Paris in October

[scarlet knight]

We are going to Paris for a brief 5 day leisure trip in early October. Restaurant recommendations?

[Jean Blanchard]

We just returned from 8 days in Paris. Among the standouts for me was, L'Ourcine, Chez l'Ami Jean, and L'Atelier. Getting into most places is not as difficult as it has been in the past but if you want to go to L'Atelier, I'd make a reservation. I believe that they only take reservations for the 6:30 PM seating.

[scarlet knight]

Is the L'atelier to which you refer the Joel Robuchon restaurant? Also, we booked Taillevent for a dinner. Anyone been there? A friend heartily recommended it.

[Wholemeal Crank]

I just found out that I will be there solo for the last 2 or 3 days of my trip. Are there any particular types of places where I am likely to be more or less welcomed as someone dining alone?

[sethd]

They are much better restaurants in Paris then Taillevent. If you are looking for a memorable haute cuisine meal in Paris, I would recommend, Le Cinq, Lasserre, or Ledoyen.

[daisy17]

I just found out that I will be there solo for the last 2 or 3 days of my trip. Are there any particular types of places where I am likely to be more or less welcomed as someone dining alone?

L'Atelier Joel Robuchon is perfect for dining solo - all counterseating, fantastic food.

[KD1191]

They are much better restaurants in Paris then Taillevent. If you are looking for a memorable haute cuisine meal in Paris, I would recommend, Le Cinq, Lasserre, or Ledoyen.

And, if you want *** quality food with a bit more whimsy, I'd suggest L'Astrance.

[checkplease]

There's a great little market called Marche des Enfants Rouges in the Marais--open weekends only, I think. Has a fantastic Moroccan food stand (delicious tagines; long lines) and excellent Japanese/sushi stand and good coffee. Can go alone and eat while walking or grab a seat or picnic table.

Cafe Constant is a good bistro for solo dining (chef Christian Constant, owner of Le Violin D'Ingres).

[Wholemeal Crank]

These are excellent suggestions, thanks!

[The Food Doc]

Since we are on the topic, I am going solo to France in late November, just before Thanksgiving in the United States. I already made reservations at Guy Savoy, and will try to get into either Pierre Gagniere or L'Astrance. Any other recommendations? I am arriving on the 20th and will be in Paris until the 28th. Merci!

[Wholemeal Crank]

A very ignorant question: in another forum, I was discussing some things I hoped to eat in France, and was gently corrected that all of them were specialties of other parts of France (Bouillabaisse, d'oh!). So.....rather than list my ignorance of French cuisine further, are there any traditional Parisian specialties I should look out for on this first trip there?

[lesliec]

I always thoroughly enjoy Gallopin in the 2nd (www.brasseriegallopin.com/). I've been there alone and in company and always been welcomed warmly and well looked after.

Some friends on their honeymoon in Paris turned up at Gallopin, at my recommendation, after a hard, hot day's sightseeing and were also welcomed without a blink. It's a lovely place, very handy to the Bourse Metro stop.

I'm jealous ...

On the subject of Parisian specialties - others may correct me, but I feel Paris is where you go to enjoy the specialities of the rest of France. I remember Gallopin's foie gras, with a glass of Coteaux de Layon. Sigh.

Enjoy your trip,

Leslie

[Forest]

I just found out that I will be there solo for the last 2 or 3 days of my trip. Are there any particular types of places where I am likely to be more or less welcomed as someone dining alone?

L'Atelier Joel Robuchon is perfect for dining solo - all counterseating, fantastic food.

This seems to be vearing off topic (there may well be a solo-dining thread, but I'm too lazy to search right now.) but here goes: I just ate with little miss foodie at les cocottes a few days ago and really enjoyed it. Like L'Atelier Joel Robuchon, you can get counter seating (I saw a few people eating solo there) and it's also a christian constant restaurant (as is the Cafe Constant mentioned above)

Also regarding the original post "paris in october" do you have any other criteria (types of food, price range, location, etc, etc) for what you're seeking? That's a pretty broad request and could be addressed by searching any number of the France threads.

There was also a prior discussion on eating in Paris restaurants during particular months and the general conclusion seemed to be that restaurants are good consistently or not, and this has nothing to do with the particular month. Only time-related concerns might be August closures or those who want to catch restaurants during game season.

[scarlet knight]

Thanks for noting that the topic got "hijacked," Forest. We are looking for any French restaurant. We are going to go to dinner at Taillevent one evening, so if you have recommendations that are less expensive and fancy, we would welcome them.

[KD1191]

Given the limited information provided in the initial request, I'm not sure "hijacked" is the appropriate term. This thread strikes as more 'stream of consciousness'.

If you could provide some more information about where you're staying, what types of cuisine you like and preferred cost, I'm sure suggestions will be forthcoming. Saying you're going to Paris and are looking for 'any French restaurant' isn't much help. What would you say to someone who was coming to NYC and wanted 'any American restaurant'? Parisian restaurants, in general, don't tend to vary much by the season, so the fact that you're going in October doesn't really make much of a difference in the grand scheme, either.

While I've never been, I am wary of Taillevent. From what I've read in the dedicated thread here, and elsewhere, it sounds like its demotion from *** to ** was well deserved.

Edited September 22, 2009 by KD1191 (log)

[scarlet knight]

KD1191, have you eaten in any Parisian restaurants lately that you enjoyed? If so , please advise. We are just looking for ideas to research further. I don't want to rely on Michelin, Zagat's, etc. I want to hear about people's recent experiences. I don't think that Taillevent will be bad becasue it went from three to two Michelin stars. If anyone has any other suggestions, I am open to them. I did not want to be doctrinaire about price, location, cuisine, etc.

[KD1191]

As I mentioned above, for *** I highly recommend L'Astrance if you are willing to forgo ordering and give in to the experience of the surprise menu. I greatly enjoyed the food at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, but received the only real obnoxious attitude of my recent trips from their maître d'. In the more casual sphere, I've had very decent meals for the price at Café des Musées and Chez Robert et Louise. One of my favorite first stops when arriving in Paris is La Crêperie des Canettes. It's the first place I ever ate in the city, and so I often return when I need to acclimate.

[PhilD]

I went to Taillevent when it's star was waning, and just after it dropped from 3 stars. We had a really great meal, and where really looked after by the excellent staff. It does seem to have gone out of fashion on the boards, but my suspicion is that this is simply a bandwidth issue i.e. those that influence the trends have moved on and everybody has followed.

For example Le Cinq is one of the new favourites, and I love it as well, but my meal at Taillevent was as enjoyable. Whilst there is a Taillevent thread has anybody eaten there in the last few years?

[julot-les-pinceaux]

Taillevent always was a very good restaurant with lots of appeal. However, I don't think chef Solivérès is a match for chef Briffard, and the way I hear your experience, PhilD, is that a bad Briffard day and a good Solivérès day are equivalent. But Taillevent, besides decent food, has exceptional service, wine list, and is very fairly priced. No one I kno< ever had wonderful food at Taillevent.

[Forest]

Thanks for noting that the topic got "hijacked," Forest. We are looking for any French restaurant. We are going to go to dinner at Taillevent one evening, so if you have recommendations that are less expensive and fancy, we would welcome them.

I can't comment on Taillevent because I haven't been, but have friends who enjoyed it. As for French restaurants I enjoy that are less expensive and fancy, just some suggestions off the top of my head: L'Ami Jean (you'll get a mix of opinions on this one from EG), parc aux cerfs, Diapason (opinions vary on this, so it's most worthwhile if you can get on the rooftop terrace), Les Fous d'en Face (for traditional food with an interesting wine list). Those are a few that I enjoy pretty much every time I go.

Also, you should definitely check out Frenchie: the food is top notch and the prices very reasonable. That's my best recommendation for visitors right now. Book ahead because they are small and busy.

Happy restaurant hunting & hope you enjoy whichever ones you choose!

Edited September 22, 2009 by Forest (log)

[Julian Teoh]

Scarlet Knight,

When you go to Taillevent, please email or call them before your dinner and ask that they put you in the Trianon Room and not the Lamennais Room, which is where you will be knocking elbows with your neighbours. Here, you will have some semblance of privacy and space. The population density in the Lamennais Room is very bad.

I don't think anyone says Taillevent will be bad because it has been demoted; I say it is bad because apart from the food (which on my last visit would have been lucky to earn one star), it does way too many covers now than is possible to maintain quality. As a result, the service can be stretched, hurried and unable to cope with customer requests and complaints. Of course, the kitchen is put under similar pressure.

I would also second lesliec's recommendation of Brasserie Gallopin. I recall a very decent fish soup and steak tartare, as well as a workable wine selection.

[Commentator]

I've never counted, but I simply can't believe Taillevent has more covers than the restaurants in the high-end hotels. Now, you can debate the merits of the food, but the covers argument seems idiotic in that context.

[daisy17]

This seems to be vearing off topic (there may well be a solo-dining thread, but I'm too lazy to search right now.) but here goes: I just ate with little miss foodie at les cocottes a few days ago and really enjoyed it. Like L'Atelier Joel Robuchon, you can get counter seating (I saw a few people eating solo there) and it's also a christian constant restaurant (as is the Cafe Constant mentioned above)

I ate there last night and the food was terrific - I was solo but you could easily go with another person. I had fish with roasted tomatoes and chanterelles and it was divine, chocolate tart too. No reservations. My late lunch on sunday at Le Comptoir at odeon was also great. id recommend going at lunch bc you probably wont be able to get a reservation for dinner - they book up.

Edited September 22, 2009 by daisy17 (log)

[Forest]

This seems to be vearing off topic (there may well be a solo-dining thread, but I'm too lazy to search right now.) but here goes: I just ate with little miss foodie at les cocottes a few days ago and really enjoyed it. Like L'Atelier Joel Robuchon, you can get counter seating (I saw a few people eating solo there) and it's also a christian constant restaurant (as is the Cafe Constant mentioned above)

I ate there last night and the food was terrific - I was solo but you could easily go with another person. I had fish with roasted tomatoes and chanterelles and it was divine, chocolate tart too. No reservations. My late lunch on sunday at Le Comptoir at odeon was also great. id recommend going at lunch bc you probably wont be able to get a reservation for dinner - they book up.

That's good to hear. When wendy and I were there the other day, Constant was eating at the table next to our counter seats - so I was wondering if we just hit a particularly good day (i.e. when all staff and cooking were being done with the big boss there). I'd say the cocottes are definitely the way to go (even though the other food coming out the kitchen looked good. I had the lamb with ratatouilli (sp?) and she had the fish with leeks (both really tasty - not just good food, but a really nice combination of flavours in both cocottes.) and, yeah, we finished with the chocolate tart, too. (yum - nice consistency like I like!)

[Carlsbad]

We have dined at Taillevent twice, first when it had three stars and after it went to two. We have not been there since M. Vrinat passed away, but I believe he was ill and not there the last time we were there. He was a perfect host, and always went out of his way to make his guests comfortable. On both visits, I found the service to be extraordinary. In my experience, it was not stretched, hurried or unable to respond to our requests. Just the opposite. I also have to say that I find the Lamennais room preferable to the Trianon room. The latter does have more space, but the Lamennais room has a warmer feel and to me is more visually appealing. The wine selection is very impressive, and the prices are more than fair. The wine service is patient, enthusiastic and professional.

I understand the debate about the food- it is more traditional and some may not find it exciting enough. Some may like it more.