Looking for restaurants near the Palais Garnier

[jrabbit2727]

I will be going to Paris in late April and am looking for a restaurant near the old opera house. We have an 8 pm performance for a one act opera and most likley will want to eat after somewhere close by.

One of us is a vegetarian that doesn't eat meat, dairy or eggs but does eat fish and seafood.

Any suggestions?

Merci!

[Parigi]

Nearby, one bistro I have always liked is l'Absinthe, on the lovely place St Honoré.
Racines in the passage Panorama is also a nice spot, the Racines guy's attitude notwithstanding.
I never had luck at the Petit Riche either. Unfortunately one client with a nearby office likes to take me there. The last time I finally decided to eat before going.

[souphie]

Really? Did you get the rillons? The cote de veau? The chicken? The feuilleté aux morilles?

Conversely, I wasn't impressed by l'Absinthe, except for how exquisite the hostess is.

[John Talbott]

Correct. And she ran a better show by far at the Bistro Cote Mer; a real loss to the city.

[souphie]

Amen.

[John Talbott]

How about this:
Before the opera, get some oysters at Depardieu's joint l'Ecaille de la Fontaine at 15, rue Gaillon (facing Drouant,)
Then the opera,
Then meal at Drouant, 18 pl Gaillon.
PS I like Senderens second floor bar "Le Passage" more than Soup does and the Cafe de la Paix works well enough.

John Talbott
http://johntalbottsparis.typepad.com/...

[souphie]

Actually, in recent years, and for some mysterious reason, I always ate better at le Passage than downstairs at Senderens.

[Laidback]

You have 3 beautiful places very close by: La Fontaine Gaillon and Drouant both on Place Gaillon and Café de la Paix adjacent to the Garnier.

[porkpa]

Willi's Wine Bar is maybe a ten minute walk away. Good bistro food in a fun atmosphere. Good wine list. Excellent value.

[souphie]

There really is no shortage of ideas by there. Senderens is nearby (place de la madeleine). Le Café de la Paix, just on the square, is now a very good 24/7 restaurant, by far the best of them (the new chef is a MOF -- meilleur ouvrier de France, best craftman in France). There's one of the good indians of Paris called New Balal. Le Petit Riche is not far away, a typical after theater dinner place, very Parisian, very decent food. And the rue Sainte-Anne, home of genuine Japanese restaurants is also nearby.

Nothing to do with what you're requesting but the tiny Hemingway bar in the Ritz hotel is the most amazing place, including the best cocktails in town (at palace prices)?

All those places can accomodate your dietary restrictions and serve you late.

[Cher Martin]

I have to dissent from souphie's recommendation of Le Petit Riche. My friends and I ate there after a performance at the Garnier, and had a terrible experience. At best it is "wildly inconsistent" and, IMO, not worth risking your enjoyment or spending your decpreciating dollars there.

[sarah galvin]

Can one eat at Senderens prior to an 8:30 symphony at Palais Garnier?

[souphie]

Nope. They won't serve before 7.30 at the earliest. The bar might work, butin practice, I never found them fast enough.

[pscurfield]

what does a cocktail at the hemmingway bar cost?

[souphie]

You don't want to know. Some ridiculous price, though most of the time only with two digits.

[PBSF]

Around 30E but comes with a few olives, nuts, chips and a cloth napkin.

[souphie]

See?