John Talbott

Great list, Pti and it does make me happy. But since you've added picnic places, I'd suggest the Parc Monceau rather than St Cloud for the first time visitor; both because of transportation and dazzling buildings surrounding it, despite the crowds, kids and pousettes.

I haven't eaten there in a few years but mention1 has and I hope he'll chime in here, but we had a nice lunch there and it's a great site, so long as you don't need knee replacements.As for the route, I'll defer to others who live there; me I go anywhere I want to.

Now that explains my dreadful meal there after Paga raved about it.

Wonderful story Dave. I refuse to step into this one.

Let me add my welcome to the site and to Paris. I will have to miss the butter tasting but I agree that it's a good place to start, Braden has involved many of the most active members of the society and the France Forum and his place is spectacular (at least compared to mine). Like Pierre I would suggest you do some searching within the Forum; there is much wisdom that's been shared over the years and your question, "Where should I eat" has been asked many times in many forms (eg on a Sunday, on a terrace, near my residence, etc.). Several resources you may find helpful: A Pinned topic on Essentials for the First Time Visitor which looks old but is updated frequently. Another on Eating, Shopping and Staying also updated frequently. Yet another that lists all the restos that have been discussed since January 2006 alphabetically and by arrondissement, And Felice posts a calendar of fairs, expositions etc that are food related. In addition I try to "digest" the restaurant reviews appearing in the French press each week and several of us contribute to a topic that Felice initiated on chef moves and resto openings. Finally, there's a recent topic on where some of us would tell someone visiting for the first time to go for the Paris restaurant experience. Again welcome, you'll arrive the day of our first fall strike. Edited by John Talbott October 3rd to correct day of the general strike.

The Week of September 24th, 2007 Monday, in Le Fooding, Elvira Masson reviewed Afaria, coordinates given before, chef’d by the 26 yo Basque, Julien Duboué, who trained with/at le Carré des Feuillants, Drouant, Le George V + Daniel Boulud, where she liked everything from the boudin to the Tahitian raw fish to apple tart with caramel. Monday, Adrian Moore posted a map on Gridskipper of Tourist Traps in Paris that included Le Tour d’Argent, Le Voltaire, Brasserie Lipp, Le Jules Vernes, Café Costes, Buddha Bar + Apicius Monday/Tuesday, A Nous Paris had its traditional two reviews: Jerome Berger awarded 3/5 blocks to Que du Bon, coordinates given before, a sort of glorified wine bar serving some hot dishes in addition to charcuterie and cheese; Philippe Toinard gave 3/5 blocks as well to Chateau Poivre, 145, rue du Chateau in the 14th, 01.43.22.03.68, formulas for 20 and 23 €, where a new team serves things like a duo of carrots and lentils, duck with mashed potatoes and a mango gratin, {caution: the review isn’t enthusiastic despite the grade.} Wednesday, Richard Hesse in Paris Update reviewed the Café Moderne, coordinates in the food guides where he had good food but a cold reception and bad service. Wednesday, as well, Emmanuel Rubin, in Figaroscope entitled his “C’est Nouveau” “Long Live Afaria,” coordinates above, which he rated three hearts, saying the boudin with apples was one of the best dishes he’s had this season and that the pork and apple tart were also good. He gave two hearts to Garance, coordinates given before, which he called a pleasant surprise that was a bobocratic serving neopopu food like leeks vinaigrette, tournedos of salmon and pear crumble. He also gave one heart each to l’Evasion, 24, rue des Tournelles in the 4th, 01.42.72.03.07, closed Mondays with a 33 € menu-carte serving potato “crumbs” with chives, souris d’agneau and sorbet, and Reflet, 33, rue de Guersant in the 17th, 01.45.72.39.35, open for lunch only and closed Sundays, running one about 30 with a 12 € formula consisting of platters of charcuterie and cheese, smoked salmon and macaron glace, after which he says “Why not?” Finally, he awarded a busted heart to La Giara an Italian place in the 6th. Figaroscope’s “Dossier” this week was all about Cotes of beef, pork, etc as follows: Beef Le Volant + Cristal de Sel Veal A l’Abordage + Aux Zingots Pork Le Clocher Periere + Le Grand Pan Lamb Goupil + Le Saut de Loup And Francois Simon in his “Hache Menu” reviewed Cotte Roti, coordinates given before where he couldn’t find the telephone number in the Yellow Pages and had to call the resto next door to get it but it didn’t answer 10 tries anyway, was kept waiting for hours for dishes and was not blown away by the food. His bill was 134.50 € for two (including a 65 € Cote Rotie). Asking himself if one must go he answers “Wait a month.” {Given the fact that his colleague Emmanuel Rubin gave it a broken heart a few weeks ago, I’m a bit puzzled why he went anyway.} Wednesday-Thursday, in Le Monde, Jean Claude Ribaut wrote about cassoulet and where to get it: Au Bascou, l’Ami Jean + le Trou Gascon. Friday, Jean-Louis Galesne in Les Echos reviewed places in Beaune : Loiseau des Vignes, Via Mõkis, Le Benaton, La Régalade + Bissoh. Friday, François-Régis Gaudry noted the twentieth anniversary of the Bistro d’a Cote with an article on Michel Rostang, his installation of his 26 yo second Olivier Mascré at the piano and his empire of one grand resto, four bistrots and two brasseries run by the family (his wife and two daughters). Saturday, Francois Simon in Figaro wrote his “Croque Notes” about a new book by Christian Millau, cofounder of Gault-Millau and “nouvelle cuisine” – “Le Guide des restaurants fantomes,” Plon. Sunday in the NYT Travel Section, David Laskin wrote about WWI monuments and cemeteries and recommended two restaurants – the Hôtel du Grand Monarque in Varennes and Le Bec Fin in Grandpré. Sunday in JDD the famous chef picking restos in Paris (no longer for under 30 €) was Keisuke Matsushima of the eponymous one-star in Nice who named Le Compoir du Relais + Kai. In its Version Femina Astrid de T’Serclaes did no reviews but interviewed Philippe Marc, chef at the Relais Plaza as to where he gets his products which may be of some interest to members: Le Coq St-Honore in the 1st for fowl L’Oceanic in the 1st for fish Colom in the 16th for fruit Selectissime in the 8th for (exotic) spices Faye in the 16th for charcuterie and mushrooms Boucheries Nivernaises in the 8th for AOC meat, and Cantin for cheese. Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread.

First off, Felice, I didn't mean to supply the quotes to answer your query but to start the discussion off with what some of our members have said in the past. But since I started this off by dividing the bistrots into three groups here, let me try to explain how I meant to differentiate them.Classic to me means you make the dish (lets take cassoulet) the same way your grandmother did it. Neo to me means you update dishes (say cassoulet by using different spices). And gastro carries the implication of more like a grand restaurant (so the cassoulet now has pureed mushrooms). The analogies/examples need more work and I agree we need input from our boots on the ground here who read extensively and know everything. Also I'm darned if I can remember where, but I did see an article on the distinction. In Omnivore maybe. I think it's in my archives, once I get back to the cave where they're stored.

I’ve started this new topic because I think Felice’s question here is a great one and merits further discussion. Margaret Pilgrim defined a neo in this topic: And Steve Plotnicki said And lots of folk say that La Regalade was the quintessential gastro bistro while Chocolate & Zucchini calls And Joe Ray said

Here's my take on it Note I'm going to merge the threads so all the info's in one place.

Bummer! Did you go for lunch or dinner? We had a surprisingly good dinner at La Gazzetta, so good in fact, we decided to go back for lunch the next week. The lunch was disappointing (yet half the price) and not nearly as well-prepared as the dinner. So I would only really recommend it at dinner. Plus, the space looks cooler at night. ← Yes it was lunch and I think the carte is much abbreviated. It was also right after it opened which can or can't be good. Two notes: the RFC like it better than I and wrote it up rather more positively; and I had eaten at his place near Uzes a few months before and liked it. Here's my report:

Dear Chef, I've been reading your blog, not totally loyally, but I suspect there are lots of us out here/there who were in Viet Nam who resonate with your account. I trust you'll turn this into a book. For me writing about Viet Nam has been a real struggle, ever since I started taking notes in 1967. Do write more, John

Come'on, you gotta taste anything in its natural surround, which for me (I'm outa town then) would be red wine and bread. Respectfully, who eats the butter on the table with bubbly? I'll miss you guys because I would love to bring some Quatrehomme, which I just scooped into. Yum.

boston - this is a great list, treat my RESPONSES as annoying gnats. Nah tired, '50's, touristy, yuck. Not one quibble, boston, you're spot on.

Ah my friend, having set up the challenge, I forgot to spell out any rules (as you do so well in your tastings), so are we allowed RESPONSES, if so, how many and how often? RESPONSE: it's not a brasserie by my lights, that's a well-lit, beer and choucroute and oyster place with a great ceiling. Plus, while they did a fab 120 FF 3 course menu with game about this time of year, the new team has fallen off, 'cepting the wonderful waitstaff. But maybe I gotta go back. RESPONSE he was better at Chez Casimir. Who knows why? Le Pre Verre RESPONSE agreed RESPONSE, the RFC and I had a disappointing meal there. RESPONSE, Ahhhright but mainly for the only souffled potatoes left in town RESPONSE OK

Host's Note: I've moved over the existing topic on Mirazur to here and appended this by Robert Brown, June 3, 2007, from here so we'll have all the info in one spot.

I did not list more than one starred place, thinking (perhaps wrongly) that that info is better known and been discussed many times before here.But one of our loyal but bashful members took the time to telephone me to say he liked my list but thought it should include more places that look great, suggesting we add the Pre Catalan, Bristol + Meurice and knock out l'Ami Jean. He also raised an issue I hadn't thought of, which was, should we take into account whether English is spoken, suggesting that, for example, the Severo + Bis de Severo might not meet that criterion.

Since there is conflicting information about reservations, I'm pleased to say that there is now a sign in the window that says reservations are taken for lunch between 11h30-12h30 and for one dinner seating at 18h30. I was also astonished to observe someone get the door open from outside without help from inside. How? I dunno, maybe he had a magnet.

The third, last and no longer in existence one was Tante Jeane in the 17th and the four of us found it lacking the ooompf. Its decor and clientele were somewhat between the other two and why it failed, I don't know. How they are today I don't know; I went to Tante Marguerite after Loiseau's death just to see if they were going to change (what was to me a winning formula) but it was pretty much the same. ← I have to correct you. The initial Tante Jeanne was boring, it's true, and the location was never really good. But they changed the whole team around two years before it closed, and Jérôme Bonnet became the chef then. ← No correction needed; we went just after it opened.

While it's not a tea salon, for a few hours last Saturday, the Librarie La Martiniere Le Seuil became a "tea house" when our energetic France Forum contributor and loyal eGullet Society member member Pitpois, aka Sophie Brissaud, the author of a new book - "La Table du Thé," editions Minerva - bought, made and served tea and food at a book signing/party. If you're walking around St Germain, drop by 17 Rue Jacob, the whole right window is dedicated to it.

Ironically, I was just scanning the end of the week papers for the Digest and learned from Friday's Les Echos that Jean-Louis Galesne reviewed places in Beaune, the first of which the the Loiseau company's Loiseau des Vignes that (I believe was planned before his death and) features a winelist of 70 wines (largely Burgundies), ranging in price per glass from 2-45 Euros for 8 or 12 centiliters in a bistrot that is apparently quite successful.

Francois Simon had a half page historical piece on the Tour pegged to its having reopened Wednesday night after the death of Claude Terrail, loss of the second star and "important renovation." The cost now - "a minimum of 600 Euros for two."

I guess that is what I was struggling to say; I think often (at least in the places I eat in, no stars) the waitpeople are asking if I liked it as a reflex and really aren't listening to the answer.It's like bus drivers and waitresses in London who say "thank you" whenever you say anything; it's automatic, like "ummm" or "ahhhhh". Excuse my thickness, John, but what situation exactly are you referring to? A waiter asking you if everything was all right? If so, you should take it at face value. If something was wrong, that is the moment to say so, whatever face they pull when you do. If you say "banal" they are likely to be dumbfounded, they are used to yes or no answers (more often yes than no). As for "bonne continuation", every time I hear it I feel the way I do when I get a spam phone call from the antipodes asking me if I want to know about a great way to reduce my taxes. In French, it sounds so phony. ←

Yes: Pti and Clotilde, but No, no one else.

Well his first one was Tante Louise in the 8th nr the Madeleine and was not only vastly less expensive than Saulieu but fairly close to what I remember the food to be there; my French colleagues who are not known for their food passion, liked it a lot. It was surprisingly good food and I always suspected that Loiseau paid a lot of attention to it and maybe spent a lot more time there too, I mean I saw him always every time I went, which was not true of his other two.The second one was Tante Marguerite nr the Assemblee Nationale and had a more elegant decor and a bit fancier cooking (as befits the clientele who were largely government-connected). Again, if memory serves me, it was a bit farther away from Saulieu's cooking; I can still taste their pied de porc. The third, last and no longer in existence one was Tante Jeane in the 17th and the four of us found it lacking the ooompf. Its decor and clientele were somewhat between the other two and why it failed, I don't know. How they are today I don't know; I went to Tante Marguerite after Loiseau's death just to see if they were going to change (what was to me a winning formula) but it was pretty much the same.

Ah cepes... wonderful veloute'. ← HOO BOY, did I have cepes at Le Clocher Pereire, two days ago, report coming.