Paul Bert, L'Epigramme, L’Os a Moelle, and more -

[hong_kong_foodie]

Hi everyone,

If you had only four nights in Paris, which of these restaurants would you pick?

Paul Bert
Chez Josephine Dumonet
L'Epigramme
L’Os a Moelle
Chez Michel
Itineraires
Breizh Cafe
Christophe

Thanks in advance.

[OC Mutt]

Breizh Cafe is very good, with excellent service, but it's not a "must try" or destination restaurant.

[Ptipois]

My four nights:

Chez Joséphine
Le Châteaubriand
Le Bouchon et l'Assiette
Claude Colliot

And if you miss the plane, add Saturne.

[John Talbott]

Miss the plane HKF wherever you are.

[QdeBro]

It's funny how this list that would have been praised to the sky by the bloggers posting here just two years ago is now to be avoided in favor of the latest and greatest.

Also, Christophe is a really bad place - the room is unpleasant and the food is mediocre at best (and not cheap for what it is) - people keep saying good stuff about it because Pudlo picked it at random a couple of years ago and made it a star and they feel uncomfortable with the reality... I don't think anyone went there twice.

[Ptipois]

Christophe was indeed very good soon after it opened and not everybody gets their cues from Pudlo, we'd be in big trouble if it were so. Had a great meal there, I loved the grilled eel with artichokes and the steak was excellent too. The room was just as unpleasant as it is now and cold as Siberia. The black-spaghetti table mats were particularly offensive. True I never went there again but that was lack of opportunity and no other reason. Oh, perhaps the fear that the table mats would still be there. They really scared me.

[John Talbott]

If forced to choose among those:
Paul Bert
Chez Josephine Dumonet
L'Epigramme
L’Os a Moelle

But I agree with others that some of the newbies are good too:
Claude Colliot
KGB
Debats
Cafe Cartouche or Le 122

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

[plafield]

I'll second replacing any or all but Dumonet on your list with Jadis. And Christophe is really excellent food, but the atmosphere rather stark.

[John Talbott]

Three of us from the deepest darkest 18th made it over to the Bistro Paul Bert today and my downstairs' neighbor/friend declared it to be "good solid food he couldn't get in NYC" and I might add reasonably priced, ie 136 E for three with lots of game supplements and extra wine tastes. Pix are you know where (although I had trouble up/down/loading them.)

[Busk]

I want to try this place, but every night I pass by, it's packed and I don't like begging to see the Baby Jesus for a lousy steak. I suppose I could reserve, but again, it's just a steak....

[Ptipois]

If it's just a lousy steak, why do you want to try the place?

[Busk]

Hey, are you following me around?

I want to try the steak in the event that it's better than just a lousy steak. More and more people are saying it is. What I've seen on the plates when I walk by looks pretty average, and not worth fighting the crowds. That is the best I can explain myself to you.

[Ptipois]

Yes, I am :-) I think you're cute.
I get it. You want to try it but you won't try it, so you'll always want to try it.
No sarcasm from me, I feel the same about other places.

[BKAL]

Put Jadis on your list and go there. Just ate at P. Bert and Epigramme last week. PB is good for the Paris Brest dessert,(OK, this was a phenominal dessert) but if I only had 4 nights it wouldn't be at the top. Epigramme is a very nice restaurant, particularly for the price, but Jadis is much better.
Also, stop into L'Avant Comptoir for lunch/snack - can't say enough about how much I really enjoyed this sliver of a dining spot.

[John Talbott]

"Epigramme is a very nice restaurant, "
A note: there is a new team at l'Epigramme; In this weeks 'Scope E, Rubin gave it but one heart although saying it was utilizing the same formula, in the American sense; I'll see if it's that bad later.

[souphie]

In the list, I would only pick Dumonet and maybe Breizh café. Michel is not what it used to be. I never understood the allure of Paul Bert. Christophe is excellent but too sad.

[Delucacheesemonger]

Number 2 yes, numbers 1,4,7 no

[PhilD]

Did you deliberately choose a conservative list?

I was also thinking about a good list for a visit after reading about "Restaurant Claude Colliot", I tend to try and mix and match some old standards with some cutting edge new openings.

If this was my restricted list I would choose: CJD, as it was a local haunt of ours; Itininaries, because I would like to see if it settled down and fulfilled its promise; Christophe, because there is a bit of a buzz about it; and then finally L'Epigramme.