612613 Thu Apr 16 16:51:30 -0700 2009 11 49 France 0 4602699 Visiting Paris with my husband from May 6 to May 9 (coming from San Francisco) before heading off to Italy. We'll be in the 6e7e area; the closest Métro station to our lodgings is Rue du Bac. Dining-wise, mostly interested in - inexpensive non-fine dining Parisian fare - the occasional French fusion (Asian or Middle Eastern, especially) - street food (French -- creperies, sandwiches, etc. -- or ethnic food) - charming interior, antique or modern - steak-frites - entrecote - moules-frites - duck confit - chocolate! - raclette, if possible to find a good one in Paris - pastries: macarons, financiers, etc. Preliminary itinerary, focusing on seeking out photo ops - Musée d'Orsay - plenty of window shopping in 6e7e (especially Deyrolle) + maisons along avenue Montaigne - exploring the Marais (as you'll see, a lot of my shortlist is in the 3e4e area) - Louvre (Egyptian wing this time probably) - Tuileries + Jeu de Paume or Musée de la Photographie or Musée de l'Orangerie - Trocadero for the Tour Eiffel photo ops (won't bother to go up the tower -- we've done that already) - Tours de Notre Dame (too cheap to pay to climb it last time, regretfully) - Montmartre: Basilica Sacre Coeur, Cafe des Deux Moulins (sorry, 8 years late into the whole Amélie thing, I know) - experiencing some sort of (calm, non-disco) nightlife! Sidenote: last trip to Paris 6 years ago with my husband we were so bad with the jetlag + badly scheduled flight that our waking hours were effectively 5am-5pm. It wasn't until we got to Toulouse 3 days later to visit our friend that we were forced to go out at night and our bodies were fully acclimated to the new timezone. Here is my shortlist and my request: please chime in with thoughts/advice on what to order or when to reserve/alternative suggestions. Thanks so much! +++ Sweets +++ - Angelina's - Gérard Mulot (also makes a mean croque monsieur/madame, or so I hear -- thoughts?) - Jean-Paul Hevin Chocolates - Ladurée - Patisserie Pain de Sucre - Pierre Herme +++ Ethnic +++ - Krung Thep - L'As du Fallafel, Chez Marianne, etc. - Maison de Gyros - Le Bambou - Les Pates Vivantes - Pho Dong-Huong +++ Sit-down French restaurants +++ - Aux Fins Gourmets - Chez L'Ami Jean - Chez Omar - Chez Janou - Le Comptoir (how far in advance should I reserve?) - Le Fontaine de Mars - Ze Kitchen Galerie +++ Questionable +++ - Au Rendez-Vous des Amis (18e) -- I lack many dining recommendations for Montmartre, so suggestions are welcome - L'Atelier Joël Robuchon -- is it worth it? - Le Louvre Ripaille -- mostly appeals to me because I like the newly renovated modern interior, but is the food any good? +++ No idea +++ - cafés and boulangeries, especially near Rue du Bac for a breakfast fix - crèperies? - picnicking supplies (*tips on what to pack vs. what to buy in Europe would be appreciated, as we plan on picnicking in subsequent destinations after Paris*) - regarding Vietnamese food, are there particular strengths in the Vietnamese Paris food scene? Pho? Banh mi? Crepes? More off-the-radar items? Thu Apr 16 16:51:30 -0700 2009 90649 graceface 1 4603816 Your sweets are good choices. Mulot makes a decent croque-monsieur, like Dalloyau, but both are pre-cooked, which makes them less interesting than the ones you'll get from regular cafés where they are cooked on order. I don't know most of your ethnic choices, though I know Les Pâtes Vivantes is awful and L'As is decent. Your selection of restaurants is also interesting -- if you want dinner at le Comptoir you can reserve now if you're going to Paris in may 2010. In all restaurants you can reserve now for your 6-9 may trip. Beware that the 8 is a holiday, and many restaurants will therefore be closed on the 9, which is a sat, and many Parisian (esp. the well-off enough who go to restaurants) will be away. Your questionables are questionables indeed. For boulangeries, you should check my map: http://maps.google.fr/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=fr&msa=0&msid=103256209312890307921.000459610bda5fc6cf4b5&z=12 For creperies, I am still unaware of really good ones in Paris, though there was a recent thread on street vendors. My favourite is the Pot O Lait, rue Censier. For picknicking supplies, see the cheese shops, the bakeries, and the charcuteries. One great place for pork and duck and basque products is Oteiza, bd Saint Michel. For vietnamese food, there are some good ones in Paris. For crepes and pho, Pho 14 rules. Pho Bida Saigon, in the mall of Les Olympiades, is also pretty good. In the 15th, Co Tu on rue Croix-Nivert is good. And there is an extraordinary überexpensive Viet on rue Lauriston called Lac Hong. With only four days and CHinatown being significantly out of your way, I don't really see the point, though. Another point is that, imho, your progamme is very excessive for four days. Fri Apr 17 06:36:16 -0700 2009 4602699 96547 souphie 2 4604289 <One great place for pork and duck and basque products is Oteiza, bd Saint Michel. > You can say THAT again! ;) Fri Apr 17 09:03:58 -0700 2009 4603816 52499 ChefJune 2 4604753 Thanks, souphie! Yes, the list is overly packed (and not at all prioritized), which is why I'm in the process of culling items that don't make the cut now and leaving the rest open based on our whims of what we feel like doing on a day-by-day basis versus a totally fixed itinerary (so I guess my choice of "Preliminary Itinerary" was a poor choice of words). I certainly don't expect to cover all sights/dining establishments... if I hit only one listed eatery a day, I would be content. It gives me an excuse to return to Paris ;) Especially if that's how long it takes to get a seat at Le Comptoir! I'd be happy to only see the Musée d'Orsay, strolling through a picturesque neighborhood or two, and snap some photos of one iconic vista, whether around Tour Eiffel/Montmartre/Notre Dame... and of course eating decent-to-good (if not great) food along the way. Oteiza sounds intriguing. I'll have to add that. And thanks not only for the Google Map, but also the heads up about the holiday! I hadn't realized that! :) Fri Apr 17 11:23:16 -0700 2009 4603816 90649 graceface 1 4609778 We like Ravi for Indian food (50 rue de Verneuil) Tan Dinh for good Vietnamese (60 rue de Verneuil) Paul may be a good breakfast fix. It's a chain but decent, good atmosphere and close to Rue du Bac. Although it is super touristy, I enjoy Relais de l'Entrecote for steak frites. Sun Apr 19 17:17:40 -0700 2009 4602699 283979 amandaphoenix 2 4610518 Why go to Paul when there's that excellent bakery on rue du Bac, next to Saint Germain (can't remember the name right now), and Kayser at the corner of Verneuil? Mon Apr 20 01:36:43 -0700 2009 4609778 96547 souphie 3 4610875 Because I didn't know about them :) I will be in Paris in a month and will be sure to try! Mon Apr 20 07:18:42 -0700 2009 4610518 283979 amandaphoenix 3 4611037 Is it "J. Milcent" at 52 rue di Bac (just a couple of doors from Deyrolle)? It doesn't look much, always had long queue especially at lunchtime Mon Apr 20 08:14:33 -0700 2009 4610518 64584 PhilD 4 4612232 Yes. Had excellent croissants there the other morning. Mon Apr 20 13:20:46 -0700 2009 4611037 96547 souphie 2 4611079 Tan Dinh can be excellent, but one of our dishes tasted as though it had been in the fridge for a while. The owner/chef is a work of art; he refused to sell us an epensive, aged white and instead brought us another for about half the price. It was superb. I guess he thought we tourists wouldn't appreciate the expensive wine. No pressure to order a full meal; a nearby table just ordered salads (they were locals). Mon Apr 20 08:26:04 -0700 2009 4609778 19129 Oakglen 3 4612238 Or maybe he thought the cheap wine was genuinely better. Or maybe he did not have the expensive one but wanted to keep it on the wine list? Mon Apr 20 13:21:33 -0700 2009 4611079 96547 souphie 4 4612814 They are supposed to have the greatest wine cellar in Paris; that why I went there. The vin carte is a heavy book, you need both hands just to hold it steady. The expensive wine was an aged Savignon Blanc that I have never seen before. You might get a kick out of just perusing the list. And the "cheap" wine still cost more than the food. Mon Apr 20 15:59:39 -0700 2009 4612238 19129 Oakglen