HOLLY_L

Thanks, John! I have a dinner reservation at Spring, and am probably planning one at Ze Kitchen Gallerie the second week I am in Paris - the hotel I am staying at that week is very close by, which is an added bonus. I was particularly thinking about adding Le Meurice because I did just see Vmilor's very nice review. Also thinking about Le Grand Vefour, although I am partly attracted to that restaurant for the history, and am not as sure about the food - have seen mixed reviews.

Here are my current reservations for starred restaurants for my 11 days or so in Paris (I have two weeks in France, mostly in Paris, with three days in Lyon in the middle): Le Bristol - dinner Taillevent - dinner Atelier de Joel Robuchon - dinner (at the 6:30 seating, of course) Pierre Gagnaire -lunch Ledoyen -lunch L’Ambroisie - lunch Le Pre Catalan - lunch This is my first trip to Paris, and it may be a while before I am able to get there again, so I do want to visit several destination restaurants, even if the schedule ends up being a bit crowded. My schedule is mostly full with these and some less expensive and more casual restaurants, but I may still have a slot or two open. Are there any other particular restaurants that anyone would recommend? My flight is on Friday, so I still may be able to get reservations for lunches, although obviously not at all places, for example, L’Astrance, which did not have availability when I called a few weeks back. Any bad choices? I’ve read the decidedly mixed reviews re Atelier, but still want to give it a try. Please comment if you have any thoughts!

I'm not that surprised by Sunday closings, but I am surprised by the number of restaurants closed on Saturday. That's pretty unusual here in Chicago. Of course, it doesn't pose as much of a problem, since there are still many restaurants open on Saturday, but it is weird to me. What's the history behind that?

I look at the Gagnaire website, but despite clicking furiously around, I couldn't seem to find anything that seemed like the place to submit a reservation request. I finally found someplace called contact, and I will try submitting a request throught that, although I'm not sure if it's designed for more general contacts. I also tried calling, but there was some sort of long message in French that I couldn't understand - my French is not very good. It may just have been that they couldn't pick up, but the message seemed long for that. I saw on one website that they do close for a week in spring, and I wonder if that is this week. Avril, which even I know means April, was spoken several times. Does anyone know if the restaurant is closed this week?

Thanks for the clarification! I thought it was probably a joke, but then I second-guessed myself and thought that maybe I was just woefully ignorant of important French dining customs.

I don't; I'd be thankful to learn. ← If there are employees I shouldn't even make eye contact with, I'd be interested to know that too.

I don’t know if it is better for me to revive this thread, or start a new one. I apologize if I was wrong to revive it. I have read through this long Lyon thread at least twice, and tried to read others and to do focused searches as well. I still have several questions or requests for clarification or updates, if anyone has thoughts. Thanks! I am visiting France (basically for the first time) in May, and as part of the trip, I am planning 4 nights (Friday – Monday) in Lyon and nearby areas. One night I have already booked dinner (and hotel) at Troisgros (Monday), based on the generally excellent reviews posted here. I have also booked Sunday dinner (and hotel) at Georges Blanc. Partly, this seemed like a good choice because many of the restaurants I was looking at in Lyon appear to be closed on Sunday. Monday closures is also one reason the trip to Troisgros works very well for Monday. I’m confident in the Troisgros choice, but I haven’t found much about Georges Blanc on the boards posted lately. Not as many detractors as for Bocuse, for example, but still some intimations that his cuisine is somewhat tired. Also, a couple reviews that were quite negative. But some pretty good reviews as well. If he does traditional very well, I think that would probably be fine for me, but if it’s falling in quality at all, obviously that would be more of a problem. Has anyone had a more recent experience? Most of the reviews I saw were 4 or 5 years old. Nicholas Le Bec and Gourmet de Seze have both got great reviews pretty recently. Any more recent visits? Still highly recommended? I didn’t see any recent posts about Christian Tetedoie’s restaurant. The older reviews I saw were not so good. Has anyone had a good experience lately? With respect to Auberge de l’Ile, my Fodors guide suggest that it is a “pretty one-hour walk” there and back. Seems like that might be a nice place for lunch and a pleasant May walk (could take a taxi if absolutely necessary). Does an hour-long walk sound accurate? I’ve never had tripe. Is it comparable to anything else? Is it anything like liver? Anyone with recent experience staying at Villa Florentine or Cour des Loges? Is there anything new and particularly promising, or otherwise worth recommending? I know this is pretty focused on the Michelin-star type places, and I’m thinking about including some more traditional fare as well, so I’m still thinking on that. Thanks very much to anyone who has any thoughts.

I am also planning a two-week trip to France, although about half will be in Paris. Almost my first time in France, excepting a one-night stay in Strasbourg about eight years ago. It's hard to deciding where to go (and where to eat), but I'm sure this board will be a big help. I know reading the London forums was very helpful when I visited there last year. Is anyone familiar with Bordeaux Saveurs (bordeauxsaveurs.com), mentioned by Menton1? I did an Internet search, but only found a couple of reviews, although those two seemed good. I have to admit that a little handholding is appealing to me, if done well.