David Bizer

I just checked out the website. www.reservethebest.com There are more than a handful of good restaurants. There are also several Michelin three stars, Guy Savoy baby bistros, and L'angle du Faubourg (Taillevent baby). It can't be all that bad.

Hmmm...this leaves... ME delights Kathy P and husband JenM Should we try and reschedule this again???? No offense at all to Kathy P, but one interest of mine in organizing this dinner was to meet egullet paris residents. With Marc, Loufood and Balex out, dare I say, it might make sense to try again???

Perfect. March 6 works for me. I vote "Os à Moelle".

JenM proposes Thurs 6 March. Delights proposes Saturday 22 March. Let's get the date settled. Can the people I mentioned in the last post, or anyone else interested please chime in by Monday. Once we get the date set, this should get easier!

It seems to be quite difficult to get this off the ground. For the proposed date of Feb. 28, only Marc and I have confirmed. Is it the date, or are there really just a handful of us actually residing in Paris? Taking a look at the previous responses, the following people seem to be interested: Marc Balex Loufood (prefers Friday or Saturday nights) Kathy P (if we get it together before March 27) Delights JenM (can't make Feb. 28) A group of six or seven would be fun. Can we come up with a date that works for most of us?

This is from the current issue of Food and Wine: Many of Paris's newest hangouts are nixing gilded French style in favor of white walls and menus of tuna capriccio and Parmesan-arugula salad. But some of the city's old-time gastronomic traditions are making a comeback. Since so many venerable Paris bistros disappear every year, it's interesting that superchef Alain Ducasse and Thierry de la Brosse, owner of iconic L'Ami Louis, have saved Aux Lyonnais. Without touching a single rose-garland tile, they've managed to make this turn of the century bistro seem new. Ducasse resurrects many sacrosanct foods, and uses crawfish not only as a garnish for quenelles Nantua, but also as an aromatic flavoring for shirred eggs. 32 rue Saint Marc: +33 1 42 96 65 04

I'm up for this dinner. I suggest we set a date and make this happen. How does Friday, February 28 work for everyone?

Sorry loufood, I would have to disagree. When holidays in France fall on a Tuesday or Thursday, many, many French people take the extra day. They call it a "bridge". Last May, there were three such holidays and people were very excited about taking 3, 4-day weekends. For the tourist, you won't see much of a difference. It won't affect musuems, most shops, and most restaurants. But try doing business.... Just a different "avis"

I've heard many times Coffee Parisien has good burgers. They have a very American menu, and brunch also.

In case anyone wanted to check this out after the day I posted, it's not possible. I can send anyone a scan of the article if someone was really curious. Otherwise, we'll have to wait until LeFigaro has a better site! Thanks to magnolia for pointing this out to me. Cheers.

two thumbs up for la tupina, especially if you want rustic atmosphere and cuisine.

Since so many people on this board seem to live in, or frequent New York City, I thought this article was particularly amusing. Sorry, but it's only in French, and the link is a pdf file of today's front page. The article is at the bottom of the page. I couldn't find a link to just the article. Figaro-Hamburger

Thanks for the help with the timing. Anyone have ballpark prices?

Could someone let me know the going dinner prices at Astrance these days and whether they accept reservations more than a month in advance? I skimmed the replies and didn't see the answers. My apologies if I missed it. Thanks!

Like I said, the possibility of opening up a can of worms here is possible. I just want to clarify one thing....I'm certainly not "trying to get away with anything". For some people a three-star meal is a drop in the bucket. For others, it's a serious splurge. I'd rather take my tip money and put it towards a nice aperitif, because I know the service has been built in and there isn't any reason for me to feel like i'm cheating the wait staff. I actually worked as a waiter for 5 years to get through college. I would never stiff a service person. This is a classic French vs. American argument I have with people all the time. Because we are used to tipping in the US, should that mean we apply our ways in France when their ways are different? Take another example. When in France, should you switch hands after cutting your meat? Does this make sense? In the US, we typically (right-handed people) put the knife in our right hand to cut, and then return the fork to our right hand to put the food in our mouth. In France, they don't switch the utensils. Anyway, I was once told I was being rude because I was eating the American way. Should I change because I'm in France? I don't know. In any case...I'm happy to discuss either topic for fun.

The 19.6% "service" charge is otherwise known as VAT or Value Added Tax. This is roughly equivalent to a sales tax you find in restaurants in the US. The only time you won't see a 19.6% VAT at a restaurant is if you pick something up at a fast food place, where the VAT is only 5.5%. There is a huge debate about this in France among people in the restaurant industry. Service, or what most people call a tip, is included in the bill at almost every restaurant in France. You will sometimes note this as an additional item in the bill, but many times it is also built into the price. The typical service charge is 12,5% and most definitely goes to the waitstaff. Sometimes you will see this noted on a menu. Since French waitstaff are paid a better salary than their American counterparts, you can understand why the majority of French people don't leave tips. It's already there. SO, when the French enjoyed the service and their meal, they typically leave a "token" of their appreciation, which before the euro was a ten franc coin. After the introduction of the euro, people have been confused whether or not to leave a 1 or 2 euro coin. (10 francs is smack dab in the middle) As an expat in France for quite a while, I've always tried to understand these types of protocol. No one wants to make mistakes about tipping, especially if they want to return to certain restaurants. But know this, when American tourists come to restaurants in France and leave 15-20% tips, the waitstaff is surely happy, but they are also laughing at the fact you paid for service twice. One last note...I was really concerned about tipping at a three-star. SO, before going, I did a random survey of French friends. The consensus opinion was to leave 5 to a maximum of 10 euros for two people. Yes, you read that correctly. Our bill was over 450 euros, and we left 10 euros. We didn't feel like there was anyone giving us dirty looks. In fact, we were accompagnied to the door, and chatted with amicably by our waiter. Tipping is a personal issue, and there are surely loads of opinions. In my mind, it doesn't hurt to know the local customs and follow them accordingly.

Could you talk about or simply list some of the casual places you would suggest to your guests? Thanks!

Hi fresh-a, First, thanks for taking the time to respond to all these queries. Fascinating reading. As you mentioned, the question about where to look has been posed before. BUT, maybe what people are looking for, and certainly what I'm looking for, is to know which publications are better, more accurate, more timely, less biased, etc. For instance, I used to check out the Pariscope each week. I switched to Figaroscope and currently have the opinion it's one of the better weekly publications on what's happening across a wide range of food topics. So, to be more precise, if possible, do you have a favorite/preferred: weekly guide, (any of the Scopes?) magazine, (Le Gourmande, Paris Notes?) guidebook, etc? (Michelin, Pudlo?) Thanks for taking the time to elaborate. For the average person living in Paris, we can't read everything and we don't have access to a Concierge!

*** YOU JUST SAVED DUTY ON $400 The standard personal exemption--the total value of merchandise--travelers may bring back to the United States without having to pay duty, increased from $400 to $800 this past November 4. The increase was contained in the Trade Act of 2002, which became law on August 6, 2002. All other personal exemption rates remain unchanged. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TO READ MORE: Go to http://www.parlerparis.com

Marc- The restaurant is La Brunie on rue Surcouf. Know it? Steve--I don't see why anyone couldn't join if they wanted to. Bux told me someone called "Loufood" lives in the 7th. Anyone know this person? Should we try to set this up for the first week of December??

mrs. woman-- would you prefer the champs over trocadero/champs de mars to watch the fireworks? the champs is fun to see and hang out, but i think fireworks are best from champs de mars. just my two cents.

New Year's Dinners in Paris--the official options won't be out for some time, so if you want to know this far in advance, you probably need to call some places and ask. For places with a view and romance, the upper end would be La Tour d'Argent and Jules Verne (Eiffel Tower). If you want the view and somthing trendy I would call Georges in the Centre Pompidou.

Great coincidence. I actually met Bux and his wife the other day as well, discussing the same thing. There are certainly a few residents of Paris on this board, and and decent likelihood of a couple of visitors depending on the timing. Since we all have an appreciation for food in common, I'd love to get involved in organizing something. If we can kick something off, maybe it becomes a monthly event. I know a great "sleeper" bistro in the 7eme if that's of interest? They have some of the best moellux au chocolat! Let's get this rolling!

The "menu" at l'Arpege is now at 300 euros. Haven't seen the prices at Ducasse lately.

L'Angle du Faubourg is quite good, and the sommelier is a woman, very friendly and helpful. I think they have their first star...not sure on that.