pierre45

Yes i have eaten at Arpege.TO me ,ITs very expensive relative to what I got. ITs true that the ingredients are high quality ,but at 300 to 400 euros or $600 its a rippoff.However everything is personal ,perhaps its worth it for you or for any body else ,since many have gone there several times.

So how much did you pay? You forgot to answer that.Also to wait 30 min between courses in a 3 star restaurant is not acceptable.

I had a terrible experience at L'auberge Pyrenees cevennes a few years back. I left my food half eaten.

NIce review.However it seems that your score is higher than your satisfaction ,in that you were disapointed with most vegetarian dishes and the dessert.YOu were very happy with the turbot and lobster,so overall it does not seem to warrant the high score.Also what was your overall cost ,including tips ,if any.

L'epigramme.Restaurant de poche par excellence. Truly small(15 tables) in a high rent area of the 6e.ONe eats and drinks well and reasonably as pin pointed by the owner when i asked as to what's special about his restaurant.John already discribed the dishes.SO I will not go over what we had. The cuisine is sophisticated and tasty and the wine list quite varied.I am sorry that we did not try some other wines than the fruity ,new world fitou we had.THe chef of ZE kitchen was having lunch with his son ,next to us.He said he made his lunch selections based on dietary concerns. Vingt 2. In the up and coming 15e AN informal and fun place .I ate and drank very well contrary to john"s experience.I had 2 versions of vegatable potage as an appetizer ,both deliceous and the main was a sanglier with gratin ,which was heavenly.Drank a very decent cote de rhone village.Total cost 45 euros.The place was full with young and attractive parisians. I'll be back

IT is indeed disapointing when one's experience does not match the expectation. I have had that on quite a few occasions.ITs true that at gagnaire as at any other restaurants not every dish is a winner.however its a matter of enjoying more dishes overall.Actually last timt i ate there i did not care for some but thought others were unbeleivable in every respect.Its also important to choose in line with ones likes and dislikes.Incidetally i have always liked his canard.sometimes done in 5 different ways. Also perhaps his style is not your thing.So any how i hope you have better luck in another resaturant in paris on your next visit.

The 15 arrondissement of Paris is becoming a mecca of new bisrots.What they have in commun is young chefs,informal space ,interesting menus and wine lists all at reasonable prices.They also have new approaches , for intance Le grand Pan at lunch offers various entrees and mains but at dinner it limits the choice to a few high quality mains and entrees.Its like going to a different restaurant.Le vingt 2 offers small portions of different entrees for the price of one and wine made with organic grapes.Their gibier such as sanglier was deliceous. Afaria classifies its menu by seasons.So you could have the 3 course winter menu or pick and choose .Also the cuisine has strong basque influence.One can also opt to have basque tapas only.So the 15 arrondissement seems to be vibrating with new eateries with new ideas.ITs also lively and fun.

Mofudd.You are a lucky fellow.You are getting excellent advice at no cost to you by knowledgable and objective people and you still hesitate .As jules said its no brainer to go to P gagnaire,if you're looking for one of the best inventive cuisine in the world

Pierre cagnaire.IN my book he is better than any of the ones you mentionned. At least you enjoy inventive cuisine because of new tastes and new sensations rather than as an intelectual statement and or as abstract art.

I dined at le clocher a week ago.Its a small and friendly place.The host was the chef when john came and he remembered John.It seems he and his partner rceprocate.He recommended the same dishes that john had,namely the st jacque ,which was truly unique and the faisan with foie gras ,which was a bit salty and not bad.Dessert ,pain perdu was deliceous.The whole menu at 26 euros is a true bargain but not worth the schlepp.

It's all gamay anyway, one of the grape varietals that are the most difficult to get right. So most of the time you get plonk, and when properly made it can yield great wine. But cases are relatively rare (think gamay de Touraine for a little cousin of beaujolais nouveau, and at the other end of the spectrum think of chanturgue, that mythical Auvergne red that used to be one of the most celebrated wines back in the 17th century and is the basis of coq au vin). Except for a few great chanturgues and bugey-cerdon, I am not a fan of gamay, but I agree that some crus de beaujolais are drinkable. People who know at least a bit about wine do know that there are good crus in beaujolais (those you named, and régnié, moulin-à-vent...) and I don't believe serious wine makers in beaujolais suffer more than serious wine makers in other regions. Outside of beaujolais nouveau, regular beaujolais are widely consumed. ← A good example of a cru is a fleurie by domaine du vissoux that costs around 12 euros.When one drinks it one realizes as to what a good beaujolais tastes like.

I had dinner at Il vino a few nights ago. I sat at the counter and told them that I wanted only french wines.The system is as john described.You choose the various courses based on the wine ,one has no idea what will be offered as food.At dinner the choice is a la carte or 5 course /wine for 100 euros.I opted for the latter. The 1st was pasta with clams served with reisling (alsacian).DEliceuus dish, and the sweet/tartness of the wine went very well. The 2d dish was sauted cepes accopanied with a muscat from alsace.Again an excellent pairing and a salty and sweet interplay.The main was crisply fried fish served with Pommard 1e cru.An excellent match .the wine was elegant and multilayered.THe cheese dish was a small stilton and the wine sweet jurancon,again quite nice and finally the dessert came with sweet red wine. The whole experience was enjoyable and fun ,specially since i asked to guess the wines.I guessed 3 out of 5.So they shook my hand. THis place is interesting for those who truly enjoy wine,as the matching is excellent.Basically one is paying around 45 euros for food and it equals that of a very good bistot . Wine is costing around 11 euros a glass on average ,for a total of 55 euros.

I am surprised no one mentionned Gaya rive gauche .Gagnaire's restaurant .Its modern cuisine ,some dishes with an inventive twist. Also quite reasonable .

Sad; looks like not much has improved in the 2 1/2 years since it opened. ← I had a different experience when I went 2 years ago.Obviousely it has changed.Perhaps they have a new chef.

WEll John ,my old friend i thought I would be 1st to review this restaurant as i had read the review at le figaroscope and was planning to go there next thur.Actually i will be sitting at the counter ,what do you think? Anyhow ,perhaps going a la carte and choosing the wine seems a better option.Do you agree?

Warning.Any one that is planning to attend should realize that they could not have dinner and specially dessert that evening, and that for the next few days brown will not be a lovely color.

John,What's the address and tel #.I'll be there next week What do I get if I mention you?

THis is truly a wonderful event.I have attended a few of them in the past. You meet the producers directly and discuss wines.Many of them are well known . There is no pressure to buy.However speaking french adds a lot to ones enjoyment .

I Have spent the month of feb in argentina for the past 2 years and visited its vast region,. Best dining opportunities were in steak houses.Even seafood restaurants had very decent meat choices. The meat cuts are different from US or French cuts and all parts of the animal is offered ,i,e kidney,sweetbread etc. The meat is the result of grass grazing and i was curious to discern the difference between US,French and agentinian meat. I ate in the best steakhouses in all the cities i visited .My US experience is based on Peter Luger. Palm ,morton of chicago ,etc.THe french on Charolais meat . The argentinian meat tastes different from the american and FRench,.its slightly sweeter and definitely a bit tougher.In general it 's more flavorfull. Also almost every where in argentina ,one gets a very decent steak for pennies. Actually the cost of a huge steak with a full bottle of excellent wine is about $25. So, which is better?Its a personal choice and it all depends on one's likes and dislikes.The difference is somewhat subtle ,therefore there is no clear winner. I should also say something about argentinian wines. Red wines have a lot of merit. 100% malbec,which is unique to argentina is interesting.Its robust & fruity. Many others are blends of cabernet. syrah and malbec.so there is a lot of experimentations with new blends ,i,e tempranillo,malbec,syrah. So trying one of those was always an adventure.Overall the wines were very forward with soft tannin,intense fruit, weak acidity ,simple but extremely pleasant. Agentina is one of the few countries left that 's still very reasonable and yet not discovered by the hordes, and people are very friendly.So, Bon voyage a vous tous.

John Talbot brought up an interesting topic ,namely reasons for the popularity of some bistrots by locals.He felt that once a restaurant is written up by the French media.I,e figaroscope, or discussed on this board.THat restaurant becomes known and popular ,not only by the locals but also by visitors. My experience has been somewhat different.I don't know how many times i have reserved with no problem after figaroscope gave 3 stars to restaurants .While its nearly impossible to reserve in NY after a positive review of a restaurant by the NY times. What makes some french restaurants popular with the locals is this. -Word of mouth -Reasonable in terms of quality of cuisine -Friendly owner -Consistency Also location plays a role,namely closeness to residential neighborhood. ITs also obvious that these restaurants will be frequented by visitors ,however their # often is small so that when you walk in you have that feeling of beeing in a place that the french do very well, an authentic french bistrot.

For french bistrots with modern cuisine and reasonable prices and frequented mostly by locals. -La chaumiere. 54 ave felix faure(15e) -Le beurre noisette. 68 rue vasco de gama(15e) - There are many others ,well known .The above are only known by les habitues.

Wow, thanks Felice.Last night on the flight from Dulles to R/CdeG the debutante attendant lady was so excited to be here for Food Week that she pumped everyone for info (cute!) ← You have to deduct oct 18 and 19 because of the transport strike,unless you're lucky to have some of the restaurants in your neighborhood.

I spent a week in mid sept on the French rivierra.As expected i ate in different restaurants and locations and my overall impression is that most of them are overran with tourists and expensive.I,e Tetou, except le moulin de mougins(at lunch) and Jarrier at dinner. Jarrier is located in Biot ,close to Antibes.ITs run by 2 young men ,so close attention is paid to everything. WE had a table outdoors overlooking a valley.So the breeze was bringing the perfume of the flowers and plants ,while the sun was setting. We opted for the 30 euros menu ,which was classic provencal,with good ingredients and interpretation.The wine list was reasonable and covered not only vins du provence but also cote du rhone and Languedoc. The overall experience in terms of setting,service and cuisine and wine is that of a place with an excellent value.a rarity on the french rivierra.Perhaps that's why its very popular with the locals.

PLease ,note that i corrected the error immediately. What amaze's me is the # of people coming to the defense of Bin 8945. Trying to say something negative about my opinion. I just shared my experince as i have done with many other restaurants all over the world. ← Am I missing something. Where? ← For the record in mouthfuls in response to MT.

Not that I care, but on O/A, you said you spent $400. per couple! ← PLease ,note that i corrected the error immediately. What amaze's me is the # of people coming to the defense of Bin 8945. Trying to say something negative about my opinion. I just shared my experince as i have done with many other restaurants all over the world.