paris eating in the 12th

[hungrybob]

THE 12TH IS IN THE FAR EASTERN PART OF PARIS.HAS ANY BODY FOUND A HIDDEN TREASURE?

[orlenalee]

Hi Hungrybob, we just returned after a nice meal at Le train bleu inside the Gare Lyon. I am sure you've heard of it. We were very impressed by the decor and the service. We weren't dressed in anything fancy but we were treated like royalty. We kept staring at the ceiling and art on the wall. We had the 49 euros fixed priced meal and the best part is the wine was included. We were 3 people and I had a full half bottle of red and my husband and friend and a full bottle of white. The appetizer (red pepper stuffed with goat cheese, asparagus and squash puree) were just amazing. The main, magret the canard served on a slice of grilled pineapple, was a bit overcooked. Presentation was fantastic. Desert was excellent (chocolate tart and sorbet). We can tell that many people chose the prix fixe. It's not a hidden treasure but you will be blown away by the experience. We asked for tap water and nobody looked down upon us. The waiter gave us an over the top service. We gave him a tip because he was so nice.

[hungrybob]

ALL YOU CHOWHOUNDS ARE GREAT...BOB

[PhilD]

The room at "Le Train Bleu" is indeed fantastic. A real experience. But IMO the food is fairly average, it is passable cooking but not memorable. As Orlenalee says it isn't a hidden gem 99% or more of of the diners will be fellow tourists.

A note on tap water. It is very common to drink tap water in restaurants and no one will look down their nose at you. A few years ago the local government even distributed free carafes for restaurants to serve it in. I may be wrong about this but I understood it is a legal right to be served free tap water in France when you eat a meal.

[souphie]

You are right, tap water is a Human Right in France. Some nasty bleepers, however, intentionally serve tap water so bad that you're almost forced to order bottled water to rinse your mouth.

[DeppityDawg]

I don't see how someone can intentionally mess with the quality of the water coming out of their taps. Or are you saying they add something to their tap water before serving it??? Or they don't wash their carafes?

[souphie]

when the carafe, empty or full, sits long enough on a shelf, it takes a taste of dust that makes you long for any other drink.

[tmso]

Yeah, that's an ugly trick. If it tastes stale or dusty, I've never had any problems just asking for clean, fresh water. If it tastes like their pipes, there's not much you can do.

[souphie]

l'Auberge du Quincy, Chez Bobosse.

[hychka]

Not there, but close and further East, we enjoyed a late lunch at le Petite Bofinger after a good walk about in Bois de Vincennes. It's at 2 Avenue de Paris, kind of across from Chateau de Vincennes. The waiters were great, the crowd was cheerful, wine was good, the food was much better than expected, but not fantastic. We liked it. Could have been that we were hungry and tired, but everything was very enjoyable. We'll go back.

[hungrybob]

THANKS HYCHKA,SOUNDS GOOD