L'Astrance Spurned Me -- Need Help For My 35th!

[eddang]

Hi all --

Have been reading your posts on Paris restaurants and greatly appreciate all of your insights. Here's my dilemma -- I will be in Paris for my 35th birthday in late November and want to have a special dinner out to celebrate. I can't afford more than $100 a person (would really prefer closer to $75 but what the heck). I tried in vain to score a reservation at L'Astrance, calling exactly one month to the day in advance at 10am Paris time (I'm in LA so it was laaaate for me), and they told me to call back in 2 weeks. Sure enough, when I called back, they were booked.

So I'm left trying to figure out where to make a reservation. Was leaning towards Le Violin d'Ingres based on some guidebooks, but the reviews here have given me pause. I would LOVE some suggestions for where else I might go. Incidentally, I have ruled out going out for a special lunch at one of the haute cuisine restaurants instead of dinner because while I love to eat I also love to shop and sightsee and want to make the most of the daylight hours around town, as I'll only be in Paris for 4 brief days. I would love to find a French restaurant that feels a little special in terms of food, service, and decor, but don't need to have the most drop-dead Ducasse style experience at this point (I'll save that for my 40th!!!).

I will be staying in the 7th, but will go anywhere in Paris proper -- not up for taking the RER to the suburbs.

Thanks so much in advance for any ideas.

[Pan]

Would you possibly consider lunch instead of dinner? You could have an unforgettable lunch at Grand Vefour for well under 100 Euros if you stay on the menu and don't order a la carte.

[paulbrussel]

Lunch is always much cheaper in Paris. And if you like L'Astrance, I would suggest Pierre Gagnaire where you can have a great lunch for 85 €.

Le Grand Véfour is nice too, but for lunch (75 €) you get only three courses (after amuses-geules) - at PG you get at least about 10 small dishes for lunch, which is much more exciting, and LGV is therefore perhaps less nice for a birthday party.

Furthermore, I would think that Guy Martin is (certainly in his lunch, in my experience) more classic cuisine then PG.

If you really want to go for dinner, then perhaps I would suggest the not expensive restaurant La Table d'Anvers (three courses menu for 39 €), which is modern too and which works together with professor Hervé This who works regularly with Pierre Gagnaire.

[DodinBouffant]

I've tried for two years to get into L'Astrance....I don't think I will try anymore.

Monsieur Lapin is a small, white tablecloth restaurant with proper service and some very good cooking. The room is decorated with all sorts of little rabbit things in somewhat of an Alice in Wonderland motif. Not sure how many people you will be celebrating with but this would certainly be appropriate for 4 people and it isn't exactly a place to get up and dance on the tables.

Les Beatilles is a Michelin one star restaurant that would also fit the category you are looking for. Proper service, nice tableware, and a simple but quietly elegant room with food that matches the atmosphere.

A little more info on how many people and how much whooping it up you plan on doing would probably help make a few more suggestions easier.

[admajoremgloriam]

From what I have read, it seems that La Table d'Anvers now has a new chef. You can find a review of the place under new management here Zurban (in French though). To sum up, they say that the prices have been divided by half, that the place now has a more lively atmosphere and, last but first in our minds, they enjoyed the food (which seems a bit more 'terroir' and 'bistro' than it was previously). As for the prices, they quote a 33 euros set menu, which is not at all half of what paulbrussel suggested.

[paulbrussel]

From what I have read, it seems that La Table d'Anvers now has a new chef. [...]

As for the prices, they quote a 33 euros set menu, which is not at all half of what paulbrussel suggested.

Well, then I can't say anything about La table d'Anvers. (My good experience dates of November 2002. Menu was 39 €, first and main courses 15 €.)

As concerns Les Béatilles: it is indeed a nice and not too expensive restaurant. Modern too, but I missed coherence in the dishes. I was there in July 2003 and wrote about it in another thread (2 days, 4 meals).

There the prices were as follows: first courses: 20 - 27 €, mains 32 - 35 €, cheese 14 € and desserts 13 - 15 €. Dinner menu: 45 € (three courses) and 66 € (five courses).

[marcus]

You might consider Benoit, lots of information on this board, which is a bistro deluxe and is the only bistro in Paris that still retains a Michelin star. The restaurant has a festive atmosphere. You can stay in the $75-100 range if you're careful.

Edited November 4, 2003 by marcus (log)

[eddang]

Thanks to everyone thus far who's given suggestions. I will investigate several of them. And somehow I feel better knowing that one of you tried for two years (!?!?) to get into L'Astrance!

The dinner is for 2 -- just me and my partner. Don't need a lively atmosphere to whoop it up -- in fact I would probably prefer something a little more sedate.

Has anyone tried Les Bookinistes? I know it's supposed to be touristy, but...

[Bux]

We ate in les Bookinistes several years ago. I think it may even have been the year it opened. I thought the food was quite good and rather inventive at the time. They seemed almost eager to speak English, but I didn't find it touristy. As I said, it was years ago.

L'Astrance is a tough reservation to get. A year ago we tried with no luck and this year we gave it a halfhearted try with only a week's notice. No suprise we didn't get a reservation. I would like to go back and someday I'll make the extra effort again.

I wish I had a recommendation. In recent visits, we seem to be splitting our time between the low end (under a hundred dollars a couple) and the high end (under a hundred dollars a spoonful--just kidding, almost).

[bushey]

We were at Les Bookinistes a few years ago on a Sunday evening and it was very lively. Yes, there were quite a few tourists, not all of whom were American, but the feel was more like an upscale neighborhood place than a tourist trap, if you know what I mean. Everyone was having an extremely good time and the decibel level was high. Food was very good, but it's not the atmosphere I'd choose for a special dinner.

L'Oulette, in the Bercy area, is worth considering clickety. It's really a lovely restaurant and the service is very warm. You may be able to find an archived Patricia Wells review I can still vividly recall a first course we had several years ago, foie gras with quail eggs. It was sublime.

[degusto]

I agree with bushey that Bookinistes can be slightly lively and noisy. But I do agree with Bux that the food is good for the price. It is one of few places where you eat well in Paris for well below 100 euros including drinks. It is incredible that so few can come up with a recommendation apart for the top restaurants where it feels like you have to pay a hundred dollars a spoonful. Astrance is certainly one of few, maybe the only. I have not tried Chamarré, some people I know like it, and others don't.

If you want a gastronomic memory, I think you should consider going to one of the three stars for lunch. I would recommend Pierre Gagnaire or Le Cinq. Taillevent has started (restarted) a lunch menu that seems like a bargain and should also be considered.

I went to l'Atelier Joel Robuchon last week. It should be avoided like the plague. That is unless you like strange "fusion design"-restaurant, prefer uncomfortable seating and don't mind paying rip off prices (plus 100 euros including simple wine by the glass) for poorly executed food made with inferior ingredients served in portions so small that you will leave the place hungry with a feeling you just had something to nibble on while someone took money from your wallet.

[DodinBouffant]

I went to l'Atelier Joel Robuchon last week. It should be avoided like the plague. That is unless you like strange "fusion design"-restaurant, prefer uncomfortable seating and don't mind paying rip off prices (plus 100 euros including simple wine by the glass) for poorly executed food made with inferior ingredients served in portions so small that you will leave the place hungry with a feeling you just had something to nibble on while someone took money from your wallet.

Tell us how you really feel!!!

Actually I appreciate that because I was wavering on going there next Monday and granted I don't know you from a hole in the wall it sort of lines up with what someone I do know says. She was very specific about what dishes to order and what not. Although I may walk in just for a quick observation perhaps en route to another restaurant for lunch.

So thank you for the brutal honesty.

[degusto]

Go there and try it! Remember to bring a magnifying glass so you can study the food and maybe a gas mask as the smoke from the cooking range got pretty bad at one point where I sat. It is better to sit where you exit the restaurant into the hotel. Ventilation seems to be better there.

I honestly think that it will close within two years. I stayed in Paris at a hotel close by so I passed by several times during lunch service and evening service for a few days. Not at anytime was the place full. And there was no queue. It is mostly crowded by English and Americans. The French voices I heard where definitely Belgian. I think that people will gradually loose interest in this place. I cannot see French people go there.

I had five different dishes from the left hand side menu, containing degustation dishes at half the price of mostly the same dishes at the right hand a la carte side of the menu. I could go on in detail and criticize the food but I would just like to mention that I had a foie gras au torchon that was made from a foie gras of super-market quality. The exterior of it had taken on a taste of something else from its time in the fridge apart from being slightly too oxidized on the exterior for my taste. I had a deep fried gamba that had a rubber-like texture and two of the smallest lamb chops I have ever seen. The lamb was also of inferior quality, tasteless, just semi-tender and bleeding heavily, which they had tried to mitigate by frying the chops hard on the exterior.

The tiny dessert was a jelly of mango with a strawberry sorbet, that tasted like the strawberry syrup from Carrefour, but what should you expect when it's not season for strawberries.

The design of the place is laughable. It is like a mixture of French and Japanese styles with details that I just find anything but well thought out. On top of that they played European music from 17th century.

We left the place at 7:45, one hour an ten minutes after entereing the place, and had a full meal at another restaurant directly after.

[42390]

If you are really firm on your $100 price target, you really should consider lunch. Given the weakness of the US dollar, I do not think you will be able to eat dinner at any of the starred restaurants for that price. On the other hand, you can have a feast at many of the 1 and 2 stars, including wine for right about that price.

Note that the well priced lunch menus at the 3 stars such as Lucas Carton and Grand Vefour are for food only. After wine, water, coffee, perhaps an aperitif, you can easily double the food price.

Please consider 2 star Jamin. At lunch they have a menu for about 45e with the add ons I mentioned above you are right at 100$.

For dinner at most of the starred restaurants I think about 130-150$ is a more reasonable expectation.

[Pan]

Le Grand Véfour is nice too, but for lunch (75 €) you get only three courses (after amuses-geules) - at PG you get at least about 10 small dishes for lunch, which is much more exciting, and LGV is therefore perhaps less nice for a birthday party.

I take your points. I haven't tried Gagnaire and certainly don't contest any of the points you've made. But I will say this: You sure don't lack for food at Grand Vefour! We were stuffed! In addition to your menu, not only do you get an amuse gueule, you also get petits fours, pates de fruit, and chocolates and a slice of the wonderful cake that's a Grand Vefour specialty (I think there was even more stuff I don't remember).

The point about drinks being extra at Grand Vefour is an important one, though. The Champagne we had there was ambrosial, but it wasn't cheap, and had we all had a glass of wine with our meals, I think that would have increased the cost exponentially.

[Hypnotic]

I have to admit that I find it extremely frustrating NOT to be able to get a reservation at a restaurant - any restaurant. As the New Yorkers on the forum know, you can usually get into the restaurant of your choice with a little persistance, including just walking in. I tried L'Astrance last November, and of course they were booked. I called again about 2 weeks ago to inquire about a reservation over Christmas/NY's, and they said to call back. Would I have more luck if I ask the concierge at the hotel I'll be staying at to call for me?? (Yes my french is good). Has getting a table at L'Astrance become the holy grail of restaurant reservations?? It is just a meal after all!

[Bux]

It is just a meal after all!

Your own focus on getting a meal there when Paris has so many fine restaurants belies that statement. L'Astrance is not the one who's making it hard to reserve, the (too) many people who want to eat there are responsible.

It's hard to say how much better off you'd fare having your concierge call. I've heard from one concierge that it is a very difficult reservation to get. You might do much better if you knew a regular or friend of the chef. The problem with concierges is that they send transients who are unlikely to become regulars and most restaurants like to take care of their regulars first. I think this is true all over the world. L'Astrance is also a small restaurant and probably can't afford to keep a table open until the last minute as some restaurants might do. It's a fact that many top restaurants keep a table open for visiting chefs or VIPs. There's one other problem with transient traffic referred by hotel concierges, it seems Americans already have a reputation in some places in Paris as ill mannered people who might be "no shows." We've had this discussion before in relation to getting a reservation at l'Astrance and in general. A small restaurant like l'Astrance, running at its small profit margin, cannot afford no shows. Nor can it afford the tourist who "must" eat at a restaurant he's heard about, but who shows up and orders a salad and dessert.

In NYC for instance, the concierge referral is more likely to show up than the local diner and he's likely to be a good tipper. In Paris, he may be a good tipper, but he's not likely to be the best customer for the owner. Nevertheless, a concierge at a good hotel, has generally worked hard at making his contacts and can probably do better than a foreigner calling cold. That said, a concierge was able to book Gagnaire for me and unable to book l'Astrance on one trip. We generally make our own calls, but we have been known to ask for favors from someone in the industry who knows a particular chef from time to time. I'm not sure it will guarantee a reservation (in fact, sometimes it hasn't) but it will get us some recognition and will waylay any fears we are one of those unknowledgeable diners who just eat at name restaurants.

[Scott]

I went to l'Atelier Joel Robuchon last week. It should be avoided like the plague. That is unless you like strange "fusion design"-restaurant, prefer uncomfortable seating and don't mind paying rip off prices (plus 100 euros including simple wine by the glass) for poorly executed food made with inferior ingredients served in portions so small that you will leave the place hungry with a feeling you just had something to nibble on while someone took money from your wallet.

? wonder if it was the same one I went to, or if somehow you were teleported to a parallel universe?

L'Atelier Joel Robuchon was a highlight of my last trip. So good I had the gazpacho twice, the pigeon and foie steamed in cabbage is a 3* dish, and a host of other items.

certainly some items are just 'tastes' but this is explained by the staff.

The setting is a like a sushi bar in the matrix.

Would certainly recommend in a heartbeat.

It's doing so badly, he is opening another in London later this year.

[tighe]

I'm with Scott on this one. When I was in Paris in September, the dinner I had there was stellar. Of all the places I went, it was one of only a couple I would make a point of going back to if I were in town.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Eddang, I have an off-the-wall suggestion for you. If you are looking for a chic dining room with attentive service and lovingly prepared and plated food, I would suggest that you contact Au Gourmand (my October 30 post) and tell them exactly what you have told us: that it will be in important birthday for you, that you had hoped to get into L'Astrance, that you are looking for a memorable evening. Ask they if they would be willing to serve you a tasting menu made up from their regular menu, ie, small servings of double the number of courses. Their menu would work well for this, and the maitre d'/co-owner is adorable and caring. When we were there the second time, there was a table of 4 at the back of the dining room who were enjoying a long and attentively served meal, possibly what I am describing. You could probably negotiate the price per person. Since their menu is 33 euro for three courses, you should be able to stay well within your target price range. Also, and not to be underestimated in the quality of your evening, at this time they are not trying to turn the tables, so you won't be rushed through what you had hoped to be a celebratory evening. Again, I would just be honest in describing what you would like to enjoy, and see if they seem enthusiastic to provide it for you. By all means use my name if you wish. They may remember us.

[menton1]

What an unenviable situation to be in-- having to find a great restaurant in Paris!!

[marcus]

My understanding is that Astrance is very straight about giving out reservations and that Americans get them quite frequently. It is just a very difficult reservation and you need to follow their rules. The situation is very much like the French Laundry. In this case, you need to call exactly one month in advance at 10 AM Paris time, which of course is 4AM in the eastern US. I am sceptical as to whether concierges have any have special influence, there are very many more concierges at deluxe Paris hotels than there are tables at Astrance.

[menton1]

All kidding aside, I would recommend a restaurant for this occasion in the 4th, Le Dome du Marais. This restaurant won the "Coup de Coeur" award this year, a nice accomplishment in Paris.

A stunningly gorgeous place, it is open about 3 years, it is in the hip Marais neighborhood, and is an old hollowed out historic church with a beautiful cupola in the center of the restaurant. The chef, Pierre LeCoultre hails from Nantes and mixes Breton with some other eclectic dishes. You should have a wonderful meal here, and it should be well within your budget.

Le Dome du Marais

53, rue des Francs-Bourgeois

01-42 74 54 17

Bon appétit!!

[eddang]

Hi -- I just wanted to thank everyone AGAIN for their amazing information and suggestions. My head is spinning from all of them!

Margaret, thank you for your creative idea re: Au Gourmand. The restaurant sounds fantastic, and the offer to use your name is most generous. I want to try it one way or another...

Right now I'm thinking of Au Gourmand, Au Trou Gascon, Le Dome du Marais, and possibly Jamin for dinner. I also want to check out Maison Blanche. I'm also bowing to peer pressure and considering a blow-out lunch instead, at Le Grand Vefour, Guy Savoy, Jamin, or one of the other three star standbys. (I'm not adventurous enough for Gagnaire, I'm afraid...).

[eddang]

Also, I realized I would probably enjoy a two star lunch equally as much as a three star (maybe even more), so lunch at Les Carre des Feuillants is also an option now...