Felice

Pierre, Can you give us some information about how to find out about their tastings? I couldn't find anything on their website.

The Dernière Goûte still has an informal tasting on Saturdays but not with the winemaker. The next scheduled tasting with a wine maker will be (I just called) March 10 Domaine Gonon (SAINT-JOSEPH) Caves du Panthéon in the 5th has informal tastings on Saturdays as well and I am sure there are others. Lavinia had public tastings on Fridays and Saturdays--as opposed to the courses they offer--but I just checked their site and don't see anything listed. I will give them a call too and if they still offer them will add them to this list.

Daniel Rose has also started giving cooking classes. The prices start at 70€ per person depending on the menu and you'll spend the afternoon cooking, eating and drinking in this lovely restaurant. You can go to his site for more information and to reserve. www.springparis.blogspot.com

I went to Chez Denise some time in the past year or so and think for food you can do better. It certainly has that certain ambiance of what people imagine a Paris bistro to look like, but food wise there are better choices. For something similar but with better food, maybe the Bistro Paul Bert?

Yes definitely. Le Troquet and La Regalade are good choices too. For something more modern but not terribly expensive, I would try Les Magnolias which has been written about many times here. La carte is when you order 'à la carte' or off what English speakers would call the menu and the 'menu' is a 'prix fixe' with several courses for a certain price. Some restaurants in Paris only offer a 'menu' and it's often a good bet if you are trying to save money but, depending on where you eat, can also limit your choices.

I decided to try La Cave de L'Insolite yesterday and really recommend it. It's a lovely little shop in the 11th which specializes in vins naturels. They have a very nice selection and were extremely friendly and helpful. The owner is obviously passionate about wine and happily gave me a lot of information about the wines I was buying. He also opened a bottle of something to try while I was there and I ended up spending about 45 minutes learning about the wines I bought and about vins naturels in general. La Cave de L'Insolite 30 rue de la Folie Mericourt, 11th

I recently went to the Murano for drinks, which was very nice but quite expensive (20€ a cocktail I believe). Alcazar isn't bad either for drinks. What about the Hotel Amour? Or the bar in the Plaza Athenee. Is it the atmosphere you are looking for or the cocktails themselves?

Thank you Forest for such quick feedback. I will definitely try it soon and will try to spread the word, as I don't think many people have heard of it.

Great, I would love to know how it is because I have been meaning to try it. Mexican food is one of the few things I definitely miss from home. I've been to most of the Mexican restaurants here, including à la mexicaine and and Anahuacalli and while they were both good, they weren't exactly what I was looking for.

I made a note of a Mexican restaurant that was written up favorably in Zurban last year but never got around to trying it. Recently a friend from California also recommended it, so it might be worth trying. Hacienda del Sol 157 blvd Montparnasse

Thank you Pierre for a great review. I will definitely put it on my list of places to try. I had been to Le Cameleon several years ago, but not since Jean Arabian took over.

Dave, I will be happy to see these responses as well as it is always difficult to know what to bring. Hopefully some of our French members will chime in. I normally bring a small box of chocolates or flowers since I have been told that wine is not always very appropriate since your hosts will feel obliged to serve it and have probably already decided what to serve.

I buy both Regal and Saveurs but I think if I had to choose between the two I would go with Regal. I always enjoy their articles and they have a lot of information on different products, which I really like.

Yes, many thanks to all Lucy has done over the years. She is not only an exceptional host and manager, but also an amazing individual. If you haven’t seen her wonderful blog and photos, you certainly should. I too hope we will see her in the eG France Forum often.

I was going to say L'Ami Jean as well, but felt that I had mentionned it too many times. I think it is a perfect choice for David's request of something casual but better than your average bistro. I was also thinking of L'os à Moelle.

When I went to the verre volé recently they had several very good terrines and I think they are prepared by Rudolophe Paquin from La Repaire de Cartouche. I wouldn't be surprised to see very good terrines at La Regalade, L'Ami Jean and Chez Michel as well.

Other than ordering them I'm not aware they are on line. ← Here it is www.gites-de-france.com

Yes, thank you, I have never heard of putting bay leaves in rice and will definitely give it a try soon.

I had two amazing meals at Chateaubriand, then one not so amazing.

How about Les Magnolias, they are open Saturday night Les Magnolias

I was also very well treated when i dined solo last oct .I was also given an excellent table .I have to confess that i spoke french.I wonder what accounts for the difference in treatment as some had a horrendeous experience. Perhaps ,speaking french and also looking the part of a serious diner.( I,e . I discussed the menu at lenght) ← I think it depends on who's serving and more likely luck of the draw, or at least I hope so. There are good waiters and bad waiters in every restaurant. I was only unhappy with our main waiter, the food runner was great. And if a waiter in Paris only gives good service to those who speak French and to serious diners, I think the restaurant will have a problem.

True, cash is always preferred since it's easier and is normally not declared. Sometimes a restaurant may not want to accept any extra money on the credit card because it is not income and may cause their books to be off. Occasionally a waiter will say they can not add extra to the card, so in that case I just leave cash. Not surprisingly, this is true in the US too

No don' t worry you didnt offend them, they just had no way of adding in the amount since it was written in. If you want to add a tip to the credit card in France you must tell them ahead of time. So if the bill is 100€ and you want to leave a 5€ tip you just say 105€ when they bring the machine. French credit card machines are not set up the same was as they are in the US. In France the waiter punches the amount to be paid into the machine and they can not add more later. In the US, the system is set up so that the waiters add in the tips at the end of the night. It is not uncommon in restaurant in Paris for several people to split the bill and most people just round up to make things easier and to give the waiter a small tip. Even though service is 'compris', it is very nice to leave a tip in France, you just don't need to leave 15-20% because you know that your waiter is making at least the minimum wage. Tips are still very much appreciated because waiters don't make an enormous salary.

Yes, this is exactly what she said. That of course you can use someone's bathroom when you need to, but it is done very discreetly. Note: The link in Jmahl's original post did not go to the whole article for some reason so I have fixed it.

It's always perfectly okay for the waiter to say it and French waiters do say this all of the time, what is being questioned is whether it is polite to say it at the table to those you are dining with or whether this will have you labled a plouc I have read this one as well and have asked French friends who looked at me like I was crazy. However, while we were on the subject I asked the French diplomat's wife and she laughed and said you NEVER ask to use the bathroom. So, obviously in certain circles these things are done and in others they are not.