Paris in September

[PaulaJK]

We will have 3 nights in Paris in September, one of them a Sunday.

Looking for suggestions for 3 dinners, 1 lunch. Have done several

of the major restaurants and a few newer spots such as Astrance,

Angle de Faubourg. We're looking for one special destination..

? Le Grand Vefour, Le Cinq, ?Ducaisse. Suggestions please.

[Nikolaus]

I am a new member of this site and am not that confident with its tools yet . I actually wnated to add a reply but I guess it turned out to be an email. Anyhow, my advice for paris is: Guy Savoy, Rue troyon. Beautiful setting, at same time modern and warm, great food, attentive service. Otherwise, Alain Senderens - lucas Carton, or Arpege - Alain Passard

[PaulaJK]

Has anyone dined at Maxence?

Le Cinz?

[Bux]

Has anyone dined at Maxence?

Le Cinz?

Le Cinq? I've seen references to it on eGullet. I suspect you have as well and are looking for more recent opinions. Sorry, I haven't been there. We did eat at Maxence last fall and quite frankly we were a bit disappointed. This is not to say we had a bad meal, but we didn't have a meal that stood out either. Perhaps l'Astrance has ruined any chance for a one star to make an impression on us, or maybe it was the impression the chef's hare rillettes with chocolate made on me the year before, at the Chocolate Show. Here's what I posted last November.

We tasted Van Laer's rillettes de lièvre au chocolate, or something like that, last year and couldn't wait to dine in Maxence as a result, but for some reason, when we finally made it last month, our dinner fell short of our expectations. It was a good meal, but it was flat. Maybe it was our fault, but we didn't find the carte exciting and that may have left us ordering poorly. I have no complaints, and maybe after our experience with l'Astrance, we expected too much from one star in Paris. I had an excellent boudin noir served with sauteed apples and puree of potatoes presented in a small pan on the side. That's normally the sort of dish I'd order in a brasserie or a old time bistro. That I ordered it here may have been an indication that I was unexcited by the menu. I had some croquettes for a starter and although they were crisp and greaseless, I found the filling stodgy.

[David Bizer]

Don't worry about whether or not you should try Maxence. I walked by yesterday and saw a for sale sign in the window.

[OAKGLEN]

We ate at Le Cinq when it was a two star; good but not great was our observation. And now it has it's third star...go figure! If you are looking for a Sunday spot please consider Goumard, a one star with excellent "belle cuisine de la mer". Goumard is at 9, rue Duphot, a short walk from the metro Madeleine. They do have a prx-fixe offering but it is limited to one special each day; carte prices are about half of what you would pay at one off the restaurants you noted initially. JP

[PaulaJK]

Thank you for your replies. I,also, have learned that Maxence

has closed; Bux you hit it! We are doing Goumard on Sunday

and then Faugeron [comments anyone??] and Le Grand

Vefour. Any ideas for interesting lunches but such that

they won't spoil the dinners?

[mikeycook]

We were in Paris in July on a Sunday and went to Jules Verne (Eiffel Tower). Despite the fact that it has one Michelin star, I had expected it to be overly touristy and the food to be overrated, but I was pleasantly surprised (I feared something like the scene in Nat'l Lampoon's European Vacation). As someone who has been to and dined in Paris a number of times, I was surprised I enjoyed the food so much. The tasting menu was reasonably priced by Paris standards and very good. Even jaded foodies will enjoy the view and watching Paris light up at night. And it's open on Sunday.

Edited August 14, 2003 by mikeycook (log)

[hollywood]

How about a snack at La Maison du Chocolat, 225 RUE DU FAUBOURG SAINT HONORE 75008 PARIS?

[Louisa Chu]

Any ideas for interesting lunches but such that

they won't spoil the dinners?

I'm big on Cafe Constant right now. Totally seasonal, lots of Provencal at the moment. Three courses will only set you back about 25. Typical, typical Paris cafe but with a Christian Constant menu.

And Au Bon Acceuil. Again, thorougly seasonal; gorgeous, minimalist space; if you sit outside, you have the Tower full on just down the street. Three course menu 25.

[42390]

Tell us about Cafe Constant. I always liked Violon D' Ingres, is it similar? When did it open?

[John Whiting]

I'm big on Cafe Constant right now.

Do you have an address? There's none in the online Yellow Pages, only Christian Constant, caterers.

[marcus]

Isn't Pierre Gagnaire the ultimate choice for Sunday dinner?

[John Whiting]

I'm big on Cafe Constant right now.

Do you have an address?

I note that my question was answered on an earlier thread devoted to Cafe Constant.

[TarteTatin]

Our favorites for lunches tend to stick to old favorites - Bofinger near the Bastille - the one on the right hand side of the street as you're walking toward the Place des Vosges. We love Rotisserie Beaujolais on Quai de Tournelles ( We had New Years Eve there this year and really had a great time - even with the table of loud Brits opposite. Service was attentive and they chilled the bottle of Champagne we had brought to open at midnight on one of the bridges across the Seine).

Check out L'Ardoise up near the Louvre - blackboard menu, lunchroom atmosphere and very good food at reasonable prices despite a Michelin rating. And our perennial favorite, Willi's Wine Bar where we've never had a bad meal and they've served us lunch as late as 2:30PM

[Gary Marshall]

i was just thinking about rottisserie beaujolais earlier today, great little place, only closed monday.

i enjoyed it a lot more than its neighbour la tour d'argent.

[pim]

If you're looking for a respite from long meals at French restaurants, try Le Bambou in the 13e. I was just there earlier tonight actually, after a few nights of serious French food, this meal was a delightful (and deserving) break for my tummy.

I always order their Pho Doc Biet (#2)--a fregrant soup with beef/tripes/tendon/etc..

and of course the Bahn Cuon (#21), which is a sort of ravioli made of very thin steamed dough with pork and vegetable. The Vietnamese crêpe is very nice as well.

Vietnamese food in Paris is way better than anything we get in the US, even in California, so I always make a point of going there every time I'm here.

Incidentally, in the Laab thread I tried to explain a particular kind of herb that is the ingredient which differentiate a laab salad from other type of salad. The herb is called Saw-tooth herb. I was reminded today that Le Bambou, and other authentic Vietnamese places, always serve them together with some basil and beansprouts when you order a bowl of Pho.

Next time you make a laab, chop some of those up and add them at the last minute to your laab. You will notice an amazing improvement.

[pim]

an address would have been nice in the last post, no?

Le Bambou

01 45 70 91 75

70 rue Baudricourt

13e

[pim]

I'm in Paris at the moment so I keep having new recommendations...

Had two lunches already at L'Atélier de Joel Robuchon. Maahvelous food, for a quarter of the price I paid for dinner at L'Arpege. Plate for plate Robuchon kept pace with Passard's IMHO. The service is of course no match, but the food...WOW. What ever you do, don't miss the Caille Caramelisée dish.

And how about Timgad for some cous cous? I haven't been yet, going to tomorrow, but it has been separately recommended by a few Parisian foodie friends.

[fresh_a]

Timgad lost their Michelin star... I also would avoid the only other one-starred Morrocan, El Mansour as they are actively hostile to all but their own, insular petrol-money enriched clientelle. If you don't mind going a little further away from central Paris, the Mansouria, on the rue Faidherbe in the 11th has great food cooked by Fatema Hal, a wonderful woman, and friend. Check out her bestselling "Livre du Couscous" for proof...

Edited August 23, 2003 by fresh_a (log)

[PaulaJK]

fresh am; I'm almost afraid to ask.....but I have

passed Mansour many times [we stay in the 8th\

and almost stopped in....what does openly hostile

translate to/ mean?

[pim]

I'm big on Cafe Constant right now. Totally seasonal, lots of Provencal at the moment. Three courses will only set you back about 25. Typical, typical Paris cafe but with a Christian Constant menu.

And Au Bon Acceuil. Again, thorougly seasonal; gorgeous, minimalist space; if you sit outside, you have the Tower full on just down the street. Three course menu 25.

On Loufood's recommendation I had a meal at Cafe Constant and loved it. The chef kept popping in and out of Le Violon just down the street to check at the cafe, and I found that so endearing.

Au Bon Acceuil looked very good, I didn't eat there but breezed by on a Segway

Thanks again Lou

<edited for typo>

Edited August 26, 2003 by pim (log)

[pim]

Timgad lost their Michelin star... I also would avoid the only other one-starred Morrocan, El Mansour as they are actively hostile to all but their own, insular petrol-money enriched clientelle. If you don't mind going a little further away from central Paris, the Mansouria, on the rue Faidherbe in the 11th has great food cooked by Fatema Hal, a wonderful woman, and friend. Check out her bestselling "Livre du Couscous" for proof...

I had dinner at the Timgad with a Parisian friend. I thought the meal was wonderful actually. I had the Tajine of farm chicken with onions and dates, as well as the Machoui. Both were delicious though I prefered the chicken.

I have to say though that I am not an expert on Moroccan or Algerian food, but I had a long conversation with an Algerian cab driver who drove me from Gare du Nord to my hotel in Montparnasse and got him to recommend a few places. He gave me a list of names that include Timgad, Mansouria (which I knew from Pudlo's review), and Chez Omar.

I have to say Chez Omar is my favorite. It looks like a standard Paris brasserie, but the thé a la menthe on every table top gave a clue that there was something different here. The scent of cous cous in the air was another clue. The food was great, the atmosphere very relaxed and the service very good.

Chez Omar is on Rue de Bretagne, in the 3e

[fresh_a]

Paula, it means that if you are not a member of one of their many Middle Eastern princely clientelle, you will be treated in an offhand manner. In the 6 years that I've worked in a nearby palace, I have not had a single good comment. In fact, I once sent an excellent client of mine (at his request), was promised an excellent table, then later found out that they were placed in a downstairs room, next to the kitchen doors, and were bothered at the end of the meal by the entire kitchen workforce parading past them to change near the end of their shift.

I am very unimpressed with their attitude, lack of service, and lack of care. As are my colleagues, who have had similar experiences. Otherwise in Mansouria, Timgad, Chez Omar, etc, I have had very good experiences...

[swingers]

Hi,

I suggest you to go to the restaurant le Totem, it's a really nice place just in front of the eiffel tower.

There is a huge terrasse with one of the greatest view of Paris.

If you are interesting I can book a table for you.

Let me know

www.letotem.fr

swingers@noos.fr