DodinBouffant

Librairie Gourmand (4 rue Dante) is indeed open. I was there on Monday and try to visit every time I am in Paris. I wish there were more stores like it in Paris. It is right off the Blvd Saint Germain and a short walk from the boulangerie Kayser...which makes it easy to get two stops in very quickly....I'm eating financiers and a cannelle from there right now I did go to the Librairie Food on rue Charlot and was very disappointed with the amount and selection of books they had on hand.

Irregardless!! Lemme aks you a question.. More butta is betta!!!!!

Tell us how you really feel!!! Actually I appreciate that because I was wavering on going there next Monday and granted I don't know you from a hole in the wall it sort of lines up with what someone I do know says. She was very specific about what dishes to order and what not. Although I may walk in just for a quick observation perhaps en route to another restaurant for lunch. So thank you for the brutal honesty.

I've tried for two years to get into L'Astrance....I don't think I will try anymore. Monsieur Lapin is a small, white tablecloth restaurant with proper service and some very good cooking. The room is decorated with all sorts of little rabbit things in somewhat of an Alice in Wonderland motif. Not sure how many people you will be celebrating with but this would certainly be appropriate for 4 people and it isn't exactly a place to get up and dance on the tables. Les Beatilles is a Michelin one star restaurant that would also fit the category you are looking for. Proper service, nice tableware, and a simple but quietly elegant room with food that matches the atmosphere. A little more info on how many people and how much whooping it up you plan on doing would probably help make a few more suggestions easier.

A lot of my favorites are mentioned here already and here are a few more I like to make: Toasted wheat with bacon and peanut butter. Chived egg salad(put through a food mill so there aren't any big hunks) with marinated white anchovies on white bread. Deep fried chipotle crabcakes on a soft grinder roll with chipotle mayo, bacon, mashed avocado, swiss cheese, green leaf lettuce and tomato. Steak la pizzaiole...grilled thin sirloin with provolone and tomato sauce on a good crunchy Italian bread. Warm leftover meatloaf with melted swiss on toasted wheat with lettuce, tomatoes, dill pickles and Miracle Whip(has to be Miracle whip for this one) Rosemary Ham with Gruyere on grilled country baguette that has been rubbed with garlic, brushed with white wine and butter( a small modification of a Girardet recipe).

I'm not so sure I can provide the definitive answer as to what a monte christo is (so maybe it shouldn't be on my list)but this is pretty much the way I make them. It is a sandwich. I usually use a thick sliced white bread or wheat bread, inside is Roast Turkey, Ham, Swiss(sometimes meunster) and a light spreading of mustard. Take the sandwich and dip it in beaten eggs and then griddle it(like french toast). Cut it and serve. I usually accompany it with warmed and buttered maple syrup or currant jam.

I may have been stricken with the "Crise de Foie" for a 1/2 a day last year(which caused me to miss a lunch reservation at Hiramatsu) but I'm not so sure I've been plagued with too much heartburn in Paris. The antacids they sell in Paris (Rennie) suck so if you need some good stuff from the states(Tums,Zantac etc) let me know and I'll be happy to be the mule...anything for the food!!!

Hopefully the window is full length and has a little perch where one can refrigerate little goodies on chilly autumnal nights. The window is a necessity, bathing in the bidet is well ummm out of necessity!!!

I typically stay at : Hotel Central 1 bis rue de Maine(1 block from Edgar Quinet metro(also market there Wed/Sat) 01 43 20 69 15 about 70 Euros/night Nothing special, but rooms are clean, showers are great and the husband-wife owners are very nice. I find the Edgar Quinet metro quite convenient. Hotel Central was sold out for this trip so I am booked at Hotel Apollon Montparnasse for 79 Euros/night...yes I have an odd attraction to the Montparnasse neighborhood. I have not stayed there before but will report upon returning. I know they aren't the top of the line accomodations, but I don't really need all the cute little frillies...a clean room with a decent bed, a window and a shower is all I need....I'll spend my money on food and wine.

Margaret, I viewed your previous post about the E RER and have it noted in my files, thank you so much for reposting to be sure I would see it. That is very considerate. You mentioned picking up the E RER at Havre Caumartin but my map shows it originating at Hausmann St-Lazare which is connected to HC, probably just a short walk either way, just wondering if there is a big difference. How long did the train take from origination. Also, any idea what time the RER stops going back into Paris? Bux your comment about missing the flight etc was hilarious and I wholeheartedly agree...that being said, my flight back is at 4pm, that means be at CDG by two which means taxi or train by 1:15(probably taxi especially if some purchases have been made). My flight back is on a Tuesday(Armistice Day). I will probably feel this out a day or two upon arrival especially with extra closings due to the holiday...should I rush through a good lunch at a reputable spot(assuming one is open) or leisurely enjoy the day packing up on food goodies to eat on the flight back? The time constraints definitely make it a tough call.

I love your version of lighter fare. I have circled that city(and vieux lyon) for hours and hours and hours looking at menus, writing down addresses and looking them up on the map, I am glad to see I am not the only one doing that. I have also had excellent food at Mercière on the rue Mercière. Will def try your suggestions next time as it appears my quest for good offal is matched by yours.

It's not surprising to hear that La Regalade is full for dinner service in November. I'm sure that a lot of that has to do with the wild game season. Mr. Cambdeborde seems to have quite a following for many of his hearty and inspiring game dishes. I often prefer to dine here at lunchtime(I'm not sure why, I just think I get a better vibe). The same food is available lunch or dinner. I managed to secure a reservation for lunch next week(I called about 3 weeks ago and was initially told "complet" and very curiously asked how they could be full for lunch a month out...she then corrected herself "ahh dejeuner". So give it a shot for lunch instead. I too find the food comparable at Repaire du Cartouche (Cambdeborde and Paquin co-authored a very good cookbook together along with Thierry Faucher(L'os a moelle) and Thierry Breton(Chez Michel) called "Qu'est qu'on mange ce soir" which is definitely worth adding to any cookbook collection. I do not however, find the food or service or atmosphere comparable at L'Ardoise. While I did manage to have a good to very good meal there it certainly did not compare to the cuisine of La Reg/Rep d Cart. C'Amelot has been recommended to me by the owners of L'Avant Gout ( a restaurant that I highly recommend), obviously there is a friendship between the two restaurants, and I think this year I shall try C'Amelot. A pleasant surprise last year for me was Beurre Noisette (excellent rouget preparation and a wonderful braised pork shoulder over lentils). Two rooms, the front fairly quiet and the back seemed a little more lively. Excellent service and I believe the chef was the poissonier or something along those lines at Taillevent. Biche au Bois should not be missed in November, excellent cooking (lots of game) in a very very very lively room. Lots of fun and one of the best values in Paris.

I posted this on a previous thread so please excuse the duplicity but thought a new thread might yield more responses. It is good to see Biche au Bois noted as one of only a few gastronomic choices in the Bercy area. I have enjoyed 2 great meals there and will be enjoying another on Nov 6th, shortly after digesting lunch from La Regalade(Becosse peut-etre?). I try to visit Paris twice a year and have never ever limited myself to a particular neighborhood where I may be staying for my dining options(my primary focus on these visits is to dine). I find that all of Paris is easily accessible and would hope the poster would not limit himself to the environs of his hotel. His requests for info on Gagnaire and ADPA do suggest he is willing to leave the Bercy area. That withstanding I might suggest L'Avant Gout which is nearby Place d'Italie, which I don't think is too far from Bercy. I am actually venturing to Le Perreux for the first time on one of these trips(which is actually outside of Paris), a breakthrough perhaps?? Where's the limit for a lunch or dinner trip but also being able to return to your hotel in Montparnasse...Reims? Cancale? Lyon? Seeing as this is my first post in this forum I might as well ramble for a moment and see if I can get some help. I try to do these trips twice a year and I do find myself returning to some of the same restaurants over and over(enough to be recognized on some occasions), more often than not because I am accompanied by first time visitors to a city that I love and I want them to have a very favorable impression of the gastronomic delights of Paris. I have been dissapointed by some restaurants and surely won't return. I have no fear of trying new places but when someone else puts their hard earned cash and faith in me, I have no choice, I feel but to return to favorites. This trip has me struggling slightly with my itinerary. I've got 5 1/2 days, so far 2 lunches planned leaving Sat/Sun day open for market gazing etc. I've got 5 dinners planned, but of all these reservations, I've got only one new restaurant on the list. Monday lunch is open for the chance of possibly sneaking in somewhere myself(after metroing myself all around Paris gazing at menus). Tuesday is Armistice day with a return flight to the States at 4pm(time for lunch? anyplace open?). Caveat: The two friends accompanying me this time have fairly shallow pockets, personally I don't care what I spend as long as the amount spent provides a good/great ratio of cost to enjoyment.(just my luck the euro is so strong against the dollar) I am fairly confident in my ability to get myself around Paris efficiently. Does anyone have any particular strategies they may recommend that I can add to my strategies to help me experience more/newer places in short periods of time? It isn't like the states(and I am glad it is not) where you can visit 3,4 or 5 restaurants in a night sampling etc, so maybe there is some info I am missing out on. Any help? -------------------- Je celui aimerais de tout!