KJS

Le Ferme St Simon 6, rue de St Simon, 7th Arr. 01 45 48 35 74 Located a few blocks east of Les Invalides, just off Blvd St Germain I had lunch there on a Monday a couple of weeks ago. The decor of this cozy, friendly restaurant was made up of light-colored rough, but varnished wooden beams and light yellow tablecloths. The ceiling was mirrored between the beams. The chairs and booths were upholstered in a reddish-brown leather. The windows were 5" by 7" panes of thick old glass, set in varnished wood. The chandeliers held six lights resembling white peonies with ivory covered suspension wires. An amuse-bouche was brought to me very soon after I was seated. It was about an ounce of a mixture of le chevre and creme frais with a few flakes of herb and bits of minced tomato, along with a crisp toasted slice of round bread, sprinkled with olive oil. I ordered an aperatif, the cremant framboise: champagne mixed with raspberry liqueur. It was very light and refreshing (8€). For my meal, I ordered a demi bouteille of Chateau le Varenne 1999 (Bordeaux) at 10€. For an entree, I chose a cold salmon dish--three cold pressed rounds of onions, mushrooms, tomatos and salmon chunks. It came with a small pile of endive and spring mix topped with a warm prawn. The main dish was a small round of lamb, bounded by its fat, and cooked vegetables stuffed with delicately spiced and fragrant minced lamb: a thick zucchini slice, a mushroom, and a tomato, on top of shreds of carrots and zucchini (22€). I told the server that I would like something chocolate for dessert. She nodded wisely and brought me a molten chocolate cake. I've had this dish in other restaurants, but this one was absolutely marvelous! It was about 3" in diameter by 2" high. The outside of the cake was solid, yet soft, and the inside was thick melted rich dark chocolate. It was garnished with two raspberries and the bottom half of a strawberry, and was dusted with powdered sugar. (10€). After I had my dessert, I was given two small broiled coconut cookies and five small dark chocolate truffles, which were not at all sweet, but very delicious! This was one of my favorite meals in Paris.

A very nice seafood restaurant behind La Madeleine, Goumard offers a traditional seafood in the midst of modern decor. I had a five-course lunch there on a Sunday afternoon. I had a little trouble finding it, but it’s easy if you go to La Madeleine and, facing it, go to the back and right to find the restaurant. I was greeted warmly at the entrance and taken up the lushly carpeted grand stairway to the dining room. I was seated in the corner with a view of the whole restaurant. Only three other tables in the restaurant were occupied. As soon as I was seated and ordered an apperatif, I received two tiny pizzas with a delicate pastry crust and two petite bread sticks. The sommelier brought the wine list and as I studied it, I received, as an amuse-bouche, a dish of two very tiny fish, filleted and split, served on top of a layer of sauce and olive oil. For my wine, I chose Saint Veran, Domaine des Deux Roches 2000 at 38€. It was not possible to order by the glass, which would have been nice for a single diner. As an entree, I ordered les fillets de rougets rotis, jus au foie gras, compote de figues et pommes at 19€ (roasted red mullets in duck liver sauce with apple and figs chutney). Mullets are small delicate fish and the chutney made a delightful counterpart to the blandness of the fish. My plat principal was la sole des sables meunière with épinard au naturel (Normandy Sole menuière with spinach) at 41€. The waiter presented the fillet to me before cutting it into four fanned sections. The large sole fillet was floured and fried in butter. It was good, but nothing remarkable. The spinach however, was wonderful! I would have accepted it as a dessert! It was served, lightly steamed or stewed, in a small dish. It was slightly sweet, tender, fragrant, and melted in my mouth. I took my time with the fish, wine, and bread (very crisp round rolls, dotted with sesame seeds. The taste of sesame was pronounced.). Afterwards, I assented to the cheese course (12€). The waiter brought a large wooden block on wheels covered with assorted cheeses. The waiter helped me to a slice of a lovely blue cheese, a mild chevre, some camembert and some brie. My favorite was the chevre. It was slightly firm, with a mild but insistent flavor that soothed and seduced the tongue. The cheese was accompanied by small, thin slices of bread full of golden raisins. A perfect pairing! Then I had dessert, les petits blinis au chocolat et supreme d'orange, glace Guanaja, (12€). Wow! I would come to this restaurant just for the dessert! What was presented to me was: a plate with six tender chocolate cookies overlapping one another next to a spiral of chocolate sauce; three perfect slices of orange over a delicate red sauce. Next to that was a dish of cocoa-flavored ice cream. Another small round white dish held a delightful custard. Next to it, another small rectangular dish held a macaroon, a tiny fruit loaf, and a small lemon tart with one currant on top. The orange slices were not simply cut from an orange. In fact, except for reading the menu, I couldn't tell what type of citrus they were. They were perhaps marinated, and all traces of skin and toughness removed. What remained was the pure flesh of the orange. The dessert was beautiful, delicious, and completely satisfying. I would recommend this restaurant to someone who loves fish, but I thought it was quite expensive for seafood. My bill for a five course meal came to 139€. The Goumard web site, in both French and English, includes complete menus for lunch and dinner: http://www.goumard.com/ Goumard 9, rue Duphot 75001 Paris Tél. : 01 42 60 36 07 Fax : 01 42 60 04 54

Thanks for the advice, everyone! I'll make good use of it. Making use of a concierge won't be an option, since I've arranged to rent an apartment while I'm in Paris. However, I've done some research on the web about the restaurants in the neighborhood where I'll be staying (St. Germain) and found some recommendations for Le Temps Perdu. Has anyone eaten there or heard about it? I've been considering eating most lunches in fine restaurants and eating dinner in the neighborhood as much as possible--partly so I won't need to walk as far alone late at night. Perhaps if I choose Le Temps Perdu as a sort of home base, I'll be welcomed as a regular. La Pallette is on the corner near the apartment I've rented, but that seems to be a local bar/cafe. None of the information I've seen says anything about the food. Perhaps good for a croissant and chocolat on the terrace before I head out for the day?

I'll be spending two weeks in Paris (my first time) and plan to spend about half of my budget on fine dining. I've been reading restaurant recommendations and appreciate the helpful advice on this board. I'm going alone though, so how can I make sure I don't spend the whole two weeks sitting at the bar? I do speak French fairly well, and I assume that will help. I really don't want to have to choose my restaurant based on how they treat the single diner, but perhaps someone could recommend some that are cordial to us and others where I should pick someone up on the street to dine with rather than try to get a reservation pour une personne. Any tips? (I'm a woman in my mid-forties, if that makes a difference.)