..
Questions about Chez L'Ami Jean
Maybe I should have. I'm generally not one to send dishes back. It's perhaps a practice I should more readily adopt.
Of course dishes shouldn't come out that way in the first place at an A list establishment.
I'm very glad others enjoyed their experiences there. But it seems as if several of us didn't.
