First night in Paris

[Dungenesse]

We will be arriving in Paris on the day after Christmas, and will be staying for one night at the Trianon Gare de Lyon (12th arr., 52 Boulevard Diderot), before picking up a rental car and driving south the following day. (We plan to spend more time in Paris at the end of our trip, but that is another matter.)

This is our first trip to Paris and we are doing as much research as possible (especially on e-gullet). Can anyone recommend a place to eat near our hotel that first night (we will still be without a car). I expect we will be quite tired from the trip, so something close or easy to get to would be great. We could certainly ask at the hotel or blindly trust Michelin, but would much prefer to get a recommendation here. We're not necessarily looking for a restaurant with stars, but we love to eat and would prefer something around 30 euros/person or less, not including wine, to ease into our first French dining experience. (I should say that our French is quite limited, if that makes a difference.) Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

(This is a bit off the subject, but perhaps someone can help. We have set up several hotel reservations in advance and are baffled by the room descriptions. Most places offer 2 types of rooms for 2 people: 2 twin beds or one double bed, sometimes called a large double bed. My question is this: Is a double bed the same as in the states, i.e., smaller than a queen? Many of the pictures of a double bed room show 2 twins pushed together. Very confusing, and so far our direct inquiries haven't given us much information. We are used to a king at home and because of our size, what we call a double would not be comfortable. Can someone help decipher the bed code? Many thanks!)

[picaman]

This isn't exactly the answer to your question, as the prices are somewhat higher than your given range, but I've had two very memorable meals at Le Train Bleu, which is actually in the Gare de Lyon itself. I've always thought it was one of the most romantic places in Paris to eat.

Here's a site with a few pictures of the interior of the restaurant.

I'm sure some of the regulars will have suggestions that are more on-target.

Jamie

[ludja]

My meal at Le Train Blew was also very memorable--for both the food and the atmosphere.

[menton1]

We had discussed the 12th Arr. at length in a thread about Bercy, Here, and I believe jackal10 reported that he had a nice meal at L'Oulette. (Details on the other thread). Have also heard good things about Le Train Bleu, although it will probably cost 50-60€ PP.

You might, for your budget just walk around and stop at a neighborhood bistro and hope for the best. Remember, in France, all the menus are prominently posted on the window. For that scenario, though, the chances of a good meal increase as the distance from the RR station increases.

Re: Bed Size-- Usually, in the 3-star hotels and up, what they refer to as "un grand lit" is about the size of a Queen bed; however, if you are doing 2 star or Chambre d'Hote, you probably need to inquire at the specific hotel as to the dimensions of the bed-- they will tell you in centimeters, so get your calculator out...

You should be careful about heading south, incidentally. A large portion of the South has had horrendous "inondations" (floods) and will probably have not recovered by the next 3 weeks. You should check with the OT in the towns where you are going, to get some idea if you should re-do your itinerary. Might be prudent to stick to the North of France now.

Edited December 8, 2003 by menton1 (log)

[bushey]

In my (somehwat limited) experience with hotel rooms in France, a large double bed is roughly equivalent to what we call king size in the States. Sometimes the arrangement is two twin beds pushed together, with one headboard, and it is actually much more comfortable than it sounds. We've found this to be the case in London, also.

[PS]

Chez Michel, Rue de Belzunce.

Thierry Breton's the chef. Fantastic value - one of the many super-brasseries set up by chefs trained in the city's top restaurants.

It's a beaut! I've had some of my best meals there, and it even features in the background of a two-second or so shot in the Bourne Identity.

[The Little Blue House]

You need to ask for a marriage bed or a French bed in order to avoid the whole twin beds pushed together thing.

[Bux]

Hotel rooms in Paris can be quite small. Room size, and bed size in European hotels can vary considerably with the price of the room. Most of the hotel rooms I've seen in Paris have been clean and presentable, but the level of comfort varies considerably. We've gone out of our way to demand double beds--as opposed to twin beds pushed together. Hotel keepers have told us that they prefer to use twin beds pushed together and often made with a single sheet, because the double beds tend to sag faster. That's made us less adamant about a double bed. We sleep on a 54 inch mattress at home and consequently are content with the size of any hotel bed.

Chez Michel is an excellent buy and highly recommended. You probably need a reservation and unfortunately it's not near the gare de Lyon. I don't know your hotel, but the gare is not near the cours St. Emilion either, although it is in the 12th. There's a bar near the place d'Aligre that's good for oysters. It's called the Baron Rouge, but I've only stopped by there for oysters in the afternoon. It's usually packed and people stand outisde eating oysters on the hoods of parked cars. There's actually someone on the street shucking the oysters and sellling them. I don't know what it's like in the evening or even if it's open. I've heard there are good cafes/bars/bistros nearby, but I'm not familiar with any names.

[picaman]

I'll second L'Oulette--had a great meal of scorpion fish for lunch a couple of years ago. I don't think it's very close to where you are staying, although it is in the 12th.

L'Oulette and Le Train Bleu are the two area restaurants I have experience with, although there are several good options in the Bastille area which is not too far away if you are interested.

Jamie

[PS]

Ooops! Sorry - confusing my gares - Chez Michel is of course very close to the Gare du Nord...

[Dungenesse]

Ooops! Sorry - confusing my gares - Chez Michel is of course very close to the Gare du Nord...

Interesting mistake. Turns out we need to rent our car on the weekend and the place at Gare de Lyon is closed. But Gare du Nord is open, so I checked Michelin and found a very reasonably priced room at Aulivia Opera in the 10th. So now we will be near Chez Michel and plan to go. It will be Friday night, the day after Christmas. How far in advance do you recommend making reservations? Should we call or fax from the US or wait until that day when we arrive? (We tend to eat early, so we would probably want to go at 7:00 or whenever they first open.)

Thanks to everyone who responded -- you were all very helpful.

[Bux]

Chez Michel is well known. It was full the night we ate there. I'd suggest not leaving it for the day you want to eat there, but fax ahead. An early reservation is bound to be a little easier.

[Louisa Chu]

Le Figaro magazine this past Sunday had a whole centerspread on Gare du Nord and the neighborhood around it - might be available online?

And I'm not a fan of Le Train Bleu - we had a Cordon Bleu dinner there - found the room a little shabby and the food institutional - too bad - but a great atmosphere - perfect for a drink - great leather club chairs towards the back.

And beds - small hotels - twin beds - rare to find American standard double/queen beds - king size no way.