John Talbott

I second the motion for Mon Viel Ami, 01.40.46.01.35, but Saturday nite may be fully booked. However, they have a "communal table" you can maybe wheedle yourselves into, how late is the mass? In case of no room, you cannot fail at Le Reminet, 01.44.07.04.24. If that's full too, travel a bit up to the Bistrot du Dome, 01.43.35.32.00 or come back here to eGullet and we'll try to help - l'Atlas (couscous, pastilla, etc) has a lot of covers and Chez Rene is not far at all, either.

Very latest word from pals who live on the Ile de Yeu is that it's not clear when he'll open (as we've learned from Peter Mayle, renovation is a chancy thing here). More info in July.

There are indeed gems, and to second Bux's advice, I'd search out what you've listed. I think you can do better. Buy Lebey's big or bistro book; and Zurban's Guide. Part of the issue here is what is a bistro(t)? As you know, nowadays, as in the US, the word can cover almost anything. Are La Cerisaie, Mon Viel Ami, Le Troquet, Temps Au Temps, Vieux Chene the old but new La Regalade, etc. bistros? I dunno, but they're good, for good prices. Happy eating! And remember, the really new Regalade, as it were, the Comptoir de Relais is right at the Carrefour and if you're not allergic to exhaust fumes, you'll have a wonderful meal - equally at lunch as at dinner (for under 100 E for 2; and dropping daily).

No idea - but the info given by most sources is they don't take reservations and they have no phone - but I simply called the hotel number - 01.43.29.12.05, last week (10 days before) and got in for Wednesday dinner without a problem; but they insisted they didn't take reservations for lunch (altho as I said, on my arrival, two tables were "reserved.") But that was all before the reviews started appearing. Except for Louisa, though, (thanks Louisa for the correction), I don't think the Anglo community has tumbled onto it yet.

I think everyone is right. That is, those who say not much will happen and those who say it could potentially have had an impact even on food (to stay on topic.) By the way, I too read it pretty closely under the guise of a French lesson and I thought it was so oversweeping, so good-intentioned, so truly banal and so bureaucratic that one would not know what actual impact it would have had on daily life until years afterwards when laws were written to try to implement its broad goals. As I understand Constitutions (and I am not an expert), few are as brief as our own in the US. That said, they spell out the outlines of intent, that is, the "what"; it's the bylaws, laws, rules and regulations that specify the "how". An example, everyone in the EU should be able to work everywhere within it. Fine. It would have been telling to have seen how long it would have taken for a Turkish dentist (if accepted) to set up shop in the 16th. Getting back to cheese, foie gras and geographically "named" products (feta, parmesan, cognac), once again, I think existing and future laws and regs will have more of an impact than the previously-proposed Constitution. To respond to Mallet, indeed, public health (an area I am an expert in) includes product safety, smoking, seatbelt use, etc. Again, though, I cannot see Sweden, Italy, Norway and Malta's laws on smoking in public places becoming EU policy overnight. Bux (as usual and welcome back by the way) has a great point - technology and other factors (eg labelling, marketing, wish to penetrate markets in very different cultures, safety standards in the tiniest of countries (read Malta and Luxembourg)) could wag the dog.

OK. What can I say? Yves holds up, Yves rules, Yves is omnipresent. Yes. A totally different place at dinner; not better, not worse, just different. Much more festive, more flowing out into the street, more noisy, more food, more Yves and just two more Anglos than at lunch. First, he got off his mode of transit and after a most pleasant shaking of the hands as if he knew me (from La R?, from Monday?), the set dinner commenced; 5 courses changing every night, so it really doesn’t pay to relate them. But I will; starter of a chilled soup of mentholated (not like the cough drops, though, folks) beans and lentils, foie gras in tasty jelly with peas and carrot, saddle of Spring Pyrenees’ lamb with incredibly complimentary raviolis of green asparagus, wonderful platter of cheese (à volonté), one of which, a Normand mixture, was very special, a macaroon stuffed with crème and fraises des bois, terminating with a delicious mango caramel by Jacques Genin (15th). All this, with superb company and nice wine and of course, much Yves = 100E even. Can’t be beat! (And yes, it was written up today in Zurban, so reserve in advance. Enjoy it while you can.) Edited by John Talbott to correct caramel error.

FYI - To celebrate Nutella's 40th year, they're hosting an "emphemeral" thing at 46, rue de Sevgne in the 4th, 3-11 E for brunch, until June 22nd, so sez today's Figaroscope in an article entitled “l’Air du Temps” about ephemeral restaurants that are open this summer.

Today's Figaroscope, in an article called “l’Air du Temps” about ephemeral restaurants that are open this summer gave June 5th as the closing date for Alain Passard’s Vegetable at Printemps.

Oh yes, but (if on a good day) - what a beautiful walk. A native Frenchperson can correct me but I think you're correct about prices being the same. I've bought things at the source thinking they'd be cheaper and found them later at the identical prices in Paris - however, as you point out, the selection is greater and you can say you got them at the source. It boils down to schlepability.

Here from the depths of the 18th, I seem to recall something like "Plus ca change, ......"

Very nicely put Robert. I hope I'm not pouring gasoline on the fire or goring too many oxes when I second your opinion about the paucity of informed folk in France (and maybe in the US too). My professional colleagues in France turn to me for advice about eating (otherwise they go back to restos they frequented in university); the Parisian food critics I've met and read seem committed to simply interesting the average person in something other than chain restaurants; and so many of my American friends on vacation seem proud to have planned their trips around Michelin macaroons. In New York, if the NYT favorably reviews a place, forget reserving for months; here, after a rave review in say Figaroscope I can see no difference in the customer numbers. Finally, given your binational knowledge and experience, do you share my sense that Italian places feel less pressure than French ones to keep moving forward and are more committed, in the best of senses, to maintaining their tradition and focus?

In this week’s Bonjour Paris, Dennis Neuenkirchen, a vegetarian, wrote that he had a vegetarian friendly meal at Illios, 61 rue Ramey in the 18th, 01.42.23.67.60, menu 26 E.

Yves is back & big. Well, since no one else has put pen to paper about Yves’ new place, I guess it falls to me. What to say? The Comptoir of the Relais St Germain lists itself as 1, rue Monsieur le Prince or 5, Carrefour de l’Odeon, 01.43.29.12.05, which is more accurate, sitting as it does in this charming little confluence of streets just south of the Bd St Germain and the Odeon Metro. It opened 3 weeks ago for business and will be written up this week by our fair city’s cuisine’s worthies. It really is two restaurants, the lunchtime “brasserie” and evening restaurant. I started with lunch and will report on dinner later. Let me start with a few caveats. When I called to reserve, I was told no reservations were taken at lunch, but on arriving, was told I could have any table but two which were reserved for “special people.” Fair enough, since the first three couples who arrived were warmly greeted by Yves, albeit only with two kisses each. It has a neighborly touch – at one table, two guys, seemingly sober, burst into song periodically. The clientele was 1/3rd known to Yves, 1/3rd walk-in and 1/3rd Anglophonic. Reservations for dinner, however, are necessary, lest you be forced to eat the brasserie menu instead treated to the the prix fixe menu (40 Euros). It’s a neat looking place (reminding me of a cross between the new Dix Vins offshoot and the Café Constant); with shiny windows, an eager but unpolished staff, plain tables (only room for 24 covers inside and 14 outside, I’d guess) and a substantial menu sitting at each place. It is not what I’d call a brasserie, but that’s grist for another thread. It has two soups, hot and cold, several salads, 6 tartines (including a spectacular looking one with grilled spring veggies), a handful of cochonnailles dishes (I guess his new specialty), and about 8 entrees, 8 mains (fish and meat – the osso buco looked terrific and was quite popular) and 8 desserts (cheese, ices, crème brulee, tarte tatin, baba, etc). I started with the terrific “verrine” (a terrine in a Aux Lyonnais-type Ball jar) of jarret and ears of pork, served with toasted bread, cornichons and lentilles that had a flavor I could not pin down. (The regular bread, which looked like that of Le Regalade of yore, was stale where it had been cut). Then I had the beef cheeks in red wine with carrots in a casserole – the beef was wonderfully cooked and seasoned but the wine sauce not as rich and/or as reduced as I would wish. The wines run from 3-4 E a glass (12 cl); bottles are 14-30. There are long lists of aperitifs, digestifs and coffee/teas/etc. The only water they serve (aside from Chateau Delanoye), appears to be Chateldon. As F. Simon would ask: Should one go? Absolutely; great location, great prices (my meal was 37E), great ideas. Edited by John Talbott for typos.

Last year, there was a sizeable thread on veggie restos in Paris that I urge you to consult. It's here. I do believe there have been others as well - use the advanced search. Good luck.

The Week of May 23rd, 2005 Monday-Tuesday, A Nous Paris, grace à Felice, reviewed two places: Jerome Berger gave 4 blocks to Louis Vins, 9, rue de le Montagne-Ste-Genevieve in the 5th, 01.43.29.12.12 {reviewed both in the press and on eGullet}and Phillippe Toinard gave 4 blocks to the “Zen” Thai place Mum Sabai, coordinates given before. Wednesday, Sebastien Demorand in Zurban devoted his major space to a South American bar and grill, Fogeo, 8, bvd Montmartre in the 9th, 01.47.70.27.20, open everyday from 10 AM to 4 AM, lunch formulas 12-14 and a la carte up to 30 Euros. His casseroles covered an unusual bar-resto with a long menu, Ferdi, 32, rue du Mont-Thabor in the 1st, 01.42.60.82.52, closed Sundays, a la carte 28-35 Euros, serving everything from gaspacho to foie gras, tarama to tuna and on and on, terminating in a baba - with of all things – limoncello; Le Café, 253, boulevard Voltaire in the 11th, 01.43.73.40.54, serving uneven food (good andouillette and beef - bad salmon tartare) for about 25-29 Euros; and a new brasserie, Millésimes 62, 13-15, pl Catalogne in the 14th, 01.43.35.34.35, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays, formulas and menus running from 19-24 at lunch and 24-26 for dinner, with so-so food (crab-avocado tartare, vapeured cod, duck with mango) but good wines. Also on Wednesday, in Figaroscope, “C’est nouveau” featured its usual five places. Two hearts went to three places: La Plage Parisienne, Port de Javel-Haut in the 15th, 01.40.59.41.00, open everyday, where for about 45 E you can get guacamole, shrimp on a skewer and panacotta; Romain, 40, rue Saint-Georges in the 9th, 01.48.24.58.94, closed Sundays and Mondays, also about 45 E a la carte and 23-25 E (lunch,) 31 E (dinner) menus, serving Italian fare; and Le Griffonnier, 8, rue des Saussaies in the 8th, 01.42.65.17.17, closed Sundays and Mondays, serving parsleyed ham, confit of duck and entrecote for about 30-35 €. Then comes a one-heart: L’Atelier du Marche, 4, rue Saussier-Leroy in the 17th, 01.42.27.73.50, closed Sundays, which for about 30 E (menus are 18 & 23 at lunch; 22 & 27 dinner) serves coques in crème, a too-pulpy tartare and a gratin of strawberries. Finally, a broken heart went to Beige in the 4th. In the “Dossier,” the crew describes briefly a host of places to eat that have terraces: Roland-Garros Le Pavillon des Princes Le Quinzieme Cuisine Attitude Le Marquis Cafe de l’Homme Le 20e Art La Terrasse du Jardin Aux Marches du Palais Le Square Le Cafe des Techniques In Palaces and Grand Hotels : L’Espadon Les Orchidees-le Grill Le Cinq Bristol La Place Le Pavillon Pershing Hall La Table du Lancaster Show Offs : Hotel Costes Apollo La Gare Le Flandrin Harold Le Cafe de la Jatte With that Village Feeling : L’Absinthe Au Bourguignon du Marais Pasco Fontaine de Mars Chai 33 La Cagouille La Terrasse Mirabeau Caves Petrissans Charming : Fontaine Gaillon Restaurant du Palais-Royal Il Cortile La Cigale Recamier Le Delicabar Maison du Danemark Cafe Guitry Sud Eye-filling : Café Marly Le Georges Maison Blanche On greensward: Maison de l’Amerique Latine Café Lenotre Laurent Pavillon Montsouris Chalet des Iles Le Pre Catelan Pavillon de la Grande Cascade And typically, Francois Simon picks a prime terraced resto to try for his Hache Menu, Le Safran, 51-57, rue de Courcelles in the 8th (in the new Hilton), 01.58.36.67.00. Bottom line: Should one go? “Yes.” Rosa Jackson, writing in Paris Notes’s “Paris Bites” reviewed La Table de Lauriston, 29 Rue Lauriston in the 16th, 01.47.27.00.07 where she notes that the forced-choice menu is a bargain 25 Euros but the 45 E a la carte (without wine) is still worth the visit. She heartily recommends the gigantic baba au rhum. Nick, Jancis Robinson’s significant other, this week visited Paris. He had a disappointing 120 Euro meal at the Carré des Feuillants, 14, rue de Castiglione in the 1st, 01.42.86. 82.82, closed weekends and then a surprisingly good meal in the 35/40 range at L’Entr’acte, aka Chez Sonia et Carlos, 44, rue Dorsel in the 18th, 01.46.06.93.41, closed Sunday evening, Monday and Tuesday. The first review I’ve seen about Rudolph Chelminski’s book, “The Perfectionist: Life and Death in Haute Cuisine” (Gotham Books, $27.50 – remember to order through eGullet’s link) about Bernard Loiseau, he of the Cote d’Or and Tante …. restaurants, appeared in this week’s New York Observer, written by Bryan Miller. Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread.

Glad you all enjoyed Mary Mac's. Do you remember what you had? Sorry about your dinner at Joel's. Even with the "forced choice" option (you were in the private dining room right off the bar? I dislike that room ← At Mary Mac's we had Fried Chicken and Barbeque'd Pork with Brunswick Stew; for sides we had fried okra, fried green tomatoes, fried potatoes (I think), a bean dish and a tomato one with ice tea and/or beer. I don't want to get off topic but there was a lot of food and the French commented on how they couldn't possible manage a dessert after it all (me neither). As for Joel we were in the private room for the scientific session but ate at three tables at the far inside end, away from the windows.

A followup to my query. But first many thanks for the help. My French-French friends and I went to Mary Mac's and had a fine and surprisingly affordable meal. I don't think we could have done better for "typical food." You guys are terrific. PS. However, a meal (granted forced choices) at Joel did not go as well with a separate group of French-Canadians; they had done their research on it (it was not my choice) and were disappointed as was I. The gaspacho was tart and tasty to me (too tart for their Quebecois palates); the Kobe beef ruined by over-cooking and the halibut just standard.

Just a followup to my asking about the 755 Club. The shrimp was good, beef passable but the rest of the buffet was pretty substandard. Nice view though.

The Week of May 16th, 2005 Monday, in her “BUZZ” column in Bonjour Paris, Margaret Kemp reviews Roland, 2 avenue Gordon-Bennett in the 16th (e.g. in the Roland-Garros Tennis Stadium complex), 01.47.43.49.56, chef’d by Patrick Cameron Darr, but overall directed by Marc Veyrat, where she admired the “healthy calorie-controlled dishes, delicious salads,….steak, …. best chips in Neuilly, and a stunning chocolate cake maison.” Menus from 13, a la carte 45 Euros. Wednesday, Sebastien Demorand in Zurban, devoted his primary review to the Auberge Bressane, 16, avenue de la Motte-Piquet in the 7th, 01.47.05.98.37, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays, menu at lunch with wine = 29 E, a la carte 50. He talks more about the atmosphere and traditional dishes (small fried fish, fricassee of snails, poached foie gras, côte de veau à la parisienne and chocolate souffle) than about superior fare {Ed Note: a view I share}. He summarizes by saying if the bill were in francs, eg 1/6th the price, he’d be at this museum everyday. In his “Casseroles” space, he reviewed two French and one Italian place: they are: Papille, 9, rue Godefroy Cavaignac in the 11th, 01.43.71.13.12, lunch formula and menu 16 and 20 E respectively, a la carte 25-28, which he calls a bistrotbar, serving good entrees but plain mains, which he finds curious; an Auvernate place, Bougnate, 2, rue Germain-Pilon in the 18th, 01.42.62.74.39, formula 21 E, a la carte 35-45 E, which had the same first/main problem but was kitchy albeit looking like a typical Pigalle tourist trap; and the trattoria-lounge-bar Settimo, 57, rue de Bellechassse in the 7th, 01.45.50.39.27 lunch formulas 16-22 E, a la carte about 38, which despite the banal menu had OK dishes but where the music was jarring. Wednesday, comes “C’est nouveau” in Figaroscope, and there was indeed much new. First, came two French two-hearters: Le Pub Saint-Germain, 17, rue de l’Ancienne-Comedie in the 6th, 01.55.81.13.13, open everyday 24/24, running about 25-40 Euros for fried calamari, wok-sauteed rice with shrimp, tartar of tuna; and Le Fin Gourmet, 42, rue Saint-Louis en l’Ile in the 4th, 01.43.26.79.27, closed Sundays, menus at 27 and 35 E (with a glass of wine and coffee), a la carte running about 40-45 E, for dishes such as mushroom raviolis and chocolate tart, and an Italian place l’Orto, Carrefour de la Croix-de-Noailles in St-Germain en Laye, 01.34.93.02.03, closed Saturday lunch, Sunday dinner and Mondays.. There was one French one-heart, Le Casque d’Or, 1, rue d’Eupatoria in the 20th, 01.43.58.37.09, closed Sundays, running about 35 E for ham, cheese, aligot, etc. and one Corsican one, A Casaluna, 4-6, rue de Beaujolis in the 1st, 01.42.60.05.11, closed Sundays with a squid salad, cheese and cold cuts, formulas 15 and 20 E, a la carte about 35E. The « Dossier » this week was devoted to what might be translated as portraits of prominent restaurant characters. For example: Geneviève Cullerre at La Grille Lulu at L’Assiette Francis Dubourg at La Cabane a Huitres Bobosse at Au Quincy Vincent Cozzoli at Chez Vincent Gilles Bénard at Chez Ramulaud Jacques Mélac at Chez Melac And also : At Omar Dave Cheung at Dave Claude Terrail at La Tour d’Argent Eric Beaumard and Enrico Bernardo at the George V Gérard Poulard at the Meridien Montparnasse Michel Peitit at Benoit Marilyn at Alcazar Finally, sticking to this theme, Francois Simon takes the opportunity to introduce Alain Ducasse’s latest protégé Werner Köchler in his Hache Menu on the Relais Plaza where he spent 110 Euros on a meal he describes as irreproachable but whose price was “effarant” {I had to look it up (as so often happens with Simon), it means outrageous, mind-blowing}. Should one go? “If the descriptions sadden you, don’t, but it’s the most Parisian of restaurants,” he says. In Thursday-Friday’s Le Monde, Jean-Claude Ribaut reviewed three restaurants in his ”Toques en Pointe” : l’Actuel, 29, rue Surcouf in the 7th, 01.45.50.36.20, open everyday, with a lunch formula at 17 E and menu at 21 and dinner costing 29 with several classic dishes, for example, a blanquette de veau and beef tartar as well as new ones – a croustillant of avocado, carpaccio of dorade and for desserts – fig tart and poached pear; Pont Alma, 6, ave de New York in the 16th, 01.47.23.75.11, closed Sundays and Mondays, menu at 35 E (lunch and dinner, glass of champagne and coffee included), a la carte = 50 E, with a good selection of white wines and dishes such as quickly-cooked tuna, mackerel on rocket salad, gaspacho with crab, sole, bar, and a host of other fish plates; and the Auberge d’Ostape in Bidarray where the Basque-influenced cuisine was designed by Alain Ducasse. Friday, Francois Simon announced what has subsequently been widely reported (eg, in Le Monde and the New York Times, that Alain Senderens was giving up his stars at Lucas Carton to convert the space into a “restaurant de ville” (eg a deluxe brasserie), perhaps under another name. Prices will be cut by 1/3rd, that is, to 100 Euros. Friday as well, Patricia Wells wrote an article in the IHT entitled “Food as Fashion” in which she suggests that anyone wishing to assess “food fashion” in France go no farther than three places whose coordinates are in the guidebooks and are already well-known to readers and adequately-endorsed by her: La Table de Joël Robuchon, Le Pré Catelan, + Pierre Gagnaire. Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread.

What did Philippe Gaertner of Aux Armes de France in Ammerschwirh start and what will Michelin's response be? As I noted in the "Digest" March 21st, he gave up his stars and Jean-Luc Naret essentially said "we giveth and only we can take away."

Zuma is actually located in the NE quadrant, at the southernmost end of the Poncey-Highland neighborhood (or I guess you could call it Midtown). ← Since prior threads and PM's seemed to portray Downtown as a culinary wasteland I'm wondering if this renaissance involves restaurants other than Zuma. Thanks.

Too much of a coincidence. I'll be at the 755 Club as well that night and since my host usually puts on a great spread I was figuring on grazing while watching. Is that a mistake or can I survive? Is the buffet standard for all or host-influenced? Thanks.

My notes from May 16th, 2001. "Chez Ramalaud,..., better left forgotten despite it’s just getting 3 hearts in Figaroscope and a “ rush to it” recommendation from Gault/Millau. The products were OK but the preparation was not. Bill 202 francs for one.

The Week of May 9th, 2005 Tuesday, most unusually, perhaps due to the holiday weekend, Francois Simon published in Le Figaro, his “Croque Notes” entitled “It’s not so easy on the Ile de Re,” on the subject of that island off Brittany. He started with a 1.80 E coffee at the Café du Commerce in Ars-en-Ré; then the nicely sited but offensively staffed Baleine Bleue in Saint-Martin-en-Ré for spring veggies at 28 E followed by a 60 Euro bar in crust (1960’s style covered in veggies and butter) for two at the Chat Botté in Saint-Clément-des-Baleines. He also mentions two other places in La Flotte: the Michelin starred Richelieu and L’Ecailler with perfect products (a big sole at 30 E) and an unbeatable lunch menu for 30 E. He also notes that as of May 15th, the fourth Ducasse inn, the Domaine des Andéols in Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt in Provence, will be chef’d by a member of the Ducasse team. In the same issue of Figaro, Jean Miot’s “Propos de Table” concerned itself with two places: the Domaine des Hauts-de-Loire between Blois and Amboise, where the blending of Loire and Breton food and wine sounds very nice and Les Berceaux in Epernay, where he thinks Michelin will correct its motivation-less error by re-elevating this deserving place to stardom next year. Tuesday the New York Times had an article by Craig Smith about French bar-tabacs, bistrots and brasseries with statistics previously unknown to or unobserved by me; 25% of them are owned and 50% of new ones are bought by ethnic Chinese, largely it posits due to the dawn-dusk hours. The next day, Wednesday, Figaroscope’s Emmanuel Rubin in “C’est nouveau,” awarded three hearts to and announced that Pierre Gagniere had taken over the left bank fish resto Gaya Rive Gauche, 44, rue du Bac in the 7th, 01.45.44.73.73, open everyday, where 60-70 E will get you crab, risotto with langoustines, rum meringue, etc. They also gave two hearts each to the brasserie Rech, 62, ave des Ternes in the 17th, 01.43.80.00.16, open everyday but Saturday lunch and Sundays, which has been reprised by the ex-owner of La Procope, with a new chef who remains faithful to the place’s legends – including its wood paneling and camembert, serving Bresse chicken, baba au rhum, etc. for about 50 E, as well as to the combined wine bar-specialty shop-country inn Mon Marche, 31, rue Guillaume-Tell in the 17th, 01.43.80.04.73, open everyday except Sundays, where one can get honest terrines, perch filets, straw potatoes, etc., for about 30 E a la carte, formulas from 12-16 E. Finally, they give one heart only to each of two places: another mixed wine cellar-specialty store-bistrot Le Porte-Pot, 14, rue Boutebrie in the 5th, 01.43.25.24.24, open everyday but Sundays, about 30 E and yet another blend of cellar and specialty store, La Cave a Manger, 52, rue Legendre in the 17th, 01.42.67.00.21, open everyday except Sundays, about 20 E a la carte and 12.50 E formula at lunch. Figaroscope’s “Dossier” this week features spring vegetables, which one can find at: R’Aliment Le Montalembert Publicis Drugstore Colette Maceo Delicabar Casa Olympe Les Allobroges Bar a Manger Blue Elephant Mon Vieil Ami Rouge Tomate Cafe Etienne Marcel They also mention an exhibition « Du Pois au petit pois ; a botanical and cultural history » in Versailles May 14 – June 19 ; a week of « Fraich’attitude » to inform consumers about the benefits of fruits and vegetables May 27 – June 5th – info here, the production of leeks from Nantes from May ‘til September; and three recently-published books dedicated to vegetables = “Petits legumes farcis,” “Un petite faim” and “Ma cuisine des fruits et des legumes.” In the same vein, Francois Simon ventures to the Pre Catalan in the Bois de Boulogne, 01.44.14.41.14, where he describes his meal of veggies (42 E), pigeon (68 E) and an espresso. Summing up: he says that in the section of very expensive restos, it’s expensive, but one of the more affordable, yet his bill was 385 E, which made the enamel in his teeth jump off, however he notes there are also menus for 60 (at lunch, 135 and 175 E.) Should you go?: you bet - in good weather, have one dish, pay up and take off. In his primary review this week, Sebastien Demorand in Zurban, went to two “top” ethnic places (which, given my self-imposed rules, I won’t go into in detail): Les Jardins de Mandchourie {Ed. Note: that is, Manchuria or the great Northeast of China, thus influenced by Korean and Mongolian cooking}, 32-34 allée Vivaldi in the 12th, 01.43.45.58.88, menus 10-12 E at lunch and 15-20 E, a la carte 20-25, closed Monday and Rio dos Camaraõs {EN: in Cameroon, Portuguese for River of Shrimp, thus African cuisine}, 55 rue Marceau in Montreuil-sous-Bois, 01.42.87.34.84, Metro Robespierre on the #9 line, closed Saturday lunch, Sunday and Monday night, a la carte about 28 E. In his “Casseroles,” he covered three other places; a nice wine bar Tandem, 10, rue de la Butte-aux-Cailles in the 13th, 01.45.80.38.69, closed Sundays, a la carte 28E, serving black sausage, sausage with peas and plates of cheeses and coldcuts {EN: for my take on it see here; a not terribly great sounding, largely vegetarian place Bam, 85, rue Lafayette in the 9th, 01.44.63.02.86, closed Saturday and Sunday and open only for lunch (except takeout), formula at 11, menu = 13.50 E, serving things like leek(s) vinaigrette, perhaps heated in the microwave (9e), and a Corsican “tavern” A Casaluna, 4, rue de Beaujolais in the 1st, 01.42.60.05.11, closed Sundays with a formula at 15 E, menu at 20 E and a la carte about 35-38 E, serving a great squid “salad.” In Thursday-Friday’s Le Monde, Jean-Claude Ribaut reviewed three restaurants in his “Toques en Pointe” : the bistrot Millesemes 62, 13-15, place de Catalogne in the 14th, 01.43.35.34.35, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays, bar lunch formula (dish, drink, coffee) = 13E, other formulas 19 or 24 E serving good products and a mixture of traditional and lighter dishes; the resto of the famous Lebanese pastry-shop Noura, Pavillion Noura, 21, avenue Marceau in the 16th, 01.47.20.33.33, open every day; and a second review this week (see above) of the Pre Catalan, in the Bois de Boulogne, where everything is classically perfect. Sunday, Jacqueline Friedrich in the New York Times wrote up three “Quirky spots” in Paris that she says are places that Parisians keep to themselves. The first, Momoka, 5, rue Jean-Baptiste Pigalle in the 9th, 01.40.16.19.09, open only for dinner, closed Sundays and Mondays, menus listed in dollars = 51, 56 and 72, a la carte about $130, serving what certainly sounds and looks like fusion dishes (largely Japanese or Japanese-French) and two others whose coordinates can be found in the guidebooks: the Café Panique, serving food she says might be found in Berkeley or on Amsterdam Avenue (e.g., NYC – West Side), menus 17 (dollars) at lunch and 38 at dinner, a la carte $120, and Chez Ramulaud which she likes for its wines and nostalgic music at Sunday lunch, which costs about $100 {for my take on it in 2001, shortly after it opened see here.} In a MS NBC News article, Clothilde Dusoulier lists her favorite budget places in Paris: they are Cojean, Boulangépicier, Les Vivres, Rose Bakery, Delicabar, A Priori Thé, R’Aliment, La Cave de l’Os à Moëlle, Café Fusion, Androuët sur le Pouce, L’Ourcine, L’Avant-Goût, Bistro Vivienne, Aux Lyonnais, Chez Jean. EatinParis, which posts favorites from time to time, endorses Aux Marches du Palais, 5, rue de la Manutention in the 16th, 01.47.23.52.80, giving it 3/5 stars across the board. Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread.

Just to put in my two cents about La Bastide Odeon. I have never been disappointed in my meals there, but the three others with whom I often eat do not clamour to return. I, though, continue to think it's a fine option for Saturday lunch.