632936 Tue Jun 30 15:19:23 -0700 2009 6 49 France 0 4819288 OK, that is phrased somewhat clunkily. I am interested in restaurants that have a more or less traditional outlook (no tamarind glazes) but still manage to stand out with unusual or creative concepts and executions. I tend to like restaurants that serve big beautiful non-nonsense foods. I don't mean "creative" in the sense that your waiter will tell you "this is our take on ____," but rather creative in the sense that they have created a niche for themselves. I really don't care if they are starred or not, just that they are delicious. To give you an idea, a couple places I've found while browsing this board that are are just what I'm talking about: Ribouldingue (the mostly offal restaurant) and Robert et Louise (the 25-seat fireplace-cooked steakhouse) I have 4+ weeks in the country and will be cruising all around it, so any restaurant in any area is a possibility. Tue Jun 30 15:19:23 -0700 2009 32092 PreservedFish 1 4820047 As l have said before on this board, Ribouldingue is a beautiful restaurant with great service that serves uninteresting versions of offal. For tripe, go to Chez Denise at 3 Rue Prouvaires in Les Halles. For large portions of fois gras go to La regalade or Chez L'Ami Jean. For Boudin Noir, Go almost anywhere or easy to cook yourself. Tue Jun 30 20:19:56 -0700 2009 4819288 71113 Delucacheesemonger 1 4820260 Don't you simply mean a traditional restaurant that specialises in a type of cuisine? That is how I would catagorise both the examples you give, they are restaurants that make a virtue of a traditional style of cooking or ingredient. If anything it seems that you don't want a "creative" restaurant i.e. one where the chef has evolved a traditional dish, or is using novel flavour combinations, or is using new techniques or ingredients (i.e. molecular food). Tue Jun 30 23:05:38 -0700 2009 4819288 64584 PhilD 2 4823463 Well, I tried to clarify what I meant by "creative." I suppose I am focusing more on creative concepts than creative cooking. If Robert et Louise or Ribouldingue opened in my city, it would be the only restaurant of its kind. You may call if specialization, but to me it is a sign of creativity if the chefs are pursuing new concepts, even if the specific dishes might all be traditional. The truth is, it seems that 90% of the discussion on this board is about 3-stars or "authentic" bistros. And I'm interested in that stuff too. But this is just an attempt to carve out a little discussion on a trend that is interesting to me and doesn't get touched by those more popular categories. Wed Jul 01 22:10:02 -0700 2009 4820260 32092 PreservedFish 3 4823523 OK this may be seen as creative were you come from, but you are asking about a different place and country. My guess is that you have phrased the question in a way that confuses people who could give you help. I would say you are looking for restaurants the French would call "Bistronomiques". These are very chef driven restaurants, with the simple style of service like a bistro (i.e. a true restaurant in France is grander than a bistro), these chefs are usually young and full of new ideas and are not especially interested in jumping through the hoops for Michelin (i.e. decor, service etc). Some of the chefs came from Michelin starred kitchens, others once held stars. The "Bistronomique" is a reflection of them doing their own thing in their own way, but in a way that stays rooted in the traditions of French gastronomy (no foams, gels etc). Using this term Ribouldingue would fit (but R&L would not it is historic restaurant), or Jadis, or Chez L'Ami Jean, or Le Regalade etc etc. Lots of these are discussed on the board. Wed Jul 01 23:02:07 -0700 2009 4823463 64584 PhilD 4 4823547 Thank you Phil. That does seem about right ... I'll do some more research Wed Jul 01 23:21:51 -0700 2009 4823523 32092 PreservedFish 5 4823597 One other idea, the French website: Le Fooding (http://www.lefooding.com/accueil.htm?sommaire) is a good source - look for neo-bistro in the search function. Thu Jul 02 01:17:23 -0700 2009 4823547 64584 PhilD