snoopy64

Sounds great! What was the price point, if you don't mind, and did that include alcohol. How is the wine list? ← We spent around $175 after tax and tip which included 2 glasses of wine at $12 each. (My wife does not drink wine so I can't order a bottle). The first glass of wine was actually supposed to be Kir but I got something else instead.

We went to Didier on its opening night (we were the second table seated at the restaurant). Though the service was rather slow, the food was outstanding. For starters, my wife had a tarlette with escargot and chantrelle mushrooms while I had medallion of Quebec fois gras. For main course, she had wild caribou which was cooked to perfection - seared out the outside and medium rare on the inside. I had Duck Confit which was also quite good. For dessert, my wife had a delicious molten chocolate cake topped with candy coated pistachios and a pistachio coulis while I had a wonderful souffle with chestnut and grand marnier. All in all, it was a great meal and we would go again. They also have a small cafe area which will open in a couple of weeks which will serve cheeses, smoked meat and fish plates. We'll have to try that out as well.

News on Didier - workman I talked to said it is opening around Nov 28. It will be a mid-to-upscale resaurant. French cuisine from south of France/Basque region.

Didier Leroy running my neighbourhood Bistro would be great - I'm keeping my fingers crossed. There have been quite a few restaurant changes in this area lately. Last month a pan-asian place called Ocean opened on Yonge just south of St.Clair. I've been twice, and while the service is a little muddled (they don't seem to know what's on their own menu), they are attentive and the food is decent but not outstanding. A new Italian place opened up in the premises of the late Delisle Court Restaurant - has anyone tried it?

I've been watching the activity at the late Rhodes Restaurant at Yonge and St.Clair. Today a sign went up announcing what will presumably be a French restaurant called "Didier" Does anyone know anything more about this?

The best and cheapest dim sum places are not downtown but in the Scarborough/Markham area. Try Grand Lake (Kennedy, south of Hwy 7), or the place beside the bowling lanes on Old Kennedy Rd just north of Steeles on the west side. New Century on the north side of Steeles just west of Warden (hidden in a white plaza, on the inside) isn't bad. For downtown, try Rol San (East side of Spadina, south of College). Good dim sum, but menu only, no carts,( which are half the fun imho), and fairly limited selection. For a great Chinese bakery try Yung Sing on Baldwin St. Try the egg tart (dan tat) and steamed bun with pork, and shrimp wonton.

Just got back from our first trip ourselves. What a wonderful place! To fit in - remember the locals are more formal, so don't wear sneakers and/or track pants if you want to blend with them. Also, some Americans speak at a louder volume than is common in Europe. If you are in this group and want to blend in, turn it down a notch. Also, many restaurants won't seat you if you are wearing jeans (cafes are no problem). You will have to ask for the bill, it is considered rude to bring it to you before you ask. "Monsieur, l'addition sils vous plait" does the trick. Tip is included, but we generally added 5% in cash (there is no spot on credit card slip for tips) As soon as you speak they will know you aren't French, but always try with a few words of French, it will probably get you better, friendlier, service. Most restaurants and food stores have someone who speaks some English. My French is poor and I had no problems making myself understood, and the waiter would often reply to my French in English. For food stores, don't miss Place Madeline and the stores around the square. The highlights are Fauchon (high end food store), Maison Truffle (truffles of course), Maille (for mustards). Hot chocolate - great in Paris, and the best is at a place called Angeline's (pm me if you need an address). Go for lunch and have this as your dessert. Order the Chocolat Chaud Africain, and what they bring is basically a pot of quality melted chocolate, a bowl of sugar and a bowl of whipped cream for mixing. Heavenly! You can buy some of their mix to take home. Stroher - bakery in Les Halles area I can recommend Berthillion - great ice cream near Notre Dame, with interesting flavours (grapefruit, chestnut, etc.) The local pastry is the Paris Brest, and you can find good ones everywhere (I had a good one at Fauchon) Don't forget the street food - crepe with nutella, is better than it looks or sounds Have a great trip!

Prime Rib Roast Beef roasting in the oven, filling the kitchen with aroma. Ah, happy memories of Sunday dinner when I was a kid. That, I think, is the key. The smell that reminds you of happy times is the one you like the best.

In hindsight, and knowing what happened to my brother, I should have asked for a confirmation in writing. On the bright side, I was able to console myself with a very enjoyable meal at L'Atelier Maitre Albert. I will post my review of our Paris food experiences later this week.

Thank you for all the great suggestions. We decided on visiting Grand Vefour during our October trip. We made reservations over the phone in August (in French), and confimed two weeks before (again in French). Once we got to Paris, we stopped by the day before our reservation to confirm again. This time, we were told that we had no reservation! The guy didn't even bother to look at the book before telling us this! I told him I had reserved and confirmed, but he insisted that he was the only one who took reservations and that he had never taken mine. He suggested that perhaps I had called another place by mistake!! He also suggest that Grand Vefour always confirms the reservation by sending a fax. I told him I was not told this before and had not received any fax. I assume that my reservation was either sold or I was bumped for a celebrity. My brother encountered the same problem at Taillevent some years ago so I was particular about confirming my reservations. Has this happened to anyone else? For those who have dined at Grand Vefour, was there a fax sent to you? Signed, Disappointed and hungry in Paris

oops, my error. What I meant to say was that another knock against Taillevent is that a relative booked a reservation, only to be told at the door that they had no recod of it and were SOL, which is an experience I do not wish to have myself. Snoopy64

Thanks to all for the replies. To clarify my search criteria, as this is my first trip to Paris I am looking for a memorable dinner with top-notch food (classical French, 3-star rating), ambience, and service. The wine list is not an important consideration, and price is not an issue for this experience. I narrowed my list down to Taillevent and Grand Vefour after doing some research on the web and from publication such as Frommer's and Fodor's, but I don't always trust these sources and was hoping to get some personal recommendations from the people in egulletworld. I am currently leaning towards Grand Vefour because it is reputed to be one of the most beautiful and historic restaurants in Paris. I do wonder about if the quality of the food matches the decor. Taillevent strikes me as having somewhat better food but may lack the history and ambience. Another knock against Taillenvent is that I also considered Tour d'Argent but heard a number of negative reviews on the quality of the food. Do people recommend going the a la carte or price fixe route? Any dishes that were particularly enjoyable or to be avoided? If anyone has other ideas on what would be a memorable damn-the-expense type of evening I am all ears. Regards, Snoopy64

Hi folks, I am planning a trip to Paris and I want to experience one 3-star, blow-the-budget, haute cuisine restaurant. My two finalists are Taillevant and Grand Vefour. I would appreciate feedback from anyone who has been to either of these two places. In particular, recommendations for particular dishes, atmosphere, decor, etc. Snoopy64