Types of Paris Restaurants: Cafes, Restos and...

[robyn]

Having dealt with our higher end dining reservations - I would like to get a sense of the general types of other restaurants in Paris - so I can make good lunch/dinner decisions when we're there. Note that I am restricting my inquiry to restaurants that serve French food. I'm not interested in pizza - or Turkish - or Asian food (fusion or otherwise).

Japan is a unique and interesting country. There are about 12 kinds of "Japanese" Japanese restaurants. Sushi - tempura - soba - udon - yakitori - etc. Each specializing in a different kind of food. You want great udon - you go to a udon restaurant. I have a good article about 12 types of Japanese restaurants - and it gave me an outline of different kinds of places to try. I have found similar articles about other countries (like the UK - where you can do modern British - gastropub - etc.). I haven't read anything similar about France (although - to be fair - I haven't looked very hard until now).

Is there any similar classification system when it comes to French restaurants? Types of restaurants. If so - what are the classifications? The descriptions in Michelin are really meaningless. Contemporary - traditional - terroir. Doesn't really tell me much.

And if there are classifications - which ones do you think are "have-to-tries". Types of places that are unique to Paris and/or France.

Some descriptions I've read about places like brasseries seem very nebulous. And when I read about particular establishments - well a lot seem to have great architecture - and nothing to write home about in terms of food. Moreover - some can be quite expensive - especially since some ingredients I like - like certain kinds of seafood - are expensive whether the chef who prepares them is a genius or an idiot.

Anyway - perhaps this is a stupid question - because I really don't know much about France and French dining today. But I have always thought that the most stupid questions are the ones you don't ask. If I need a different frame of reference - or a different way of looking at things - let me know. Robyn

[julot-les-pinceaux]

Cafés serve drinks and some kind of snacks all day and often have some dining options at meal hours -- pretty much like pubs.

Brasseries are cafés that serves real food throughout. They're usually more expensive than regular cafés and have slightly more sophisticated food. They often have nice tablecloth, decent China, etc. Very often, they have a "banc d'huitres", i.e. tons of fresh seafood. Also indeed many have some architectural appeal. Foodwise, I think the best is clearly La Rotonde but all Flo brasseries have acceptable compromises. Nothing to write home about in any case. Brasserie are not supposed to be chef-dependent. They serve steaks, fries, and raw seafood. A typical brasserie meal is oysters, then a steak tartare, then a Tarte Tatin or a Chocolat Liégois.

Then you have the restaurants, which only serve meals and only at meal hours. Foodwise the most remarkable are the bistronomiques like la Régalade ou Chez l'Ami Jean who offer starred-restaurants techniques and ingredients at bistrot prices, the downside being that they're packed, noisy and tiny.

I'll leave it to Pti to define terroir and traditional, if she can. I guess the basic concept is that you have restaurants for all sorts of occasion and budget. Except there aren't restaurant for really broke people anymore (such as the "bouillons"). They still exist and they're still at the bottom of the price range of the restaurant but they're not an option for the lower-class.

[Ptipois]

Hey Julot, thanks for the homework!

[hughw]

Let me say to start that I'm a New YOrker and not an expert in parisian food. That said, we've been to Paris numerous times and by now have some clear ideas of the kinds of restaurants that we like and that we don't like. The smaller bistros llke La Regalade, l'Ami Jean, tend to really good meals at reasonable cost. But you ask particularly about brasseries. Let me say, that we've never had a great meal at a brasserie in Paris. They can be fun but the food is definitely less than memorable. However, they are often the only option for Sunday night dining. I note that you are active in the New York forum. New York, interestingly, has our favorite Brasserie, Balthazar. I often describe Balthazar as the brasserie that you are always looking for in Paris but never quite find. Keith McNally has basically put together Brasserie "greatest hits" in terms of food, architecture, and ambience.

And Robyn replied

Thanks for the feedback.  I have been to France perhaps 6 or 7 times - but last trip was about 20 years ago.  I live in northeast Florida - get to New York about once every 4-5 years - and like Balthazar - a plate of fruits de mer - some frites - and a nice white wine.  Usually for an early before theater dinner if the theater is near "downtown".  We have a similar restaurant here in Jacksonville (Bistro Aix) - really good for Jacksonville - not as good as Balthazar.  On the other hand - if you're paying about $50 for food for 2 for dinner - it is hard to complain.  I get the definite impression after reading a lot about food in Paris these days that I will be disappointed with brasserie food.  I have zero interest in hanger steaks when I can buy rib eyes on sale for $7/pound and grill them myself (Costco was selling prime rib eyes for about $10/pound this summer).  Fruits de mer are expensive no matter where you buy them - so it is worth a few extra dollars to buy the best.

FWIW - this may well be our last trip to France - if only because my husband and I are over 60 - and have a lot of other places in the world we want to see before we have physical problems with travel (also travel in general has become a big PITA for everyone - but I am getting weary of having my husband's leg brace tested for 20 minutes for explosives every time we go through airport security) - so cost really isn't an issue (although I don't want to pay a lot of money to get mediocre or worse food).  Robyn