pierre45

Hughw.I have noticed that you take chances in the hope of finding a jewel. Its too bad you did not choose,Jadis,L'entetee,Afaria.le grand Pan or even au gout du jour'. Bonne chance

You're right.They are all over london and even in Miami.Its amazing .They have followed the american business model .

Don't you enjoy looking around and finding a place that you may like? After all that's what travel is all about.The adventure of discovery that you'll always remember.

L'entetee This small 15 table place was filled with local people recently. Service by 1 man, was unbelievably efficient and the 3 course menu at 30 euros was a true bargain. The food is modern with an inventive twist such as the farmers chicken with ginger and coriander sauce or lemon based soupe au lait coco ,by the young chef Julie. Interesting wine choices by carafe.Its usually crowded,so that you you hear all the conversation of your next door table ,such as the pursuit of a young woman by a 50+man.IT was quite entertaining for this solo diner. La cave Edmond This cave a vins was created by Thierry Burlot ,across from his restaurant in the 15th. The focus is on wine ,and you choose your food from a limited menu of cold cuts ,soup ,cheeses and one main dish which is brought over from the restaurant across the street.The cold cuts are very good and the main dish as you may have guessed is excellent.The rub is that the wines are mediocre,with limited choices and not that cheap. I spoke with the manager .He said they were using the surplus wines of the main restaurant and is hoping that it will be replaced with new and interesting choices. The place was frequented by locals only and they walked in with no reservation.The place is quite informal and somewhat reasonable

Racine I finally made it to Racine with 3 oklahomans.ITs a very small bistro a vins and its set as part of a passageway built in 1847.The food is simple but with top notch ingredients .i,e Hugo Desnoyer.WE started with wonderful cold cuts and St jacques in butter sauce.The mains were very tasty duck breasts.What made this place special is the wine. Natural and sourced by the chef.They were well balanced,with high quality fruit and very pleasant.I knew about the chef's strong opinions,so we put ourselves in his hands with excellent results. Average cost is around 40-45 euros/person Lembert The restaurant is set in a country grocery store/ cave that specializes in foies gras and cuisine de Perigord.IT was truly a delight to start with foie gras tasting consisting of 4 generous samples; foie gras d'oie, de canard, foie gras torche and a peppered one.Deliceous ,rich and decadent. THis was followed by tournedos de canard aux truffes.Truly authentic and tasty.The way its always been served in the south west of france. THe dessert ,gateau aux noix was deliceous.The total cost was 34 euros, a steal. I drank a very pleasant 02 Bergerac wine that went well.The wine list ,mostly from the S-W is very reasonable. This restaurant like Racine is Traditional French and mostly frequented by locals. Its a trip back to old France

Phil,disregarding transportation issues,as you know eating is subjective.The fun is trying different ones and having a wonderful experience in the process. Jadis ,when i went was really very enjoyable.When i go next time ,who knows. Actually ,as I went solo. they placed me in a hidden corner,so I kept refering to them that i was the one in Siberia

JADIS is a small 12 table hole in the wall, in an area of the 15th that's becoming the equivalent of New york's E village.Its a block away from Afaria and close to Le grand Pan. The chef Guillaume Delage left P. gagnaire's Gaya rive gauche to open Jadis. His cooking is sophisticated and somewhat creative.The result is mouth watering. I started with the truffled risotto.The rice was el dente and covered with a layer of thick truffle shaving.It was fantastic.My main was grilled lotte fish over a bed of lentil in jaune wine sauce.One of the best fish dish i ever have had.Dessert was tarte aux citrons et mangues.Very refreshing.The total cost was 55 euros.This place will be very difficult to get in the future.My next table neighbors were all from the 7th. GOUMARD This is a Paris establishment over 100 years old.It has a 1 star Michelin rating.The restaurant had been going through rough times. Recently a new chef took it over and instituted a 49 euro dinner consisting of 3 courses,1/2 bottle wine and 1/4 bottle water and coffee. The place is plush and attractive,wonderful for valentine day. The appetizer consisted of st jacque in butter sauce,deliceous, and the main, high grade bass fish in a casserole cooked with various vegetables.It was not bad ,but somewhat neutral in flavor,reminiscent of spa food.The wine was a refreshing and decent pays d'oc white wine.The pineapple dessert was outstanding.Overall dinner at those prices in such surrounding is excellent value

I had dinner at L'tineraire in oct .ITs very busy and impersonable.The food is not bad but one has much better choices in Paris.For instance last night I went to au gout du jour,(12,rue Beaugrenelle)Paris 15e .it was truly delightful and a gem at 25 euros full dinner.THe chef and his assistant(Cyril le noir) have worked at P. Gagnaire and meurice.This is a new restaurant and not discovered yet.

Catherine ,you're on the right track.Prices are inflated on valentine day and in previous years quite crowded.

Last night we were taken by local foodie friends to Rino's Cucina.It's intimate and friendly ristorante and made me understand as why Italian cuisine is so popular with Americans. Amuse bouche consisted of bruschetta topped with fresh tomatoe and herbs and a parmesan covered flat bread. I skipped an appetizer and had shortribs with risotto . The portions were decent so I correctly thought that it would suffice. Even though short rib is an American cut of meat ,the sauce was italian and it married with the mushroom risotto beautifully. My companion had chilean seabass cooked in white wine with artichokes and sundried tomatoes. We drank California cabernet sauvignon which was fruity and quite forward, typical of California reds and quite decent. The food was tasty and the Italian owner chief took pride in his kitchen. Surprise, surprise, he sang Italian songs beautifully and warmly accompanied by an accomplished guitarist. Over all, it was an enjoyable evening that made me feel as if I were in Italy.

I have had lunch at L'astrance twice with no reservation by calling in the morning and asking whether they have a cancellation that week.

I think Daniel strives on challenges. In oct I visited his future restaurant and as an architect/engineer i told him that he is facing an expensive and demanding project. He loved the 17th century bldg and the environment that it will create. Imagine eating in a restaurant with vaults and walls that were there during the french revolution and at the center of the activities. I am pleased to see that he continues to perform well as a chef despite all the demands placed on him from this new project

Actually we spoke with him and asked him why he came to l'epigramme. Do you remember his answer?

I have eaten twice at Madison eleven .I found the food uneven,however some dishes such as the duck were excellent.However at the cost of $300 for two ,which equals 240 euros one can have better choices in Paris. There is no comparison .

I wish that's true .whether its in yesteryears or today, You always have people who take advantage of a given situation.That was the case when someone charged you 80 euros /glass of wine.Its not proper.In JOhn's case the owner was gracious and and he placed a high value on his reputation , which is an important ingredient as a business man.

What was the wine? ITs an atrocious sum.By the way,next time, you may try white wine with cheese .Usually it goes better with most fromages

This year i visited guatemala,peru,marocco and japan .Except for Japan most places were reasonable.specially when it came to eating.But it was a different experience.None of the high level of food stds that prevail in Paris. In cities that have higher stds such as London.New york ,Paris,Tokyo,etc, one has to plan and seek value places,if one is concerned about money. Also .as i have indicated before there are quite a few starred restaurants in Paris that offer excellent value.

MOndays, most restaurants are not busy ,even in good times.That's one of the reasons many close on mondays.

This is an interesting statement.It illustrates the fact that value is subjective. For people that appreciate the beauty of a city in an open museum environment . Dining in this world is unique.Also no where in the world do you get the ambiance and the food that you get in a place where Mme is the hostess and MR is the chef. Over all, there is a higher appreciation of food .ITs not the fast food world of Orlando .So relatively speaking Paris could be more expensive.So it all depends.Its a function of ones appreciation. Also last but not least you have an opportunity to really eat very well at a better price than anywhere else.For 30 euros or $38 where else can you have high qualty 3 course dinner that includes taxes and service.Of course i am referring to places with a bon rapport qualty/prix.

I quite agree with you about the excellent value of some bistrots,such as Afaria and Le baratin ,where the food is equal to some starred restaurants at 20% of the cost. The difference of course is in the setting and the service.For some people its worth it ,specially since they will not know where to go,while the names of the starred ones are well known.

I've been thinking about this for a couple of days; what is a good price/quality place, in Paris or the rest of France?I suppose the folks who frequent the starred places (and I'm culpable) would say that their last meal at "X" was the best 700 E they've ever spent. And there is a topic on Cheap Eats here where folks swear on l'As du Fallafel's 25 E meal. Back between the Depressions, when I ate at places like Giradet, Bise + Alleno, I would have been part of the first group, but now, even though most of our losses are paper ones, I'd like to think that folks like Pierre are looking for a price-quality ratio more in line with those of the Petit Panisse + Les Terrines de Gérard Vié. I was talking to my barber, in the Marais, this week, actually it was more like he was talking to me, and I asked him "Are there fewer Americans passing by this month?" "No, not at all," he said - if you have money, you're still going to come to Paris and you're not eating fast food. (And he's taking his family to the US for a holiday because it's so cheap). But back to our members and Americans. Are they seeking a good price-quality? And if so, what is the balance? ← A good value place does not mean a cheap place.It encompasses resaturants in all prices ranges ,including restaurants with stars as well .I would mention a few in that categorie. Lunch at les ambassadeurs at 85 euros is excellent value Lunch at Guy Savoie at 100 euros is a wonderful value Dinner at Drouant Dinner at Les magnolias Dinner at Apicius The issue of qualite/prix is comparing the cost in different places with equivalent food /service /ambiance

You may consider 4 choices that fit the bill -les magnolias.IN closeby subburb of Perreux sur marne -Drouaut in central Paris -Senderesen -L'atelier de robuchon

Places that have good rapport qualite/prix will do well.There are not too many of them .Fortunately thanks to John Talbot they get discovered.

IT has always fascinated me about the phenomena of people that have lunches and then dinners in 2 to 3 star restaurants almost every day for the week or two of their vacation. I realize that they want to make the most of their limited time,however I don't understand how any human beeing is in a postion to keep on appreciating the nuances and differences of sophisticated cuisines under those cicumstances. The food and wine intake is quite huge. .So they must be pursuing a different objective from someone who appreciates good cuisine. The biggest culprit to this situation other than human nature is Michelin and the media.MIchelin's well meant classification gets discussed at lenght and the result is free advertising .The increased demand results in skyrocketing prices for a meal that averages $300/person.That's equal to 8 meals in a decent bistrot. I wonder what effect the current economic turmoil will have on the cost of dining in a 2 to 3 star resaturant.

All the points raised about the lost revenue and smallnes are valid and i have always been surprised about the welcome reception given to solo diners in Paris in most places.I also have enjoyed the interaction that takes place in restaurants where that's the norm and i have to say i contributed greatly despite beeing by myself.I don't sit in a corner and read a book. Incidentally i implied to Racine that i welcome seating with others.My impression is that success has gone to their heads as they were very dissmissive.Of course all the interaction was in French