Like New York, Paris has amazing restaurants. Possibly even more so. While we have eaten out in Paris a lot, these were the most memorable of the places we have been.
One of my favorites is L’Ardoise in the 1st er. It’s a very tiny bistro always bustling with patrons so it can be a bit noisy, but the food more than makes up for that. Plus you can make friends with your next table. The menu is displayed on a chalk board that visits each table and the wine list is small but well suited to the food. Which is divine. I could have eaten there every day. My recommendations- everything! The terrine, the filet of beef, the lamb, the chicken. Anything you order will be fabulous. It is closed in August, so be sure to visit in another month.
For my 40th Birthday, we went to La Table de Joel Robuchon. This was by far one of those meals that you experience once in a lifetime. The dining room was lovely. Elegant but comfortable. There was even a small stool for my evening bag to sit on, so as not to be resting on the floor or on the back of my chair. The service was, of course, amazing. But the food, the FOOD! This may have been the best meal I have ever eaten. My husband had the veal, I had the lamb chops (I would have picked up the bones and eaten directly from them if I were at home!). When we ate the mashed potatoes, more mashed potatoes appeared in individual covered dishes. I don’t even want to think about how many calories we inhaled, as I know the French method to perfect potatoes is a third cream, a third butter and a third potato. The desserts were mouthwatering. There were even after dinner chocolates. The sommelier paired each course with the perfect wine. I didn’t want it to end. It was the perfect meal. (One a side note, there is a Robuchon restaurant here in NYC, but we have never eaten there. Must try it one day!) It was the best mortgage payment I have ever spent!
Surprisingly, Publicis Drugstore, on the Champs-Elysees with it’s perfect people watching spot and being very touristy, had very good eats. A delightfully pleasant surprise after a long day of shopping and sightseeing. It happened to be very close to our hotel so we stopped there on our way back to grab dinner. I even received a tour of the kitchen when I asked to use the restroom. Guess the servers like to do that to the Americans for fun while directing them to the toilets. We had great fun and fare there.
One evening we enjoyed a quiet meal at La Butte Chaillot, a Guy Savoy restaurant in the 16th e. It’s a very chic modern place with a great atmosphere. The food here was very good as was the service, but the patrons made the experience even better. We quite enjoyed watching the Asian businessmen take photographs of their food at the next table. We should have been doing that all along! Who knew?! I googled to try to link to their website, but it does not seem to exist. I hope this place is not closed. It would be a shame. Because this neighborhood is very nice and the food fit right in there.
At the height of touristy is Altitude 95 (no pun intended!) on the 1st level of Tour Eiffel. We took the girls there for lunch and the view. The restaurant decor was a bit tired and dated but it was a perfect spot to enjoy the view and the scrumptious foie gras foam. We are happy to hear that this restaurant has been renovated and reborn another a new name. Have to give it another try.
There were so many great places to eat! We even loved to eat (shudder!) at the Le Lafayette Café (6th floor) in Galleries Lafayette. It’s a good place to rest and recoup and give you energy to continue shopping. Plus, they have very good mousse there in multiple flavors.
The breakfast buffet at the Hotel du Louvre was great too. They had the best pain perdu (French Toast). It was ooey gooey and delish! And it’s not a bad place to stay either. We ate dinner there one night and it was standard brasserie fare. But breakfast is a must.
There was a fabulous Italian restaurant called L’Enoteca in the 4th e. that is in a centuries old Marais house. Perfect ambiance for a romantic evening and authentic cuisine.
I wish we could remember the names of some of the other places that were great food finds. There was the wine bar we fell in to that had the best pate we have ever tasted (and my dh has eaten a lot of pate in his time!). There was the outdoor cafe we ate at near Rue de Richelieu with bernaise sauce that was tangy and sweet. So many places. I guess we must just go back and eat more. And take more notes.