Les Bouquinistes or Violon D'Ingres for dinner? Also, how is Ciel de Paris?

[sofiasofia]

Trying to decide if I should have dinner at Les Bouquinistes or Violon D'Ingres. We arrive Thursday morning and leave Monday at noon.

Also, it will be our wedding anniversary on Sunday and we wanted something not too formal, romantic, good food and great views. How is Ciel de Paris?

Thanks!

[John Talbott]

Not to be flip but there's no comparison; Bouquinistes under its new direction is inferior food especially compared to the Violin.

Pierre 45 and I in Feb 2007 ate at the former and I reported thusly on eG:
Food OK, Price/Quality ratio zilch
4.0 Les Bouquinistes, coordinates well known, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays, had been beckoning to me ever since William Ledeuil decamped next door to set up Ze Kitchen Galerie. My food friend didn’t need much convincing to try the new chef at this relatively old place in the midst of tourist heaven. We both entered with a tabula rasa, no preconceptions at all. However, immediately I sensed trouble. Both of us kept switching back and forth between the pages in the menu, having trouble finding stuff we really hankered for, or that sounded interesting. We both ordered the raviolis with shrimp that two folks had recommended to us and the sauce was pretty nice. But when we finished our mains, which we split – a lamb listed in French as cochon de lait and in English as sibling [sic] lamb that was dried out and so-what and perfectly made scallops on the bed of inedible and tough, uncooked risotto with squid ink – he turned and said – “how are you rating it?” – and I answered “I’ll never come back, it was banal, I won’t encourage anyone to go.” Want more? The wines, supposedly one of Savoy’s strengths in buying in bulk, were horribly overpriced. Had enough? The coffee – weak; the mignardises? The what? Where’d they go? Our bill was 140 € and that’s including the cheapest wine on the list and no bottled water.
Should One Go? As my friend, the real food critic says, it’s “Not Urgent.”

John Talbott
http://johntalbottsparis.typepad.com/...

[mangeur]

You didn't add that you as far as "hum" in the room goes, you may as well be in NYC or Chicago or Miami or Kansas City or.... Not even the waitstaff were heard speaking French.

[Oakglen]

John T was a bit harsh in rating LB, but I agree, any of the Constant restaurants would be superior, in quality and price. Plus, the service is more friendly with the Constant crew, and there is no "Anglo" section.

[rrems]

It's really a shame about LB. We went there in 2002 and it was wonderful. Great food, very generous with amuses and mignardises, great reasonably priced wines, a mix of foreigners (like us, though we can speak French) and natives. Went back 2 years later and it was completely different. Prices way up, no mignardises (not sure if there was an amuse), entire place was English-speaking (Tony Blair was there with an entourage and security). Perfunctory service, good food but not worth the price, aperitifs outrageously priced. We have not been back. The closest I've found to what LB used to be is Monsieur Lapin, which I would highly recommend along with Violon D'Ingres.

[Parigi]

I have not been to the Bookinistes lately, so have been spared the ordeal that others describe here.
But thought Violons is already better than Bookinistes in the latter's hay day.
As for Ciel de Paris, when I find myself in the 14th/15th, I am not alone in trying all kinds of detours to devise an itinerary to avoid the view. One place where one is sure not to get the view though is to be inside Le Ciel de Paris.