260761 Sun Jan 06 19:58:04 -0800 2002 20 26 International 0 1377950 First of all, I am a foodie to the nth degree!!! I just DREAD the thought of wasting a meal on a bad restaurant. My husband and I are going to paris in June and I know so little about French food that I'm LOST when I read the menus or try to decide where to eat. I think we will would like to eat our large meal at lunch. Can you tell me what the normal lunch hours are and if the restaruants serve the same sort of food as they do at dinner? At home I eat mostly veggies and fish, and seafood. I like spicy food...thai, indian and i like sushi. I don"t like to eat much pasta, bread or potatoes. Am I going to starve in Paris????? Please help!!!!! Sun Jan 06 19:58:04 -0800 2002 0 thnkart 1 1377951 If you are in the U.S. and have access to a library with a good selection of periodicals and their back-issues, I would highly recommend tracking down the March '01 issue of GOURMET and the May '01 issue of BON APPETIT. Both issues are devoted almost entirely to the food scene in Paris- restaurants, cafes, bistros, food markets, bakeries, wine shops, etc. In addition, they also cover ethnic (non-French) food available in Paris. There are plenty of Asian, Middle-Eastern, African, etc. eating choices in Paris. I would also take the time to do a thorough search of this site for past discussions on Paris. Bon voyage! Sun Jan 06 21:42:02 -0800 2002 1377950 0 DavidT 2 1377956 If I were you I would forget about eating 'ethnic'food in Paris,especially if you're only there for a short while.It commands nowhere near the same respect or status as it does in London or New York. Stick to what the French know and love best-French food.There are dozens of decent guides to eating out in Paris at all levels.Small romantic back street bistros and restaurants still exist a-plenty.There are loads of recommendations on this board,including wonderful food shops. Mon Jan 07 03:34:50 -0800 2002 1377951 0 Tony Finch 3 1377959 we also tend to have our main meal in Paris at lunch. The deal is this; you can eat at the finest restaurants at lunch for a discount of 40% to 60%. The food is the same but your selections will be less. Buy the Michelin le Guide Rouge; it lists those spots which offer Repas, or prix fixe lunches and the price. For example, you can eat at Lasserre, a two star( meaning really big rating-three stars is the highest they go) for only 340 francs and you get a four course meal that equals the best we have had in the US. Mon Jan 07 10:51:23 -0800 2002 1377956 0 Jim P 1 1377953 When I saw your last question: "Am I going to starve in Paris" I just had to laugh (kindly). :) No one should ever be starving in Paris. lol. The Vietnamese food is esp. good. There is seafood there. It's kinda generic, but I had a fine faux-Belgian lunch at "Leon de Bruxelles" -it's a chain. But oh... the mussels with roquefort cheese and frites... with a nice, hard cider... mmm..... Mon Jan 07 00:29:16 -0800 2002 1377950 0 velvetfist 1 1377961 It's silly to go to Paris to eat foreign food. Since you don't say how much you're willing to spend it's impossible to make recommendations. In general you would be unrealistic if you expect to get top food at modest prices. Given your confessed lack of knowledge you are unlikely to do well. Alas there are no quick fixes because knowledge of food and wine is gotten by experience and lots of it. Mon Jan 07 10:58:46 -0800 2002 1377950 0 xxx 2 1377963 Given your confessed lack of knowledge you are unlikely to do well. Alas there are no quick fixes because knowledge of food and wine is gotten by experience and lots of it.>> It's odd that the sometimes perceived snobbery associated with French cuisine extends even to discussions of the food. If in fact you lack experience with it, just go to L'Os a Moelle or L'Epi Dupin and start eating. Ciao. Mon Jan 07 11:13:12 -0800 2002 1377961 0 michael (mea culpa) 2 1377984 When I posted that I liked ethnic food, it was not in search of ethnic restaurants in paris. I want to eat FRENCH food in Paris. I was just posting what kind of food I liked so perhaps someone could suggest a dish or style of cooking I might prefer based on that. (wondering if I'm making sense) As far as price goes. I would expect to spend around $100 for dinner for two for a few dinners. And perhaps a bit less than that at for a few others. We will be there 5 nights. Mon Jan 07 16:58:14 -0800 2002 1377961 0 thnkart 1 1377962 I just DREAD the thought of wasting a meal on a bad restaurant.>> You have been given some excellent advice in other posts. If you want to eat at 2 and 3 star restaurants, you should make some decisions and make reservations by fax or email 3 months in advance to avoid disappointment. Many people particularly businessmen eat their main meal at lunch so in the higher end places that's not always the answer for getting a reservation. For a good overview and some considered opinions on Paris restaurants, you should consult the works of Patricia Wells. She's written extensively on the topic and has a site at PatriciaWells.com. If you like spicy seafood, you might try Nobu. For seafood generally, places abound including Le Divellec, Bofinger and Taira. (You can get addresses and phone numbers from Zagat.com.) And before you completely reject all starchy sounding foods, you may find your mouth watering as you pass by a window with little individual pizzas displayed. It occurs to me that in June, you are going to be competing with spectators at the Paris Open (tennis) which again underscores the need to make reservations early. Off food, June would probably be a good month to stop and smell the roses at the Bagatelle and I believe there's a restaurant nearby. Mon Jan 07 11:06:41 -0800 2002 1377950 0 michael (mea culpa) 1 1377969 I concur with the people who said don't bother with ethnic in Paris - New York and London have built their restaurant reputations on the breathtaking variety of ethnic cuisines, but Paris is in France, where "la gastronomie" is the state religion. It IS possible to eat badly in Paris - stay AWAY from those God-awful chains and hamburger joints - but eating badly in Paris is better in most cases than eating badly in the U.S. Here are some general guidelines for you (I have only been to Paris twice, though I was in the South of France for quite a while, near Roussillon): If you are in Paris proper, remember that price is not necessarily an indicator of quality. Scope out where the most people are, figure out when it's less crowded, and then go. French people will support a good chef like no one else, even if it's a little bistrot on a back alley in Pigalle. Buy a copy of le Guide Michelin. I believe it's coming out soon in its new edition. It's a bit expensive but it is absolutely worth it. Don't ask the concierge at your hotel first - he may try to give you touristy or uppity food... ask the janitor or the doorman where to eat. Ask shopkeepers where to eat. Tell them you don't know French food and they will help you figure it out. Also, don't scorn one-star restaurants. If they have a star, it means the inspecteurs Michelin found enough redeeming qualities about them to award them a star. I understand the pain - we are honeymooning in Paris at the end of May and it's quite overwhelming. As a gift, one of my aunts is making reservations for us at Jules Verne (for the view, not necessarily the food), though I'd prefer to eat chez Alain Ducasse :) The first and foremost rule in France (less so in Paris in my experience than in Roussillon) is that if you plead ignorance, they will take pity on you - but not before giving you anywhere from five minutes' lecture (the superiority of toilettes à la Turc) to half an hour's (I once tried to buy hazelnuts for a torte and ended up with two recipes and an instruction to bring a piece of each back so she could judge my skill as a cook). Bon appétit et bonne chance gastronomique! Mon Jan 07 13:11:40 -0800 2002 1377950 0 PRSMDave 2 1377973 Buy a copy of le Guide Michelin. I believe it's coming out soon in its new edition. It's a bit expensive but it is absolutely worth it.>> If you are only going to Paris, Michelin publishes a paperbound version of just the Paris listings which is cheaper and obviously smaller, but there's a bit of a mystique to holding the entire hardbound volume in your hand and conjuring up meals to come. BTW, nice aunt! Mon Jan 07 14:09:31 -0800 2002 1377969 0 michael (mea culpa) 2 1377979 I would go farther than this - years ago in Italy we used the Red Guide to choose restaurants and hotels - always from the BOTTOM of the list, not the top, but also looking at the ones highlighted with the red PAS (in Italy) REPAS in France. We always found the places we chose to be civilized, with excellent food, especially in the provinces (Rome was another story...) But in Paris, out of the many thousands of restaurants, the ones selected for inclusion in Guide Michelin would generally be reliably good, even in Michelin's bottom most range. A much better choice for someone dipping their toe in the water foodwise than a starred restaurant. There is also quite a good online guide to budget restaurants in paris, by neighborhood, which you can download for, like, $15. It is organized by neighbornood and has many ethnic recommendations as well as french restaurant choices. We found this a very resource on a recent family visit. Caitlin McGrath posted a link to this website last year, Caitlin, do you still have this link? As far as ethnic eating goes, I suspect that you will have your best luck with cuisines from former French colonies, Vietnam, Laos, Morocco, etc, since those folks are most likely to have gravitated to Paris. My son recently had poor experiences with Indian food there (had the impression the restauranteurs had come over from London to serve homesick expats, as the food was similar to London but worse and the servers spoke english but not French!). Good luck, do your homework (learn some menu french so you get your fish rather than meat!) and enjoy! Mon Jan 07 16:44:07 -0800 2002 1377969 0 jen kalb 3 1377989 I would expect to spend around $100 for dinner for two for a few dinners. And perhaps a bit less than that at for a few others.>> The post I am replying to contains some excellent advice. You'd do well to heed it. Elsewhere, foodstores are mentioned. These can be somewhat balkanized in Paris (this is the age of specialization), but a trip to a market or one of the frequent street/farmers' markets is great for just the experience of seeing what's what and for gathering up stores for a nice picnic, say in the Luxembourg Gardens for example. A little bread, a little charcuterie, some cheese, some wine, and voila! you are feasting. (Don't forget to get a corkscrew or bring your Swiss Army knife.) Mon Jan 07 18:43:22 -0800 2002 1377979 0 michael (mea culpa) 3 1377993 The guide Jen is referring to is the Leeds Good Value Guide to Paris Restaurants. You pay by credit card and it is emailed to you or a download provided, and you can print out what you want, put info on your PDA, whatever. As Jen noted, it's organized by neighborhood and covers a wide range of cuisines, from classic French bistro to Sushi. Some places you'll find in other guides, some not; the restaurants are all places where you can eat for $30 per person or less. It seems to be updated reasonably frequently. The URL is a different one than she was using when I posted the link previously. The current URL is: http://www.insiderparisguides.com/restaurants/ Since you're unfamiliar with French menus and menu terms, it may be of use to you to buy a French menu reader, a book explaining menu terms and typical dishes. I haven't used this one (I'm adding its Amazon URL), but is has had very good reviews: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1892975475/qid%3D1010456268/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F0%5F1/107-3931296-8535746 If you shop Amazon, be sure to use the link on the middle right of the Chowhound main page, and kick back a small commission to chowhound.com. Mon Jan 07 21:35:58 -0800 2002 1377979 0 Caitlin McGrath 1 1377976 Just to add my two cents in - I really enjoyed one "non-French" restaurant in particular - Tan Dinh. Authentic Vietnamese (including a dish my mom used to make that I have never seen anywhere else). However, I'm in Boston which seems to have a dearth of authentic Vietnamese restaurants. Great wine list to boot. As someone else said, you can really take advantage of the lunch prices for some of the starred restaurants (my favorite being Guy Savoy and, for the most beautiful atmosphere, Les Ambassadeurs). Someone above mentioned the view at Jules Verne, though you hear that the food does not match. I have to tell you, I had a fantastic lunch there with the food being much better than I had expected - maybe because I didn't have unrealistic expectations - but, I recall a melt-in-your-mouth foie gras dumpling dish. A great resource that I didn't discover until I came back this year is Bonjourparis.com. It's extremely helpful because a lot of the posters live in Paris. Check that board and this one for mention of Violon D'Ingres. I've read a lot of accolades about this place - food and quality for the price. Link: http://www.bparis.com/thread_msg1516/thread_msg.htm Mon Jan 07 14:35:25 -0800 2002 1377950 0 Rubee 2 1377980 I'm so glad to hear that the food is good. I'm worried, however, that dinners in Paris will all feature foie gras... everyone that's mentioned Paris restaurants above the bistrot level says something about it (okay, that's an exaggeration, but it does come up quite a lot)... We don't eat foie gras. My fiancee doesn't eat it because of philosophical issues, and to me it's fat fried in fat and garnished with fat and tastes horrendous. Some of the uppity restaurants in Marseille used to sneak foie gras into just about any dish. Has Paris calmed down or is foie gras still the king? Mon Jan 07 16:46:27 -0800 2002 1377976 0 PRSMDave 3 1377988 Being of the school that too much foie gras is an oxymoron, I really don't think you need to worry. Just tell the waiter you do not want any. Basically, it's usually served as an expensive appetizer or a kicker upper on a main dish. If you are cynical, you could say it's an easy way to build a check, encourage champagne sales, etc. Otherwise, it's delicious. But if you want to spend money, there's always smoked or cured salmon, caviar, etc. By comparison, escargot are cheap. If you think there's a lot of foie gras in Paris, try going to the Champagne region or to Alsace! I have to say I spent a very enjoyable afternoon once at Boyer drinking champagne and applying foie gras to toast points while admiring the lush green grounds. That is material worthy of a honeymoon or other special occasion. Cheers. Mon Jan 07 18:31:56 -0800 2002 1377980 0 michael (mea culpa) 3 1377995 don't worry, you will not be force fed foie gras (bad pun). Don't order pâtés or dishes with foie gras if you don't want it! Nobody will look down their nose. It is a luxury there too, though perhaps not as much as elsewhere...and there are plenty of other things to eat that are just as luxurious and rare - truffles for example (both mushroom and chocolate kind!). Tue Jan 08 05:08:57 -0800 2002 1377980 0 magnolia 4 1377996 I think maybe it's just that posters here are in Paris for Something Special and that might mean foie gras. I can avoid it and I'm teaching my beloved menu French so she can avoid things she doesn't like (ris de veau, for example). As for truffles - we'll be there after truffle season (which ends in March) but maybe we'll get lucky. I *love* truffles. I wish we could go back to Roussillon, but we don't have time, and drinking pastis in Paris just doesn't feel right. Tue Jan 08 12:26:03 -0800 2002 1377995 0 PRSMDave 5 1377998 I'm teaching my beloved menu French so she can avoid things she doesn't like (ris de veau, for example).>> Before your intended writes off ris de veau entirely, it might be worth giving it a try at a good restaurant in Paris. Sweetbreads can vary immensely depending on the preparation. Perhaps it was a preparation she encountered that did not suit her as opposed to ris de veau in general. Now, as for tete de veau ..... Tue Jan 08 13:31:40 -0800 2002 1377996 0 michael (mea culpa) 6 1378003 Ah! Ris de Veau Marechal with sliced black truffles and also a Ris de Veau studded with tongue and truffles and braised. Classic Cuisine Gray Kunz's awful "popcorn " ris de veau. Nouvelle Cuisine Tue Jan 08 17:40:27 -0800 2002 1377998 0 xxx