Canal St. Martin Area?

[fishskis]

I am spending a night or two at a new hotel in the 10th in the Canal St. Martin area before moving to a different hotel in the 6th. I have never spent any time around here. Any suggestions for great places in the area for dinner and/ or lunch? I have been to Rino and liked it very much...I am not a fan of Le Chateaubriand. Is La Gazzetta nearby?

Thank you.

[labender]

I love Le Sporting. It is not talked about on the boards, and I have rarely seen other non-French there. It is not too trendy, and the food is good as are the prices.

[fishskis]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll report back.

[souphie]

I liked Ari Mme Shawn a lot: by the canal, half French half Thai, half restaurant half lounge.

[Rio Yeti]

Right, I liked it a lot as well, but I saw that they opened a few other places, have you been to the other ones as well ? Is the quality similar in all of the Mme Shawn restaurants ?

[vielleanglaise]

La Gazzetta is a 15 minute metro/bike ride away. I like Chez Philou on the avenue Richerand, practically on the Canal.

[Rio Yeti]

I second Le Verre Volé.

There is also Da Mimmo near Republique for good (and expensive) italian.

[Ptipois]

Le Verre Volé is particularly interesting these days because Patrice Gelbart is at the stove, having (sadly) left his inn in the Tarn (Aux Berges du Cérou) and before he has his new place in Paris.

His highly personal, delightful cooking should not be missed, and is worth taking a little of the waiters' attitude.

[vielleanglaise]

"is worth taking a little of the waiters' attitude."

I used to go a lot, but haven't been back since I was told that a bottle of corked sauvignon wasn't corked, but that the problem with the the wine was my nationality.

[Rio Yeti]

Ouch that's definitely harsh... I wouldn't go back either in that case.

But since that didn't happen to me, Ptipois' comment is ringing a bell in my head ;)

[vielleanglaise]

I do not like dissing restaurants, but Ptipois' comments about the waiter's attitude at the Verre Volé spurned me on.

Saying that, my one "bad" experience happened there 5 years ago...

[Ptipois]

Probably was that same guy, tall, small beard, light brown hair? Sounds like him.

Given the fact that Patrice was temporarily cooking there, and that the direction of the kitchen was attributed to Delphine Zampetti (Inaki's wife), I asked on what terms exactly Patrice was there: as a regular co-chef until he gets his own place, or as an "invited chef" as sometimes happens in some restaurants on an experimental basis (like Café Pleyel for instance)?
The waiter threw me a half-sorry, half contemptuous look as though he were replying to a mentally retarded person that also happens to be annoying, and said : "No, we're not rich enough to do that, Patrice is here because he needs a job, we all have to earn our living you know?"
Which I thought was stupid and quite rude, not just to me but to Patrice too. I didn't tell him about that later.

[Parigi]

The restaurant management should know about how this waiter sabotages an otherwise positive experience.

[Ptipois]

Yes, but what if he's part of the management?

[Parigi]

It's suicidal management !

[mangeur]

Works for me. Let him look in the mirror. I just tossed off a letter to the pres, and CEO of my recently merged airline complaining about the debased quality of service he has instituted.

[peppermint pate]

Eeps - Le Verre Vole was in my sights for dinner one evening as it looked cozy and casual, my kind of place. Should I be rethinking this? Are these negative experiences unusual or more the norm? Does this waiter typically work Sundays???

And Parigi, I'm happy to report that I have some reservations now!

[Ptipois]

As I wrote before, you should go there for Patrice Gelbart's wonderful cooking and nothing else matters. I suppose he'll still be there for a few months before he gets a new restaurant, hopefully in Paris. If that waiter acts like a jerk again, well treat him like one. Life's too short.

Also, Le Verre Volé is casual but not particularly cozy. Actually I like it better at lunchtime.

[fishskis]

This must not be a well kept secret. When I emailed my hotel to possibly reserve for me, they warned me that several guests had unpleasant encounters with rude staff, so they were reticent to recommend without a warning. I found this honesty interesting and refreshing.

Strangely, I am still considering trying it. Sounds like it might be an interesting experience. I'm also finding Monday a tough night find open restaurants.

[Ptipois]

At the risk of repeating myself, I'd gladly put up with a few unpleasant remarks from the service if that means I have a chance to try Gelbart's food in Paris. That is where the well-kept secret lies. Aux Berges du Cérou was out in the sticks and closed partly because of that. If Patrice opens a new restaurant, that won't be for some time. So I think one should grab the opportunity to try his cooking, and snap back if someone snaps at you.

[MrsQuesne]

We were recommended Le Verre Vole by a sommelier friend for our Paris trip in March. We liked it so much that we ended up having two dinners there!
No problems with the service. Some of the waiters don't speak very much English, but they would quickly find someone who did when hearing our limited french :-)

[Ptipois]

In fact, I think the less French you speak there, the better you fare.

[foodiedanielle]

I second Philou. Delicious and super fairly priced!

[Parigi]

Le Verre Volé
Astier, a short walk away
Urfa Dürüm for a funky lunch

[Delucacheesemonger]

While rarely super negative, l would not eat free at Astier

[jock]

not to worry. they are very unlikely to feed you for free. sounds like a win-win to me ;)

[Delucacheesemonger]

But friends might