gastrominator

If they fancy a real French meal, I would count on €30 a head. Unless these young ladies are 'mature' and want to spend nights out on the town, in which case they should get in touch with fresh_a or myself, I see very few other solutions other than eating foreign food. The shawarmas at Noura are great for €4,50. Some of the best in Paris. You could probably eat-in for €15 a head, which is not bad for a tip-top lebanese. The Tour d'argent days are, however, pure decadence as upwards of €200 per person is not what you have in mind! Unless you go out with Mr Talbott!!!

Chauvel IS the boss. His cuisine is excellent ostentatious, intrinsic, inventive french gastronomy. He'll surely get a second star in Paris. After having spoken with his wife for quite some time about his egg-yolk risotto with fake-squid-ink caviar(which became a family discussion for days) amongst other things I am convinced that he thinks and lives 'cuisine' twenty-four hours a day. Les Magnolias is tomorrow's Astrance, and far more.

With whose culture? ← Both. The United States of America is a relatively new nation and has not yet gone through the cycles that are necessary to create a true 'culture' found in countries that have had thousands of years of history with wars, uprisings, decadence etc. When the french, as most europeans, go abroad they do not generally expect foreigners to speak or understand their language as do almost all americans. It is exactly the same comparison with smoking. The primary reason that many restaurants offer non-smoking sections is due to the american demand, which is understandable due to the fact that the americans leave a lot of money here. But the number of times I have heard americain people looking for 'local bistros' with 'no tourists' and 'non-smoking sections' it is hilarious! It is obviously not an authentic experience, then as this is part of french life and french culture. California does not exist in France and vice-versa. They both have their positive aspects, and that is the reason to go to both places. I would sacrifice someone smoking next to me in Ledoyen so that I may enjoy a filet of tubot with black truffles on a bed of fork-mashed potatoes with truffle emulsion, I can say. ← Its strange but I can't see at all this comparison with English language and non-smoking as two things wrongfully imposed on the French by tourists. Most of my French friends can't stand being smoked at while they're eating, and always request non-smoking if they have a choice. Furthermore, I have dined with French people who ask smokers to stop when their meal is served, and their request has been honored without comment or conflict. I'd say claiming smoky restaurants to be a 'French thing' is an exaggerated cultural stereotype. ← I would imagine that would depend on what type of restaurant we would be considering. If you go to the local 'Café du commerce' at lunchtime(which tends to be a 'true' stereotype, may I add, such as Bison Futé gives the 'weekends de grand départ', the ballon de rouge a midi etc) it tends to be rather smoky, no? Anyway, that aside, I did not mention 'smoky' restaurants. Restaurants (certainly the ones that us gastronomes tend to go to) where people smoke are not generally smoky. I avoid smoky restaurants like the plague as enjoying good food in this type of environment is rather difficult. Smoky bars, on the other hand, is a completely different subject, as most good bars tend to be relatvely smoky - take the Hemingway, for example.

Sure. I'm with you on this one. That's why governments should super-tax cigarettes so that they cost €100 a packet. The trouble is that they make too much money from taxation so this will never happen.

With whose culture? ← Both. The United States of America is a relatively new nation and has not yet gone through the cycles that are necessary to create a true 'culture' found in countries that have had thousands of years of history with wars, uprisings, decadence etc. When the french, as most europeans, go abroad they do not generally expect foreigners to speak or understand their language as do almost all americans. It is exactly the same comparison with smoking. The primary reason that many restaurants offer non-smoking sections is due to the american demand, which is understandable due to the fact that the americans leave a lot of money here. But the number of times I have heard americain people looking for 'local bistros' with 'no tourists' and 'non-smoking sections' it is hilarious! It is obviously not an authentic experience, then as this is part of french life and french culture. California does not exist in France and vice-versa. They both have their positive aspects, and that is the reason to go to both places. I would sacrifice someone smoking next to me in Ledoyen so that I may enjoy a filet of tubot with black truffles on a bed of fork-mashed potatoes with truffle emulsion, I can say.

I have a life long non smoking friend who always sat in smoking on planes & trains. Said he met more interesting people there. ← I totally agree. It comes with the definition of 'sybarite'. Only true americans would expect to find real non-smoking areas in France. It comes with the culture.

Most of the 'Trendy' restaurants in Paris are terrible for food. Avoid: Buddha bar, Kong, Mandalaray( I heard an appaling report two days ago), La Cantine du Faubourg(It does have its followers - I haven't been for quite some time) and most of the others. Try: Market - Jean-Georges' first restaurant in Paris and although not as big as the other 'lounge bar restaurants' still has a vibe and pretty good food (french/japanese) Costes - Still the trendiest hot-spot hotel with a great bar. The food is reasonable fusion/contemporary french, but it is a place which is still the reference in style - everybody who is anybody goes there. Decor is napoleon III, in a Dracula-style residence with large expressionless portrait oil- paintings. Piped club music - A real 'trip'. For saturday you can only reserve two days before, so make sure that you call early on thusday morning to get a table. For dinner they take reservations at 8:30 or 10:30(or later) Barlotti - Italian Buddha bar spin-off with much better food, such as the white truffle risotto(when in season) which is rather good.

I'd third that. I went there a week ago and after an eighty-two euro menu, four-and-a-half hour exceptional tasting experience, I had a long chat with Madame Chauvel who explained that they were still looking for the 'perfect' setting in Paris, so the move is definitely on the cards. They'll certainly get a second star in Paris, so it's better to go now whilst they remain undiscovered or 'inaccessible' and you can get a table before they reach Astrance fame. I'm going back in a few weeks so I'll let you chaps(so to speak) know if I have any cutting-edge news. On the much cheaper side Beurre-Noisette is also an excellent choice. The proof is that Christian Lesquer is very proud to talk about the fact that the chef is one of his prodigés. Shame Jamin is no more, as Guichard's 48 Euro lunch menu was the best 'cheap' two-star lunch in town. Try most of the one-stars as you can normally get away with €100 a head if you take it easy on the wine. It depends what style of cuisine you fancy. L'Angle du Faubourg is a great example.

I wouldn't, unless you like septuagenarians with dogs in Louis Vuitton bags etc, that is.

I agree. The Meurice has a magnificent dining room for a 'traditional' place, or the Park Hyatt Vendôme for something far more contemporary.

Outside of a hotel, you'll be hard pushed to find anywhere with 'delicious' food to have breakfast, as the French tend to have a coffee and cigarette or maybe a croissant or pain au chocolat instead. You could try Angelina's on rue de Rivoli(famous for their hot chocolate), or the Café Marly at the Louvre. Neither places are ideal for conducting business, though, and breakfast would be quite simple. I would be interested to see what eveyone comes up with on this one....

French "trendy" chocolate tends to be too dry, bitter and abstract, headache-indulging. Hévin is an example of the tendency. We do have great chocolatiers but I count as such those who do not follow that trend, like La Maison du Chocolat or Michel Chaudun, or even chains like Cacao et Chocolat. I don't think Hévin is such a loss for a chocolate tour, and IMO French trendy chocolatiers are a bit overrated. Most of it is Valrhona, anyway, so much of it tastes the same. ← I totally agree 'dry, bitter and abstract'(more like cooking chocolate. ie I could imagine Mr Yoshino popping one into his red wine and chocolate sauce that he serves with the 'lièvre à la royale' at the Stella Maris). I love the Maison du Chocolat's champagne truffles, and I think that they've definitely hit the nail on the head with what I would define as perfect chocolates. The thing about chocolate eating is that you have to use self control because you will always want another one if they are very good(like tasting dishes at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon). If I eat Hévin-style chocolates, one is enough.

I don't care much for their chocolates, to be honest. The packaging is nice. The French think a lot of their chocolate-making prowess. Swiss chocolate is much better.

Thanks for agreeing with me Pierre. I find your estimate about right. With wine that would be, well, €100pp!

I agree! I went there for lunch about three years ago, before the €90 menu came into play: Three of us, desserts on the house, a more than reasonable bottle of wine, water, coffee = €200 per head. If you want to go for a special celebration you have to look upwards of €400pp(If you take ONE 'cheap' but decent bottle of wine).

L'Atelie de Joël Robuchon serve pretty late, around 11, or sometimes later. Otherwise for the best filet aligot it would have to be the Maison de L'Aubrac, rue marbeuf, along with an extensive wine list but... no wines from Bordeaux! it is 24h, although they stop serving food around 9:30 in the morning for an hour or so to clean the kitchen. If you go at about six-thirty to seven am you normally spot the table dancers from Pink Platinum etc...

Grand Venise is great for veggies and non. Fresh tomatoes(with the entire table as accompaniments), lentil salad, humungous white(I can't for the life of me remember the name of them) bean salad, peppers, roasted aubergines/onions etc etc. Well worth a trip but make sure you're hungry before going!

Thanks, VivreManger, I will go back and try the desserts. I accept that restaurants can have their 'off days'. I forgot to add that we had ordered a half-bottle of Vittel with the meal, which we had nearly finished so we ordered another. The lady serving us brought a bottle of Evian instead, but when placing it next to our original bottle(different size, shape etc) after a brief pause turned the label away from us rather than taking it away!!! I had a bad meal once in an excellent one-star 'La Cognette'(which I go to several times a year as it really is wonderful) in Issoudun, near Bourges. The chef, M. Nonnet, is the Président des jeunes cuisiniers de France and is far more than hospitable. He was so disappointed he sent us a cheque refunding the entire meal with an invitation! I guess it just shows that for a genuine experience, for a more than reasonable amount of money you have to eat away from Paris.

At 100€ per person, the infestation rate is liable to be pretty high. ← Thank you, Mr Whiting, for re-writing my post in a 'Daily Mirror' style! Are you saying that the french can't afford to go to €100 per person restaurants? Not that I've seen many flourescent-backpack porting, short-attired dutch families in any of the 'midrange' restaurants that I have been to recently. Unless, of course, we beg to differ upon the definition of a 'true tourist' for gastronomes some of which are cited in the 'Paris restos touristy?' thread...

For good 'midrange' (although the true definition of a midrange restaurant in Paris would be around €100 per person, I guess, like most of the one-stars) reasonably priced restaurant I would recommend most of the 'Bib Gourmand' in the Michelin guide(around €50 per person with wine). Amongst my faves are: Beurre Noisette(ex Ledoyen - even Christian Le Squer was surprised that I knew this one) 68 Rue Vasco de Gama(15ème) Oscar (Simple bistro classics like Souris d'agneau, Canard roti au miel and ris-de-veau sautés au champignons) 6 Rue de Chaillot(16ème) Biche au bois(excellent game) 45 Avenue Ledru-Rolin(12ème) Watch out for some of the tourist infested ones that are often written about, for example: Epi Dupin, La Régalade(even since Camdeborde has gone) and Aux Lyonnais.. Good luck hunting!

I am a little surprised that you have described this restaurant as "heaven on Earth"as it is not exactly what it evokes for me. I am glad to hear that they are making a much needed effort with the service, as this was my first quandary. The côte de boeuf was indeed excellent, although it was far too much for two as a main course especially after a four-dish starter each. It was, in fact, so copious that there was no room on the plate for the vegetables! (I put an exclamation mark through disappointment rather than humour) The desserts looked good, but as we only managed to eat half of our main dish, they will have to wait until the next time. I have sent (and will continue to send) many people to this restaurant as it is definitely an 'American friendly', entry-level 'fast gastro' not to be confused either with a simple bistro or a true gastronomic experience. I much preffered the quality of the food at the 'original' Drouant, and although it has kept one-star prices, it is far from the level of most other one-stars that I could mention such as L'Angle du Faubourg, Trou Gascon, Chamarré, Baths(unfortunately closed but Jean-Yves will re-open at another location), Chiberta(before and now), Table du Lancaster, Stella Maris, Goumard (ie every one star except for Marius et Janette)etc etc Glad that you chaps enjoyed it!

My girlfriend was studying in Edinburgh for a year which gave me the opportunity to discover some of the excellent(and terrible) restaurants there. After having lived near Paris for fourteen years, I was a little worried when I saw that there were only two Michelin star restaurants. We didn't go to Martin Wishart as my girlfriend is not a big fish/seafood fan(unfortunately as I have heard very positive things). Number One is, indeed, excellent and I would go back there at the drop of a hat. I sometimes get the impression that starred restaurants outside of France really have to go the extra mile to attain "stardom", unlike here where many places take it for granted. I loved also the Witchery: fantastic steak tartare with quails eggs, amazing roasted mushrooms - great traditional fare. I plan to go back very soon for a weekend, so if there are any other top class restaurants(or horrible restaurants with astounding cuisine!).....

I loved this restaurant. It's one of my favorite one-stars in Paris, and to be honest, I'm surprised it didn't get a second star this year. I do, on the other hand, admit that I was invited so I have no idea how much it cost. I would imagine that it's a little like the Atélier de Joël Robuchon, so if you're hungry and thirsty you can crank up a serious bill. The last time I went to l'Atélier I spent €235 alone! Serving Haut Marbuzet 96 by the glass is a very dangerous thing....

The Hemingway is definitely the best(notably for the bloody bullshot) and I have to say that I like the main bar at the Meurice too(although they use viandox for their version rather than fresh boeuf consommé in the Ritz). Adrian and myself were rather disappointed with the Bar Vendome as it took half an hour to order a minuscule Martini which took us about thirty seconds to drink as we had become EXTREMELY thirsty by then. Nice terrace in the summer, however. One of my favourite 'Trendy' bars is the Rival on George V, with its selection of about sixty different Vodkas. It is full of mostly french people(unlike many bars in Paris) as it can become very smoky, so is a true taste of parisian nightlife.

The national average net earnings in France is 30K Euros per annum. Sounds like a pretty big splurge for most of them. Not much? ← That's why most of them drive small diesel cars. It's the 'Savoir-Vivre', you know. The other day I met a lift technician who has been to many two and three-star Michelin restaurants all over France(at least two to three times the price of La Truffière). Anyway, that aside, La Truffière is fine for a romantic dinner, but you've certainly got me scratching my head as everywher can be romantic if with the right person. You could always try the Jules Verne on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower. They do A 59 Euro lunch menu, and although the food is not astounding, it is very impressive form the start to the end due to the breathtaking lift trip and view. It would depend on how 'foody' you are!