pierre45

Having heard so many positive feedback about Racines,I called them recently for a dinner reservation as a solo diner.I was told they they were full .I told them that i was looking forward to dining at Racines and could i come any day next week .they said sorry.I replied do you mean you're always full for solo diners.The answer was yes in a very superior tone. This is the 1st time ever that i have had such an experience in a parisian restaurant. I will let you figure out as to what this means.

Again in this financial meltdown I thought I would concentrate on restaurants with good rapport qualite/prix.They are both in the 14e ,quite close to each other. LA CANTINE DE TROQUET.As mentionned by J talbot, this restaurant takes no reservation and is an off shoot of le troquet in the 15e.the place was humming with good vibes when i came alone.Thanks to Nathalie,the waitress I was given a nice seat with a view of the action.I had the pig ear salad and porc cutlet simmered in lentils.They were both deliceous but quite heavy.This is peasant food at its best. A carafe of Bandol red married beautifully.The total cost at 25 euros was a bargain. Also seating was communal so it makes for a lively conversation with your neighbors if you're so inclined. LE BIS SEVERO. Again a very busy place.The focus is MEAT.So I ordered a faux fillet(27 euros) saignant, that came with fries and drank cahors and ended the meal with figues in wine.They were both correct .Tasty and as expected .No surprises.Total cost 45 euros.I guess meat is expensive.

Au gout du jour.(open every day except sunday) 12 rue beau grenelle ,15e 01 45 71 68 36 La veraison .Coordinates given already on next treads

In today"s financial turmoil , its nice to sit down at the end of the day and have an enjoyable meal at bargain prices. AU BON GOUT DUJOUR is a few hundred feet away from the seine river in the beaugrenelle neighborhood of the 15e.ITs a new restaurant and the chef Mr Du jour has worked all over the world,including New york.The daily menu is based on the market .He said he is on the look out for the best ingredients.Its traditional based modern cuisine.I started with wild mushroom rissoto ,which was deliceous and had magret de canard with mashed potatoe that was very tasty.Dessert, riz au lait ,sprinkled with cacao chips was yummy.DEcent wine in a carafe at 7 euros made this place a true bargain,taking into account that the cost of the 3 course dinner was 25 euros. LA VERAISON.Tucked away in a non touristy part of paris ,its a restaurant that reflects the owner ,an ex ingineer who loves to cook.Consequently 1/3 of the restaurant is taken over by his open work space ,where he cooks in the open.Its mostly grilling and a la plancha. I started with sauteed wild mushroom and ended with veal chops with fries.Its simple food that sticks to the ribs with an interesting choice of wines a la ficelle. It was also quite reasonable around 32 euros for 3 courses.

Recently on my 4th trip to Japan I spent 2 weeks eating my way through its various regions . I covered most types of Japanese cuisine :vegetarian buddist temple fare, Kaiseki dinner in a famous restaurant in kyoto , at kikunoi -honten, and various sushi, tempura places as well regional eateries of okonomiyaki and izakaya, and noodle places of ramen,odon and soba What struck me as uniquely Japanese are presentation and high qualty ingredients. The meals consisted of several small plates, and every dish was designed and color coordinated, and the total was harrmonious to the eye and the palate. This is especially true in Kaiseki and Japanese traditional cuisine. Modern French cuisine has adopted this approach of using high qualty ingredients , presented bautifully in small portions. OF course, the spices used are very different , and therefore the tastes vary greatly. THis approach to cooking specially in French 2 and 3 star restaurants is the current trend . No wonder Tokyo has more starred restaurants than Paris according to Michelin.

MY experience has been different.I Have tried a few times a year ago for mid week dinner reservation and was told nothing was avialable for the next 6 weeks ,then i showed up and was seated with no problem. I have dined there a few times since they opened and found the food "pas mal" but nothing special.One has better options

It has been stated on this board several times that the reservation system is a gimmick to indicate big demand and that one usually has no problem showing up for lunch or dinner. I am also surprised that people are still interested in him. As far as i am concerned he is a has been.

Nowadays most restaurants in France are S.C.However there is a voluntary tipping practice that entails leaving behind small amount preferably in cash (about 2 to 5%) for excellent service.Thus there is no obligation to leave anything if service is just OK..

Indeed,this is an excellent description of the essence of this particular Reisling. NO need to evoque all kinds of fruit .i,e figs,cassis,rasberry ,etc ending with tabacco.Wunderbar.

THis is an interesting question and before answering, I should add that I have spent quite a few years in strategic planning ,which entails trend identification. Peru is a 2 class society,consisting of mostly poor and a few very wealthy families.There is of course an emergence of middle class that 's mostly in LIma.but not large enough to have a significant impact. Consequently I hardly saw places selling french wines /champagne ,belgian chocolates,etc.Actually the wine list in the best restauraunts had mostly chilean wines and some argentinian.French wines that were listed were quite dismal. However signs abound of a an emerging class of people that may be interested in the finer things and an example of that is the excellence of some of the restaurants,specially in LIma.

BYEbye Itineraires

NIcely written review of Arpege.What was the total cost per person ?

Which of the 2 chefs was cooking that day? Le clocher is an authentic bistrot.Very good and reasonable and quite sophisticated.I wish we had one in our neighborhood.

How to respond? I said hello to the chef on entering but not later. We had a new English-speaking (I suspect USA) waitress and she was quite charming and interested. I dunno Pierre. Maybe success - the place was packed; maybe I was wrong the first time; maybe this is the way places go; maybe, maybe, maybe. ← I think as you said its the success factor.Like you, I was impressed when I went there in April.Perhaps he is not successful with every dish.I,e the foie gras was excellent at both of your visits.

I can't beleive what I am reading.What a transformation.When I ate there last april I thought Hide was the best bargain in Paris.Tradional food with a twist. WOnderful reasonable wines. Come on John.What's your explanation?Did you speak with the chef?

On a recent visit to Peru We ate at probably the best 3 restaurants in Lima . 1-Astrid y Gaston . I was looking forward to dining at A y G as i had an excellent experience a year earlier at their oupost in Santiago,chile. Its an elegant and formal place with smooth service.The food is modern /peruvian. I started with the cebiche de corvina.Peruvian ceviche is definetly the best ceviche in the world.Nothing like it in Miami,NY or accapulco.This rendition was quite good but not as good as the one i had a week later at La mar.The main dish of cau cau corvina was original and very tasty ,my companion's el atun y el camote was also a creative treatment of tuna.A chilean sauvignon blanc was an excellent companion. 2.Huaca Pucllana Set dramatically at the edge of the 2000 year old pyramid ruins of the Lima tribe and offering some enticing choices this restaurant was the most rewarding. WE had for appetizers crocantes de yuca and for main cabrito al horno and lomo de atun.Each dish was based on impeccable ingredients and interesting preparation.Overall one realizes that one is dining in a unique Peruvian restaurant rather than an international place ,similar to astrid y gaston 3. La mar This is a cebicheria ,open only for lunch.It was filled with upscale Peruvians. WE had ceviche and grilled octapus over rice croquettes.JUst delicious ,deliceous deliceous.I wish I could eat like this every day.The dessert of chirimoya with dolce de leche was yummy.

Are there any recent updates? Anyone been recently? ← I went there last july.ITs an excellent rapport qualite/prix.ITs honnest ,quite tasty and plenty full.No fireworks if you have high expectations

One of the many roles I play here at the Forum is as alta/alter kocker/vieux schnock/historian of times long gone. When I first came to Paris before you were all born, around the Quartier Latin/Pantheon/Sorbonne, there were genuine Viet Namese (two words please) restaurants run by real Viet Namese people who didn't serve up some melange of Thai-Chinese-Viet Namese food but genuine fare such as pho.Since then and since my government gave me the opportunity to have pho at the source, I have searched for true pho here and in the US. I don't understand what happened - every few years, some friend says, I work with this real Viet Namese person and she says this place is genuine. I go and, nope. My conclusion - I am returning to Viet Nam with my children to show them what real South East Asian food is. ← Totally agree.The only true viet namese food i Have had ,has been in Viet nam ,specially in Hanoi

I love KIN ANH.They also have other options than pho

You have 3 options L'astrance Lunch at any 2-3 star restaurants Restaurants mentionned recently under 100 euros/person dinner

Here is my last for somewhat fancy places for dinner costing 100 euros/person .If wines chosen are under 50 euros. Drouant Sensing Les magnolias Gaya rive gauche les ormes

I have been reading with interest your 10 days of eating in Paris as I am familiar with most of them.I also agree with most of your comments except with your Spring experience.I realize I was not there that day and every one knows that there are off days , However: The cuisine at Spring is simple ,but subtle .ITs not as forward as at la regalade and therefore it may appear ordinary and with little merit,specially if one is not paying attention and one does not appreciate the nuances .I don't mean to say its a cuisine full with hidden meaning but definitly a cuisine with a special style

Wonderful report.Obviousely not every mortal will get the same tretment.What wines did you drink and what was the total tab? Also what was your secret to enjoy so many courses without beeing overstuffed and beeing able to enjoy and discern the difference between the various courses?

I have not been to the new regalade with its new owner ,but it seems it kept the same approach as the old one .Namely the generous serving of pate de campagne,the huge foie gras main . etc,etc. I am glad to see that it has kept the excellent rapport qualite/prix that made the old regalade a must for most visitors. So its time for a revisit.

ONe of the best areas of paris for restaurants,open air markets,fromageries,pick nicks is -------------.You'll be 10 min walking distance to L'astrance,au bon acceuil, L'ami jean.Le clos des gourmets,Le violon d'ingres etc ,etc.I am sure many of you have guessed it.Your best source for all this is www.vrbo.com.Good luck