pierre45

It's interesting that no one has mentioned Les clos des gourmets.16 ave Rapp. The chef worked with constant and his style and the menu reflects that .

I ate at la fontaine a year ago and congratulated Mme(hostess and owner) about how busy and good the restaurant is despite its age .She said she took over after her husband's death .She said she kept the focus on SW cuisine but introduced some modern dishes;i,e fish . Its an honest and straight forward place.Seating by the fontaine is a delight.

I Think its better than average.Its robust s-w cuisine and around 40euros/person.Its also quite popular with the locals.

I prefer lounges to cocktail places.They are lively,with beautiful people and enticing world music.

Lavinia does indeed have wine vending units ,one for red another for white. You have a choice of 4 to 5 wines in each .So for about 10 euros you could taste about 4 to 5 wines.so,happy degustation

I have been to Goumard but I prefer L'ecailler du bistrot.Fresh,diverse and real.The service and decor at Goumard is much better however.

Is chen ,the one on rue the Theatre in the 15th?

Brasseries are not food destinations.They fit a niche ,because of their availability at any time.They are similar to a fancy diner in the US.However they are worth a single visit by a visitor. since they are unique to France.Hollywood ,often portrays them as the ultimate dining experience,i,e Dining scene at le grand corbert in a film with J nicholson. Actually ,Le grand colbert ,with its nouvelle epoque decor and acceptable food qualifies as an interesting place .

French beef tastes different than American or even Argentinian beef. The difference is due to the feed ,grass for French and Argentinian ,corn for American.The meat cut,cote for the French ,bife de lomo in Argentina and steaks in the US.Perhaps ,another factor is also the exersise of the animals.Open ,large spaces for Argentinian versus limited for the American.They all are flavorful in different ways.One could use adjectives such as sweeter,nuttier etc .due to fat content and terroir.In general the American meat is more tender.Personally I like them all and don't have any preferences.

Now that I think of it you're exactly correct Phil. One's elbow is usually in somebody else's veloute. Plus I dine with a maxilingual friend who will start schmoozing with anyone within 10 feet. I'm among those asocial beings who doesn't like cross-table chatter anywhere, doesn't like to be touched by the waitstaff and hates B&B breakfasts. ← I am one of those who loves to interact with people.Specially when i am alone. Great places with communal tables are.La cantine de troquet,la cave de l'os a moele,afaria, etc

You must love brasseries,specially Lipp ,where you'll be treated like an unwanted tourist.Except for Afaria and perhaps bistrot du dome the rest of the list is not exciting ,specially compared to the ones that are much better and cost around 30 euros /person. However I grant you that it will be difficult in august.

I agree that you could eat at home like that and I have. As to seating next to Clinton Or Spielberg(I have , in East Hampton sat next to Spielberg and his family).The experience does not mean that much to me.

A very good description of L'ami Louis.EXcellent ingredients ,cooked simply at exorbitant prices .I guess you have a market for anything

L'ecailler du bistrot is quite well known and recommended by many guide books. Its a cross between a bistrot and a brasserie,mostly because of its focus on fruits de mer.Its truly a sight to see ,huge platters of oysters,belons,clams,shrimps and all kind of shellfish served on a bed of ice.The regular menu also is nothing to sneer at with various choices of fish prepared with different sauces with generous use of butter. Freshness of the ingredients is very high ,brought daily from the breton coast. Wine list is also quite decent ,even though its a bit expensive .We drank a wonderful cote de nuits for 39 euros.The rapport qualite/prix is quite good at 50-60 euros/person. Le 21 is located on rue de mazarine in the 6e.The owner ,Paul Minchelli had a restaurant in the 7e.I was curious to experience his new place.I started with sardines that were a bit salty and pedestrian and finished with squid risotto in its ink,which was quite tasty but a bit heavy.I also tasted the various dishes of my dinner companions . My overall impression is that the food is quite robust and strongly flavored.Wines were excellent because they were ordered by someone knowledgeable in our group. The rapport qualite/prix was not good .

Recently I revisited Ze kitchen gallery after a disappointing diner when it opened. I went with John Talbot ready to point out how wrong he is when he talks in superlatives about Ze kitchen. The lunch menu consisted of an entree,an a la plancha ,dessert and a glass of wine for 34 euros.I had poulpe aux citrons for an appetizer and pidgeon as the a la plancha choice.Well let me tell you it was heavenly.The pulpa which was marinated with 4 far eastern spices was crunchy and lemony and had a wonderful taste .The pidgeon was cooked rare,but was tender and succulent .Even the dessert was creative. a geometric cut of roasted mango that was yummy and refreshing. So John was right, this is a wonderful restaurant and a great value at lunch. Michelin's recent 1 star award is truly justified.

. Paris still remains the quintessential food city, with so many restaurateurs (and traiteurs, in the broadest sense) who, for the most part, are not jaded and who really care about (a precis of what you said) " to offer .. the best ... of our view of food as part of culture, not fashion." May it always remain this way. ← Amen

Yesterday on a busy saturday night, i revisited Jasis.They instituted 2 seatings on the week end, and we were warned about it. We were surrounded by locals including a couple who had driven 2 hrs to get there .It seems the place is becoming famous. We started with coquillages cooked with vegetables and covered with a crust. It was mildly flavored but interesting. The main course was epaule d'agneau cooked with beans,olives, and and sun dried tomatoes. It was huge and quite tasty.It reminded me of a cassoulet but lighter. Dessert was Paris -Brest and a chocolat souffle. The cuisine was a modern version of traditional French, portions were not small and beautifully presented. Also, there was no intent to contrast flavors or textures and no foreign spices. So, this restaurant as attested by allthe diners in the is truly French.

OK, my friend will up the bidding to 150 E per couple (it's not I, as some have suspected) and its not necessarily romantic but celebratory. ← Because he is your friend I'll recommend the following for less than 150 euros/person. La table de Robuchon. Drouand Senderens Sensing

Creativity is in the eye of the beholder - an observation, based on Jadis in Pierre's list. It may be "truly creative" for Paris but I found it to be quite average compared to the UK. The UK has seen the early gastro pub/St John influence become common/mainstream, and Jadis seems to be in this genre. Thus it is tricky to recommend without knowing a persons experience. ← PLease not that I was referring to modern cuisine with a creative twist as i had defined previousely. My list has nothing to do with the truly creative ones such as P gagnaire or Bras, or even les magnolias.Even with all this clarification i am sure that each one of us has a different understanding about creativity. Incidentally how would you classify the following WD-50 (NY),Arzak,(spain),El celler de can roca(spain), etc

This is my list of places providing modern cuisine with a creative twist Jadis Afaria at the communal table Le Bistral Table d'eugene

Interesting distinction Pierre.But is Jadis, (or even Cameleon), creative or is its formula (finding an old cookbook and using contemporary equipment and ingredients) creative or "going back to the future?" I'd agree that Gagnaire and the other starred boys, famously and formerly Loiseau, keep creating. To recall Loiseau's obsession with constant creation is to remember what a tough business this is. And I agree with Margaret that Carte Blanche, which I originally thought was a slightly less impressive version of Ze, has not worn well with us. ← One can say that ,Perhaps creative cuisine will cover the area of truly new forms such as nouvelle cuisine ,when it was created in the 80's, then recently molecular.However one could perhaps refer to a new style of cuisine under the name of modern french, a new style of cuisine that uses french methods of cooking but introduces new spices,ie, asian ,middle easter or adds non french elements or forms,I,e raviole,Mergez,Bulghur,etc

ONe has to define creative? TRuly creative like P gagnaire or modern cuisine with creative twists,i.e La table d'eugene.Jadis etc

In my opinion an excellent choice for good rapport qualité/prix, but I can't imagine how it would take an hour to get there from the Eiffel Tower, particularly with your intimate knowledge of Paris, was that a mis-type? ← If you're really interested in knowing why it will take about 1 hr to go door to door to the restaurant i'll send you the itinerary in a personal email.I am curious though as to why this is important to you. ← HI Laidback.You're right, the rapport quality/prix at table d'eugene was excellent. You made me curious about the time it takes to go there .It took me 54 min .I have good It is not really important to me, I was just curious, as I often stay at the corner of Rapp/St. Dominique and it doesn't take me that long either on the direct #80 bus or a 1 transfer metro ride. As fat and out of shape as I am, it would undoubtedly take me even longer to walk it, as the up-hill part in Montmartre would require a stop for liquid sustenance. ← Laidback.It took me 54 min to get to table d'eugene.The rapport quality/prix was excellent as you said.

In my opinion an excellent choice for good rapport qualité/prix, but I can't imagine how it would take an hour to get there from the Eiffel Tower, particularly with your intimate knowledge of Paris, was that a mis-type? ← If you're really interested in knowing why it will take about 1 hr to go door to door to the restaurant i'll send you the itinerary in a personal email.I am curious though as to why this is important to you.

Thank you Margaret.specially coming from someone that i have never met.Unlike some people,You have good knowledge of the Paris dining scene and always exhibit good judgment.Incidentally tonight I am dining at la table d'Eugene ,which is in the 18th arrondissement, 1 hr away from my home in the Eiffel tower area