John Talbott

As I noted above:

Just a caution, its location and clientele may make your friend respond "too touristy."

At 24 she can get anywhere in Paris from the Gare du Nord in well under 45 minutes. Chez Casimir, not far away, offers good eats at 25-30 E. But I would strongly urge her to research prior threads - for instance here- on reasonable meals and go wherever.

I have not been to Les Jumeaux in a while which was one reason I did not list it at the top. We (4) stopped going because while very reasonable it did not offer enough choices on the "menu" nor change enough with the seasons. As for L'Ecailler du Bistrot we've been twice just to have the Utah's and once for a full meal. I think it's great for standing at the "bar" and having some oysters and wine, then going across the street to Temps Au Temps for lunch.

Another game sighting; today at La Cerisaie, where they had a wonderful warm pate of game in a crust (really a tartelette) with sour cherries as a first and civet de sanglier, wild duck and wood pigeon/ring dove as mains - we had the latter two plus a goose breast - all superb. The bill = 108 E for three; not bad eh?

Sorry. The restaurant is the Table de Joel Robuchon, 16, ave Bugeaud in the 16th (from whence came its prior name Seize au Seize), 01.56.28.16.16, open everyday, and it used to run one 100 E per person a la carte. A few weeks ago, they introduced a "club menu" which costs 55 E per person with wine and coffee. The way we got out at less than 100 E per couple was that one of us ordered only one dish (as she traditionally does) so if you invite her to join you, you'll get out for less than 55 E, otherwise count on 110 E per couple.

Lucky you; the 11th is hopping foodwise. My favorites (in rank order) are: Temps Au Temps - 25 E menu-carte l'Ecallier du bistrot - (awesome Utah beach oysters) Repaire de Cartouche Au Vieux Chene Le Sot l'y laisse Bistrot Paul Bert Les Jumeaux

I agree and Colette says it's a "wonderful store."

Just call 001.33.1.47.05.46.11; they are most pleasant despite some prior posts.

I know you pay great attention to this forum so you know all the favorites of the frequent posters. But your query cannot be searched for easily. I assume you're talking about eating at dinner-time, which precludes most bistrots mentioned in the guidebooks or often on eGullet, which "tourists" have discovered. So that means someplace pretty new, unballyhooed and in a quartier Americans shun. My first thought is Guifeli, second is Goupil le bistrot, and third Les Dons Juan all of which I've reviewed and to my knowledge are still undiscovered by those pesky tourists. Just looking at the traffic on eGullet generated by places like Le Comptoir + l'Ami Louis will tell you that your friend would find them much too "touristy." Good luck and bonne anniversaire!

I noted in the "Digest" a bit back that Well, it is nice to have another restaurant, Thierry Burlot + Alain Senderens being the other most notable places, offer more reasonable menus or prices after several years of success at higher levels. Four of us dined there the other day and had the wonderful amuse-gueule of tabouli on top of avocado; firsts of sauteed girolles and herring; mains of male and female ducking (canette and canneton), calamari and the bouillabaisse (no longer confusing called false); nice but chilly cheese, a fine red Bordeaux, and saving the best til last; great desserts of peches de vigne and figs with ice cream. The bill was an easy 99.50 E for each couple.

OK, let me try to reframe this one more time. It is clear that l'Ami Louis arouses deep opinions and prompts disputed facts on the part of our members (COI disclosure: I am among the negative folks). But, on this Forum we try to be helpful, informative and civil. Can I respectfully suggest that if something has been said, one need not repeat it. It has been heard/recorded. Let us move on; there are bigger issues than l'Ami Louis. John

Well, this is, in a way, a positive update of my prior review of Chez les Anges on April 29th and a report of the first good game meal we've had this season (we had biche last week that I wasn't sure wasn't frozen). In any case, four of us ate there today and after acceptable 1sts and before passable desserts all four had wonderful game - perdreau, biche and canard colvert - all with great sauces and good accompaniments, eg my colvert came with a most tasty turnip puree and a great sauce. The prices were also not at the exhorbitant level others pump them to, either - all were 22-26 E. Total for 4 = 224 E.

I'd only add one thing to molto's comments; the food at le Bristol is an extension of but hardly the same as at le Restaurant aka Eric Frechon on rue General Brunet. You'll get many more than the three courses he offered in the 19th, in a much upgraded setting, with many more staff, and the price is no longer the equivalent of 190 francs. Happy eating.

No dispute here. Me too. But I thought Raisa was asking about portability and Zagat - for addresses, tele numbers, etc comes in at 180 gm; Pudlo Paris at 700 and Pudlo France at 825.

Ah well, that's a whole other story; we prefer the Ile d'Yeu (a secret place one guards closely and doesn't mention on sites like eGullet) to the Ile de Ré; tuna-fishing capital, good haricots and passable chevres. We'll be holding a family reunion in June there and are looking forward to biking, grilling and eating. Have I spoiled the secret?

I think the Paris Notes recent article on "Day Tripping" is quite nice; esp re: Vaux le Vicomte, a favorite of ours. One must subscribe, but it's a good source.

Well, the Zagat is about 1/20th the weight of this (it has hotels, shops and lots else). If you carried the Zagat for coordinates and Lebey for reviews/ratings/descriptions, the two would still be lighter (600 vs 700 mgm.)

In a way, yes, they are listed more or less favorably and indeed it is more descriptive than evaluative and I probably should have said that. With only two indications (coup de coeur and new), it's not like G/M in the old days or Pudlo now. When I tried to assess its value, looking at places in the 18th, I thought it was pretty accurate (per me) and after your post I looked up two places "downtown" that I detest (which shall go unnamed) and they are not listed, so some judgment is at play here. Whether to buy it as your only resource?, tough to answer; my shelf now holds 20 guide/resto-books. I guess I'd encourage people to buy it who are interested in looking for places they may have missed or sound interesting but to schlep around, I don't think so.

French Food Guides 2006 – Part 1: 150 Young Chefs and the Petit Futé Getting the jump on everyone else, two 2006 guidebooks appeared very recently. The first is “Le Carnet de route Omnivore 2006: les 150 Tables de la Jeune Cuisine” a wonderfully-illustrated guidebook published by l’Epure (24 E), written by Dubranchet, Demorand & Petrini. It’s always hard to summarize these guides, but the authors present a mixture of agreed-upon hot new chefs and their restaurants in the provinces, e.g. le Puis du Tresor, Octopus, Thierry Marx, Alexandre Gauthier + Anne-Sophie Pic as well as those in Paris – Angl’Opera, Mon Viel Ami, Le Comptoir du Relais, Ze Kitchen Galerie, Chez l’Ami Jean, l’Arpege, Flora, Les Ambassadeurs, La Table de Lancaster, le Bristol, Pierre Gagnaire, Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athenee, Jean, Le Refectoire, l’Avant-Gout, l’Ourcine, Le Beurre Noisette, l’Astrance, + La Famille. In addition, Colette and I used it on a recent trip outside Paris with mixed results: their recommendation in Bordeaux, la Cape, was accurate and the place superb but the lack of a map showing the location of restaurants outside Paris hampers the traveler’s ability to map out routes hitting featured places. Bottom line: another fine attempt by the Omnivore group to promote exciting new chefs and interesting cuisine. The Petit Futé, published by Auzias Labourdette (10 E) is a stunning compendium of 840 restaurants in Paris (plus hotels, shops, etc). Again, how can I summarize it? Well, first let’s look at my quartier, the 18th. Omnivore lists one place - La Famille, Claude Lebey and the Michelin list seven and Pudlo thirty-six. But the Petit Futé covers 59 (47 French and 12 foreign) of which, 22 are new and two “Coups de Coeur,” both of which, La Famille + Le Moulin de Galette, are generally acknowledged to be the best in the area. Other favorites in other arrondissements include: Cuisine & Confidences, Ma Salle a Manger, Vincent & Vincent, Aux Lyonnais, Noura, Les Enfants Rouges, Caruso, Les Papilles, Au P’tit Cahoua, Fogon Saint Julien, Les Delices d’Aphrodite, La Bastide Odeon, Le Comptoir du Rlais, Le Timbre, l’Affriole, l’Ami Jean, l’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Auguste, Settimo, Flora, La Maison de l’Aubrac, Stella Maris, Au Petit Riche, Le Pachyderme, Bistrot Paul Bert, Chez Ramulaud, Suds, Comme Cochons, O Rebelle, Swann & Vincent, l’Ourcine, La Cagouille, La Forchetta, le Bistrot du Marche, La Cave de l’Os a Moelle, Harumi, Le Passage, Le Troquet, Zebra Square, l’Abadache + l’Entredgeu. Advice: how can you go wrong for 10 E?

Report of three days in the Poitou-Charentes; eg between Bordeaux and Nantes Due to a fortunate opportunity, we recently spent three days in the area between Bordeaux and Nantes and ate rather well. The highpoint was probably our first day, at a lunch at la Cape in Cenon, a couple of kilometers North-East of Bordeaux and one of Sebastien Demorand’s three favorite restaurants in France last year, a one star Michelin and one of the 150 restos run by young chefs, reviewed in “Le Carnet de route Omnivore 2006,” a guidebook published by l’Epure (24 E), written by Dubranchet, Demorand & Petrini. We both had the menu of 45E and with wine and coffee had a superb meal at a cost of 110E. The chef is indeed talented and as the Omnivore Guide notes, his time with Camdeborde and Constant shows in his solid cooking with seasonal ingredients and modern touches. The next day was one of those spectacular October days, sunny and warm (70 degrees), and we dined in the garden at Le Bruant in Saint-Porchaire, a Michelin two fork/knifer and we had the menu (29 E) and an a la carte tarte of tomato and cheese and ris de veau = 80 E. Our final highspot was the last night in a suburb (Saint Herblain) of Nantes, where we ate at a two fork/knife Bib Gourmand – Les Caudalies and both of us had incredible langoustines (prepared differently) and fresh fish for a total of 69 E. We also had one better-than-expected but not spectacular meal at Le Tilleuil in Saintes for 44.20 E, a fall back since the two fork/knifer Ciboulette across the street from our hotel was shuttered definitively. Finally, the disaster of the trip was at Les Mangeux de Lumas in Sansais (outside Niort), which we chose because Gault-Millau showed an upgoing arrow, by the edge of the water of a camping/resort area; the eel was over-breaded, over-cooked and over-the-hill and the pot au feu huge but essentially tasteless; ironically, this was one of the most pricey meals of this little tour – 98.40 E.

Margaret's advice prompts me to tell my favorite Gerald Asher (wine expert extraordinaire) story; when he first came to the US he "learned" US buying habits at Sherry-Lehman; one day a woman of a certain age entered and asked him to order some wine she had had on Capri, overlooking the Bay, sitting and dining with a handsome younger Italian man as the sun set on a warm summer evening. Asher told her of course he would but there was no way he could deliver the sunset, view, young man and dinner experience. Stardust indeed!

Acting in my role as a Forum co-host, distinct from commentator on l'Ami, I'm going to let the prior posts stand but I agree that we're beginning to get personal and uncivil so could I plead with everyone to state their opinions but avoid ad hominem posts. Thanks.

30, rue Guy-Lussac (the great scientist) in the 5th, 01.43.25.20.79

In the spirit of full disclosure the soup was an aïgo, the big A lettered funnily on the ardoise.