New Year's Eve in Monaco, NY's day in Paris

[labkfoodie]

Hubby and I will be in Paris for a week starting January 1, but will be in Monaco the night before. Will restaurants be open in Paris that day? Any suggestions in either city?

[souphie]

Jan 1 is a holiday so most restaurants will be closed -- you should look for restaurants open on NYD among restaurants open on sundays and the few who open mon-fri no matter the dates (eg l'Arpège, Joséphine)... You're very unspecific about what you're looking for -- L'Arpège and le Cinq will be open as well as Fish and Christophe.

I don't know Monaco well, but eating out on NYE is a mistake unless you have some good reason to do so. You'll pay a lot for a meal that won't be necessarily be bad (often is, though) but will almost certainly be not as good as the same restaurant any other day of the year.

[John Talbott]

Soup as usual is spot on; I'd add that eGullet my old "employer" has two threads on the subject http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=29695&st=100 and
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?s...

[labkfoodie]

Thank you so much for the links, John!

[labkfoodie]

We're not looking for celebratory meals on either evening, just good food. Do you have another suggestion besides eating out on NYE? We're just passing through Monaco for the night and don't know anyone there.

[beaulieu]

Well, as Souphie said, it's not a good night to be looking for good food. Monaco is a strange choice for "passing through." If the Casino is your objective, you can dine at the Cafe de Paris next door. If you can rebook, you might think of a hotel nearby with a good restaurant such as the Paris-Nice in Menton. Are you driving, flying or taking the train?

[John Talbott]

Seriously, really top places or even middle-range places pump up their prices, 2, 3, 10 times normal. Can you possibly have a nice lunch at a good place New Year's Eve Day and then take your champagne and have some caviar, oysters and lox up in your hotel room?

[beaulieu]

Monaco on New Year's Eve will be totally overrun by Italian revelers. Make your reservations early and don't expect any bargains. Most places will offer only one expensive menu. At midnight position yourself somewhere to enjoy the fireworks.