Thanks for all the responses. It sounds like a visit to La Regalade will be on the cards for this trip. Actually, the rushed service quote came from the Paris Zagat and the 'surly service' did, indeed, come from an American. The only surly service we've ever encountered in France comes from behind the wheel of taxi cabs, or at ticket counters - though there was that guy at a bar near the Madeline - but that was a tourist trap and even the Parisians were getting dissed by him. Even the most rushed waiter seems to be able to handle more than most American servers, and still have time to chat to the regulars. Of course, this may have to do with going to places that don't do 'Service non stop'. You're there, you've bought the table. The 'Service non stop' places put the emphasis on 'the turn' which does cause service to degrade. I know that when I was waiting tables that the pressure of doing a 'turn' made my personality a little less than sparkling. Because we generally know what we want, and understand the menu, we're not a typical high maintenance Yank customer.