Paris in the Spring

[jackal10]

My partner's birthday is on May 1st. It is a significant year number. She has expressed a desire to spend the weekend and have dinner in Paris, preferably on the left bank, say Paris 5, and for it to be informal, for example a bistro, rather than fine dining. We will probably take some friends along, and be a party of six or eight.

Recommendations please, both for suitable restaurants, and for hotels.

[rpdkpd]

Guy Savoy's new venture is L'Atelier Maitre Albert. 1, rue Maître-Albert, 75005 Paris. Tél. : 01.56.81.30.01. Ouvert tous les soirs. Lundi, mardi, mercredi, de 18 h 30 à 23 h 30. Jeudi, vendredi, samedi, de 18 h 30 à 1 h. Fermé le dimanche. Privatisable à midi. Carte : 30-60 €. Voiturier.

The restaurant is just off the quai across from Notre Dame. Metro Maubert is about three short blocks away (take a map, because the streets are old and narrow). We had a fabulous Saturday evening dinner there in late November (see my earlier post). I recommend a late reservation.

Patricia Wells gave it a glowing review in December. P Wells IHT L'Atelier Maitre Albert

[jackal10]

Unfortunately Atelier Maitre Albert is closed on 1 May.

Another complication is that one of our party is allergic to cigarette smoke.

However I feel the chance of finding a non-smoking non-tourist restaurant in Paris is less than that of a snowball in hell.

Any other suggestions? Atelier Joel Robuchon, for example?

[Bux]

I have found that I am less annoyed by cigarette smoking in more expensive restaurants. It may be that Frenchmen smoke less during serious meals, there are fewer locals in expensive restaurants, or that the tables are just further apart with fewer diners in the same area. Bistros are more likely to be full of smokers. Bistros with American diners may be less smoky. C'est la vie.

Atelier Joel Robuchon has counter seating which is not condusive to group conversation if your group is larger than two. They take reservations for the first sitting at lunch and dinner.

[menton1]

Jackal10,

A really sweet bistro on the left bank is the Bistrot d'Opio, a couple of blocks off the Blvd St-Germain. A charming little place, informal, lovely service, and wonderful food with a Provencal touch. It is on 2 levels, with a center staircase going up to the mezzanine. I always marvel at the French wait staff running undeterred up and down the stairs carrying loads of plates in their arms. Seems like just what you are looking for.

As far as hotels, we usually stay in the 4th, our favorite area, but Paris is a great hotel town (Unlike Rome or London) so you should find myriads of choices at all price levels. In the 4th, our favorite is the Hotel de la Bretonnerie, largest rooms I have ever seen in Paris at any price, average price is €150.

Le Bistrot d'Opio

9 rue Guisarde

75006 PARIS

Telephone: 01 43 29 01 84

Web Site

[ann]

I agree with Menton1 -- the Bretonnerie is a jewel, with spacious rooms (some with 4 poster beds) and marble baths. Be sure to ask for a superior or "charming" room, since these are far nicer. And reserve now, since it is often difficult to get a room there.

[jackal10]

OK.

Progress so far.

We will be there for May Day.

I have book us into the Montalembert Hotel (including room 81).

We will arrive by Eurostar Friday night, depart Sunday afternoon.

There will be six in the party. One is fantaically anti-smoking, one can't live without it.

The Birthday Girl has requested an informal evening. Shopping might be on the agenda.

I'll spend the moroning on a bread crawl...then maybe lunch at Atelier Joel Robuchon.

Questions:

May Day activites? Parades, Fetes, markets?

Where to eat supper. I have provisonally booked Les Bookinistes, Guy Savoy other bistro, but naybe you egullet experts can comment or suggest otherwise:

Au Bon Accueil, or Allard, or Aux Charpentiers perhaps.

[Scott]

Allard has a gorgeous 1940's feel to it, a great place to be transported. Not dissimilar to Atelier Maitre Albert in that good roasted meats are a special. The Poulet de Bresse is great. Think lots of white coated waiters, linen table cloths, and somehow not a formal atmosphere.

I can't believe anyone would be disappointed there.

[42390]

A very good and reasonably priced bistro in the 5th that has a no smoking section similar to what you find in US restaurants is Chez Rene at 14 Blvd St Germain, metro Cardinal Lemoine. Fully half of this restaurant is marked no smoking and the floor plan is such that you do not get smoke drifting over from the other part. The food here is Lyonnaise style bistro classics. I have eaten there 3 times and find it far better than the lukewarm endorsement P. Wells gives it in her guide. You will find waiters in black aprons serving well made coq au vin, pike quenelles, boeuf bourgenon, etc. The wine list is heavy with the different forms of Beaujolais; mostly vigneron indpendant bottlings of Chenas, Morgon, Brouilly, Juleinnais, Moulin A Vent, etc. In fact with a party of 8 you could easily conduct a nice tasting of these various sub appellations of beaujolais. On one visit I sat next to a local couple who struck up a conversation. They said they ate there at least weekly and were very gracious, asking that a special degustation of chevre be brough to their table and then began giving me samples and a lesson on goat cheese. Please consider this restaurant during your visit. You can get a full dinner, 3 courses, wine, water, coffee here for about 50-60E per person.

Other than this, le Procope, 13 Rue Anciene Comedie, in the 6th, metro Odeon, said to be the oldest restaurant in Paris, has a no smoking area upstairs. Some on this board will deride Procope, as it is now part of a chain. I have eaten there a number of times, however, and while it does get its share of tourists, you will find many locals there as well. They make a big deal out of this restaurant's literary past, with some momentos on display from some of their famous clientele from the past. I have found the food to be well prepared and quite satisfying. Although this is not a gastronomic restaurant, it is listed in the Michelin Red Guide. They have a web site with their menu posted. I do not remember the exact URL but there is a link to it at www.dininginfrance.com. Pricing will also be about 50-60E for everything.

Another possibility is la Mediterranee located on the Place de Odeon right across from the Odeon theatre in the 6th. As I recall it is fairly well segmented for non smokers. You may want to call them and ask. They also have a web site, www.la-mediterranee.com, with menu posted. Pricing is similar, maybe a bit higher than those listed above especially if you stray from the fixed menu selections. This restaurant is more elegant than you might expect for the price range, the walls are painted with original murals by Berard and Vertes. Various original artwork by J. Cocteau are on display as he was a friend of the original owners. It is open 7 days per week, with outside dining available in the spring/summer.

The no smoking section of most Paris restaurants, if any, is just a few tables without ashtrays. I do agree with what another poster indicated, in that at the high end, starred places, you usually do not get smoked out as at the bistros. Maybe the clientele is more considerate, I do not know, but smoking is much less of a problem at the gastronomic restaurants. The price is way higher too, expect to drop at least 150E per person for dinner at a restaurant with a star in the Red Guide.

[aliénor]

if you want no smoking or just a light haze of smoke, forget about allard's. we went there the week before xmas. it was crowded, tables close together and most everyone except the americans were smoking. also we felt the food was okay, not great and the service was hurried, harried and a bit brusque. definitely not our favorite place. on the other hand we went to l'atelier maitre albert and found everything to be wonderful. good food, good service and very little cigarette smoke. so you can now work on this additional information

aliénor

[jackal10]

Thankyou.

l'Atelier Maitre Albert was my first choice, but unfortunately they are closed on May 1, so the person on the end of the phone told me. Thus my second choice was Les Bookinistes, Guy Savoy's other left bank offering. However I'm wondering waht the alternatives are. Nothing too formal or stuffy. Only about half the party are foodies, Gagnaire would frighten them.

Money is a secondary consideration. I don't get to Paris that often, so I would like to make best use of the opportunity.

[menton1]

The only way to combat smoking in Parisian restaurants is to sit outside or by the open windows. Some restaurants, like the Bistrot d'Opio that I mentioned above, have floor-to-ceiling windows that should be removed in May, unless the weather is very cold.

Another lovely bistro/informal place that we love is in the 6th, Bistrot Mazarin. Here they sit outside in all weather and use the famous Parisian pole heaters if it's cold. This will insure you no smoke. Hopefully you will have warmer weather and this bistro is also a really nice Parisian experience, informal, with terrific if not haute cuisine food. This is in the 6th, also, but nearer the quayside.

I do not recommend Les Bookinistes, very touristy, a big disappointment for the Guy Savoy lovers... Bistrot D'Opio and Bistrot Mazarin give you a real feel for the city, mostly natives eating here.

LE BISTROT MAZARIN

42 RUE MAZARINE

75006 PARIS

0143299903

[Bux]

The no smoking section of most Paris restaurants, if any, is just a few tables without ashtrays.

It's all relative. At least one diner I know will swear the French are most tolerant and friendly of non smokers. Just ask, and without fail, any dafe waiter in Paris will replace your ashtray with a defense de fumer sign and declare your table a no smoking section.

[Bux]

We had lunch at the Mazarin on the rue Mazarine. It was recommended to us as a place to have andouillette and other solid old fashioned bistro dishes. I had a very good pate de sanglier, but the rest of the meal was disappointing and emminently forgettable, in spite of the fact that the recommendation was from a generally reliable source. They were not serving andouillette and looked at me with such bewilderment when I asked if they had any, that I wondered if it had changed hands recently.

[John Whiting]

A very good and reasonably priced bistro in the 5th that has a no smoking section similar to what you find in US restaurants is Chez Rene  . . .  I have eaten there 3 times and find it far better than the lukewarm endorsement P. Wells gives it in her guide. You will find waiters in black aprons serving well made coq au vin, pike quenelles, boeuf bourgenon, etc.

Your luck seems to have been better than my own. I found it virtually a Disneyland experience, crowded with ignorant punters. One of our party had the coq au vin, another the boeuf bourguignonne. They were both served in an identical murkey sauce of dubious provenance; the meats had obviously been (over)cooked separately and at too high a heat, then dumped into the black sludge to keep warm. I've had better from frozen packets.

[jackal10]

If Les Bookinistes is overrun with tourists, would Ze Kitchen Galerie provide a better experience?

[Bux]

If Les Bookinistes is overrun with tourists, would Ze Kitchen Galerie provide a better experience?

I don't know, not having ever eaten in the latter or in the former in years, but I've heard good things about Ze Kitchen Galerie.

[jackal10]

Looks like we will split, and the foodies do lunch at Atelier Joel Robuchon, and now looking for sa "left bank experience" for supper.

Favourite Brasseries?

Maybe with Jazz?

[menton1]

I don't know if you will be able to combine dinner and jazz, but on the left bank the oldest and most respected club for serious jazz is La Villa. They start late in the evening and go until the wee hours. A really intimate setting, great acoustics, a great, fun experience. The French love their jazz, and this is a great place to hear it!

La Villa

29 rue Jacob

6th Arr.

[jackal10]

Looks like l'Atelier Maitre Albert may be possible, but only for a two hour slot.

Any comments on l'Abruci (all the oysters you can eat) + jazz club

or Le Petit Zinc?

Choices, choices...

[hollywood]

Any comments on l'Abruci (all the oysters you can eat) + jazz club

or Le Petit Zinc?

Choices, choices...

Many, many years ago, I ate an enormous number of raw oysters at Le Petit Zinc. Very good. Friendly place. Voila! http://www.petitzinc.com/anglais/carte.htm

Edited March 16, 2004 by hollywood (log)

[PCL]

I don't know if you will be able to combine dinner and jazz, but on the left bank the oldest and most respected club for serious jazz is La Villa. They start late in the evening and go until the wee hours. A really intimate setting, great acoustics, a great, fun experience. The French love their jazz, and this is a great place to hear it!

La Villa

29 rue Jacob

6th Arr.

totally overpriced when i walked by a couple weeks ago.

[jackal10]

Aieee..

I have discovered that L'Abruci is no longer a Jazz club but has gone Tecno.

Not the same at all.

Where now????

A basic Brasserie, serving good plain food, both fish and roasted meats, and one member of the party insists on smoke free.

[Louisa Chu]

smoke free.

NOT FRANCE.

I'm seriously thinking of TAKING UP SMOKING while I'm in the States.

[jackal10]

Loufood: How nice to see you!

How is el Bulli?

Ignore the smoke free bit; where would you reccomend on the left bank?