Best Seafood Platter in Paris

[torontogourmet]

I will be in Paris in October and am dreaming of a seafood platter - am thinking of the Dome - is this a good choice is there a less obvious choice? I am most particular about the oysters but would like a platter with other seafood as well...

[John Talbott]

Ironically, Wednesday's Figaro had their take on best platters
Top was Jarrasse where I've always eaten well
2nd L'Huitruier - ditto
3rd - Garnier - ditto
4 - Rech - ditto, well, I'll stop ditto'ing
5 - L'Ecailler du Bistro
6 -Chasse Maree
7 - Prunier
8 - Le Dlome
9 - L'Ecaille de la Fontaine
10 - Bar de la Mer.
All are at http://www.lefigaro.fr/sortir-paris/2...

[John Talbott]

Not Dlome but Dome dummy.

[Autier17]

I didn't want to start a new thread to get an update on the original query, but I am interested in where to go right now in Paris for the best fruits de mer. We've done oysters at Garnier, and they were great. But, we really are looking for the best full assortment fruits de mer, and especially in a classic brasserie setting.

[dangremillion]

for my money i would go to la rotunde. old classic restaurant, great location in the middle of it all on the left bank. you cant go wrong with any of them but thats my fav. stroll by there and take a look before you eat

[Parnassien]

Rech on the avenue des Ternes in the 17th. Soooooo good but expensive.

[John Talbott]

I'll second Rech but also endorse L'Huitrier in the 17th as well.

[Autier17]

Thanks very much for those recommendations. We did the plateau at La Rotonde back in July. It was average, but I recognize that mid summer is not the best time for shellfish. We will look at Rech and L'Huitrier and choose one.

p.s. John, I am a big fan of your site and your reviews on Paris dining. Very good information there, and nice photography as well.

[mexivilla]

On the Rech website dinner menu when they give a price for "La Portion" does that mean each or a particular number of their serving? For example under Crustaces, Langostines, La Portion, 37 Euros.

[bronwen]

When I saw your title the first place I thought of was the Dome - wonderful.

[pampelmuse]

A few months later, I have this very same question, but with a caveat or two, as follows:

We all-of-a-sudden have cause for celebration, and want to do so with a big, decadent, glorious plateau de fruits de mer (pour deux, if that matters). As with the OP, oysters are very, very important, but the rest, crustaces and everything, should also be great (obviously, who wants otherwise - but what I'm asking is that they be a bit above the usual things that, while good, inevitably take a backseat to the oysters). The suddenness of said cause combined with the fact that we're leaving Paris (for 6 weeks) on Monday means... this plateau will happen tonight, Saturday. So as great as Rech, L'Ecailler, etc. sound, we are probably restricted to the big Montparnasse places and a few others that will likely have a spot for us on a Saturday night on such short notice (palatial dining spaces being a plus for this particular type of celebration anyway).

Contenders are the usual Dôme, Rotonde, Coupole, Garnier (which looks not-enormous like the Montparnasse places, but I could be wrong), and the various locations of Le Bar à Huîtres, whose website speaks the loudest for their version (convincingly, too). From my research, Garnier and Le Dôme seem to be the best of that bunch for oysters, and I really can't find anything detailed on Le Bar à Huîtres (especially recently, since Garry Dorr took over mid-2010 and has apparently changed the oyster-roster up some). Price, for once (and probably the last time in a while) isn't an object (though value is, as always, important). Basically, my question is this: if you could choose one plateau de fruits de mer in Paris, available on quite short notice, and to be your last in the foreseeable future, which would it be?

Thank you in advance for any advice you can give - all the posts around here on oysters have been so, so helpful thus far...

[Lockhouse]

I liked Brasserie Bofinger. I don't think I'd have anything else on the menu, but we had the big platter for two and it was very fresh and top quality. Nice surroundings as well. I've been to Coupole and Dôme, both of those were good too.

[souphie]

I had an awesome one at Rech -- great products, perfect cooking, perfect sides (you know, mayonnaise and all.

[PhilD]

Soup - I thought your were anti Ducasse.....!

[souphie]

I absolutely am. But to be fair, that's especially true of his attempts at cooking -- I like his bakery on bd de Courcelles and now I kind of liked his seafood place on av. des Ternes. Maybe a pure neighborhood thing. Or recognizing that he's adept at picking people who can source decent products.

[xigua]

Just had a fantastic and pretty cheap (for Paris) seafood platter at 38E pax. Where? L'Ecailler du Bistrot on rue paul bert, related to bistro paul bert.
Pictures in the blog: http://lafemmemange.wordpress.com/201...

[dangremillion]

you could try la rotund, a large classic brasserie on montparnasse on the left bank. i had the platter there in aug and it was affordable and very fine. if you just like oysters just order the oysters.

[Laidback]

Don't rule out my favorite neighborhood brasserie, "Garnier" for a plateau de fruits de mer. I went yesterday for my 1st fix of Utah Beach oysters, crevettes roses and bulots mayonnaise. It is located across from the Gare St Lazare and is one of the few remaining independent brasseries that have escaped the clutches of the Flo, Costes and Freres Blanc groups.

[vielleanglaise]

I agree on Garnier. It's way out in the Styx, but I've also enjoyedLa Chante Fable in the XXeme.

For a solidly oyster based plateau, Pleine Mer on rue de Chabrol in the 10th is hard to beat for freshness and price.

[John Talbott]

3rd that.
Great undiscovered place terrific for kids to watch fish too.

[Oakglen]

The Grande Plateau at Marius et Janette is awesome to look at, 149 Euros, serves two. La Rotonde has two versions for two, both under 100 Euros as I recall. Personally, I think there is some risk in these offerings; not all the ingredients can be equally fresh. Having said that, I've never had a problem in Paris; Costa del Sol is another story.

[monchique]

What about "Prunier" either on Av. Victor Hugo or Madeleine? Used to be quite special for sea food. http://www.prunier.com/

[John Talbott]

Oh I hated my last meal at the Madeleine site - the staff was more interested in discussing their romantic lives than serving customers. Haven't been back to the other Prunier in decades. It's on the list.

[monchique]

Never been to the Madeleine one but at the original "Maison Prunier" on Av. Victor Hugo the service was always outstanding.

[John Talbott]

Having had the Dome's, l'Huitrier's and others including Le Duc's, I'd go for the latter so long as they leave what the French think are crabs, off. Overpriced now but reasonable 30 years ago; what fame will do to an ego.

[allende]

John,
Le Duc?
Here is what I wrote about a year and a half ago .

"Went to Le Duc for dinner a few weeks ago. This is among the best fish restaurants in Paris? We were expecting the freshest fish, simply prepared. That’s what we were told Le Duc served and that’s what we wanted. Couldn't even get that.

In a nutshell: mediocre menu which quite clearly rarely or ever changes even if the fish listed aren't available. A wine list that could charitably be described as mediocre. Have they never heard of Rhone Valley reds? Isn't there anything decent from Provence or The Languedoc to be put on a wine list... you bet there is. In whites, if you're going to concentrate on Burgundy at least have a decent selection (no off years, no long over the hill oxidized wines).

The service was inept. Is it possible to get a bottle of water in under 20 minutes, even if the restaurant is only a quarter filled at 8:30? How many times does one have to ask for a bottle of water before it comes; two, three, four times? Is it possible for the sommelier (at least he pretended to be one) to pour the bottle of red wine into the empty wine glass that he set out for the red, rather than into the half filled glass of white wine? Is it possible for the sommelier to pour the wine into the glass rather than on the table cloth? The service was without any smile whatsoever; nothing, blank! Just going through the motions.

The soupe de poisson looked like dirty water and tasted not much better. Once again, even with this dish, inept service; here's why. The waiter comes and laddles half the tureen into my bowl. Beside the bowl, he sets down the croutons (actually small tasteless pieces of bread) and something that looked like some form of rouille, but didn't resemble any that I'd ever had before. The tureen was then removed. After finishing the bowl, I didn't want any more soupe, but even if I had wanted it, no one was going to offer it because the tureen simply disappeared after ten minutes and the other half was never offered. First time that's ever happened.

The turbotin was tasteless. The vegetables were a mass of brown rice and a puree of parsnips, neither having much flavor. The bread is a disgrace (the butter was good). The oysters were wonderful. Didn't stay for dessert. Four of us: four first courses (two of oysters) four second courses, two mediocre bottles of wine and two bottles of water. Check, close to 475 Euros.
What a ripoff. Go at your own risk.

[Busk]

This is a good question. I usually buy my oysters at the Richard Lenoir market and shuck them at home.

I can seriously go for a bottle champagne and a massive seafood platter, something that would set me back 200 euro for the pleasure. I used to hit places like the Vaudeville or the Brasserie Suffren for this, but I wouldn't recommend either these days. Dome is probably OK. I wonder if La Mediterrainie has a raw bar.