Paris Wine Bar Etiquette
My husband, 16-year old daughter and I will be in Paris Thanksgiving week. We've selected nice restaurants for lunch and tons of pastry shops for afternoon snack. What we need now are fast, light dinners.
I figure that we can do falafel one night and Japanese noodles another night. My question is: are wine bars an option? I know that many serve excellent food. Can we go in and get a glass of wine and a snack--or share a single entre? Or is that frowned upon. If the wine bar serves complete dinners, do we need to make our intention to graze clear up front? Can a 16-year old sit at a bar in France, or do we need to sit at a table?
Many thanks,
By lsinicki
on Nov 12, 2009 12:02 PM
View »
Video
Sitting at the bar is no problem. If you do so sharing a couple of plates is fine, just say that you want to have a couple of plates. We often used to do that at "Fish", we would simply order a main course each.
However, the set menus at these places are usually very good value, if you simply order a main course (I assume that is what you mean by entree) then they are relatively expensive.
Permalink | Reply
So if we order the set menu for one and all three share, they won't be angry?
Permalink | Reply
That would be pushing the limit, in-fact I would guess that sharing one dish between three does. But that said in a wine bar it will also depend on how much wine you drink, the more wine you order the more accommodating they will become. I meant that if you went ALC and only ordered a few dishes it may not be as economic as you think. That said a lot of places have two course options rather than three.
Permalink | Reply
your 16 year old will be offered wine, whether sitting at the bar or not.
Permalink | Reply
We'll see if she accepts...
Permalink | Reply
Juveniles is a great place for snacking. In fact, it is encouraged there.
Permalink | Reply
Thank you. Juveniles is right near our hotel--so we will definitely go there.
Permalink | Reply
I went to Juveniles for a light meal while my gf was jetlagged and sleeping in the hotel. There are also lots of cheap Japanese places nearby.
Permalink | Reply
Mères et Filles (formerly Rouge Gorge) in the Marais seems to cater to mothers and daughters (note the name), at least at lunch. However, the bargain set menu is only at lunch, and à la carte dinners are surprisingly expensive for a little wine bar. Enoteka, a wine bar also on rue St. Paul and just a block away, would probably be more fun for a 16 year old. Again, prices add up quickly there.
Now, here's an idea, albeit hardly very French (but perhaps unusual for folks from Maine). There is a real, Hong-Kong style restaurant in Belleville that is cheap and excellent. By Hong-Kong style, I mean it's big, has a giant menu, has rolling carts of dim sum (little savory dumlings) even at dinner, and even has the tanks of fresh live lobsters and fish that is the only way well-off people will eat seafood in Hong Kong. Unfortunately, the dishes where they kill the seafood to order are the most expensive. That only leaves a few hundred reasonably priced items.
It's called the New Niouillaville:
http://www.lafourchette.com/2_restaur...
Permalink | Reply
Is it good? We go for Dim Sum in San Francisco every couple of years and I love it. Not what I'd planned on for France, but definitely a treat for someone from Maine. We've been here ten years and haven't found good Chinese yet.
Permalink | Reply
I would also suggest Briezh for crepes. They are delicious and not expensive and the Brittany apple cider is excellent. If you go, you must make a reservation. We were there at 9pm on a Sunday night and they were turning people away.
Permalink | Reply
I'm really not sold on this place -- I adore crepes from Bretagne, but when I went to Breizh Cafe, my crepe was crispy and boring. I keep hearing raves though, so maybe my experience was not typical!
Permalink | Reply
I like the Breizh Cafe, indeed I took my two 10-yo grands there in March but someone I trust, David Lebovitz (and others) raved about West Country Girl (like Ze Kitchen Galerie you just have to get past the name.) http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2009/12/west_country_girl.html
John Talbott
http://johntalbottsparis.typepad.com/...
Permalink | Reply