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It'd be a tough call between Joséphine Chez Dumonet and La Régalade Saint Honoré. I'd probably choose La Régalade Saint Honoré 6 times out of 10 because I liked the seasonality and inventiveness of their menu. But if I were in the mood for a more traditional take, I'd choose Joséphine Chez Dumonet in a heartbeat because the execution was virtually flawless. At both places, which are very small, reservations are necessary...at least for dinner. In our case, the concierge at our hotel made them for us but friends of ours were able to get dinner reservations at both places with less than a week's lead time.

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I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

I wanted to add that I've already posted a few pics from both of these meals (and a few others) on the Best Thing You've Eaten [Lately] thread.

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_________________
I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

This month's issue of Saveur has a very good article about Paris bistros. My favorite bistro meal from my last trip consisted of Utah Beach oysters and line caught Dover Sole at L'Ecailler du Bistrot. Both of these items are out of this world and should not be missed.
Open Tuesday through Saturday for lunch and dinner.

Address: 22 Rue Paul Bert, 75011 Paris
Phone: (33) 01 43 72 76 77

If you would like to tackle the worlds largest serving of foie gras or a beautiful steak tartar, I would strongly recommend Chez Dumonnet. Many of the appetizers can be ordered in half portions and for good reason. The duck confit was also very good. I'm not sure exactly why but we had a really great time dining there. It was a place where people seemed to be having a good time and it was kind of infectious.

This mirrors our experience and in our case, it definitely had a lot to do with chef Jean-Christian Dumonet who, aside from being a meticulous chef, was also quite a compelling character. He worked the room like a general -- not necessarily schmoozing but chatting with guests, policing the staff and orchestrating everything. He commanded the restaurant in an unmistakably effective manner and also had a great sense of humor.

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_________________
I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

I posted some notes about lunch at Alain Ducasse à l'hôtel Plaza Athenée here. More individual-restaurant reports from out trip to follow.

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_________________
I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

I know this wasn't intended for me but as my wife and I recall our summer in Paris a few places just keep coming to mind. In this category, I would echo the praise for Chez Dumonet and would add the following:

-Bistrot Paul Bert - seemed to be every Parisien's "favorite" bistro and for good reason.
-A La Biche au Bois - not quite "off the beaten path" but far enough so that you typically don't see "too" many tourists - nice neighborhood though and not difficult to find nor get to. Fixed menu at about 29 euro with a very generous cheese assortment. If you'll be there in Nov, there's a chance that they'll be offering more game dishes - their signature.
-Café de Musees - Open on Sunday and less tourists than you'd think, especially in this neighborhood. I had one the best things I ate this year there - pork shoulder in garlic sauce. If it's on the menu, get it.

Oh yeah, always get reservations. All of these places speak a little English and were very nice to us (non French speakers). Also, upthread, I think I mention Lebovitz' blog and the parisbymouth site. Recommend both highly.

I was there for June and July this year - not exactly "extremely" recent but if you have any questions, feel free to PM me. Have fun.

-Russ

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"It's not that I'm on commission, it's just I've sifted through a lot of stuff and it's not worth filling up on the bland when the extraordinary is within equidistant tasting distance." - David Lebovitz

Thank you, Russ & Ronnie.

I've heard a lot of good things about Paul Bert, and if we can fit it in we certainly will. We found Café de Musees a visit or two ago thanks to the Hungry for Paris book. I still carry their business card with me and suggest it to folks all of the time...the last time we were there was probably over a year ago at this point, but I had a fantastic blood sausage terrine with green chartreuse that I can still close my eyes and taste to this day. It may get a stop if we get over to the Picasso Museum this time around, or maybe for Sunday dinner, as our other options are quite slim.

We have the great fortune that my best friend's sister lives in Paris and has offered to make all of our reservations for us, so my wife is off the hook (her French is a million times better than mine, but she hates speaking on the phone). When I told our friend that we wanted to go to La Régalade Saint Honoré, she asked if she and her husband could join us...it's their favorite place right now, so I'm very excited for that. I think Joséphine Chez Dumonet will also be a must.

A few random questions:

Is it worth trying to cram oneself into L'Avant Comptoir?

Le Chateaubriand, is it Schwa Paris or a fashion show that also serves food?

Planning to check out the cocktail scene, I've heard the latest from the Experimental/Curio group is Prescription Cocktail Club...if anyone has any good info on any of the three, I'd appreciate it.

Not to get too off-topic, but anyone have any recommendations for the Loire Valley? (Feel free to PM.)

Thanks.

A simply lovely place to stay in the Loire is Chateau du Pray, near Amboise. The accomodations are superb, the house kitchen is excellent, and there's plenty of other things to see and do in the neighborhood.

Geo

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Sooo, you like wine and are looking for something good to read? Maybe *this* will do the trick!

I posted some notes and pictures from our dinner at La Régalade Saint Honoré here.

=R=

_________________
I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

I posted some notes and pictures from our meal at Chez Dumonet, Restaurant Josephine here.

=R=

_________________
I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

I posted some notes and pictures from our meal at Restaurant La Fontaine de Mars here.

=R=

_________________
I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

I posted some notes and pictures from our meal at La Tour de Montlhéry's Chez Denise here.

=R=

_________________
I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

Our favorite meal in Paris.

Rue Cler Shopping









Setting



Meal



Other highlights:

Chez Dumonet Josephine
Le Chateaubriand

One ore two more to follow in this thread.

Awesome stuff, jfibro. I'm heading back over next month, so please keep 'em coming.

Thanks,

=R=

_________________
I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

We had several of our Paris dinners booked through our concierge before we left. However, it was the end of August, so we had some closings to deal with, and we also wanted to have some flexibility. Cafe Constant was on my radar, was very close to our hotel (between it and the Eiffel Tower), and came highly recommended from the concierge as well. It ended up being a perfect last minute decision, and I think my favorite dinner of the trip.

Cafe Constant



No reservations taken. We walked up and waited about 30 minutes.

Oyster & Salmon Tartare with Ginger



I loved this dish. Fresh, clean, crisp flavors. Could clearly taste both the salmon and oyster. I wanted to request several more orders and actually debated coming back on another night just to get some.

Beef Bourguignon



Excellent rendition. I only had a bite, but thought it as good as Chez Josephine's.

Tete de Veau



Equal parts tongue, brains, and head. Each with a crispy exterior and moist interior. Served with a delicious gribiche - hard boiled egg vinaigrette. I believe a traditional gribiche is actually mayonaissey, but I loved this vinegary version. One of the most memorable dishes from the trip.

Cheese



No idea it's origins, but it was stinky, slightly soft, and creamy. Loved it.

Ile Flottante - Floating Island



Sweet, but very good. First time I've had this dessert, but would definitely have it at Cafe Constant again.

I was very impressed with the food at Cafe Constant and enjoyed the casual atmosphere and convenient location. Hopefully will get to go back in a few years.

My wife and I differed on our favorite dinner in Paris. She thought that Chez l'Ami Jean was by far our best night out. I enjoyed it immensely, but I think once again, I suffered from high expectations. We had the tasting menu for 8-10 dishes, and while no single dish blew me away, everything was excellent across the board.

I can't seem to find my pictures, so I've forgotten a lot of the meal, which seems to happen to me with tasting menus. However, my single favorite thing I ate that night was the complimentary pate they delivered at the beginning. This was more in the style of a terrine (or cold meatloaf) than the pate I'm used to, but it was incredible. I only wish I would have eaten more - I held back because I knew we were in for a large meal.

They recently changed the menu to only one large tasting menu (they apparently used to have 3 different sized options) or minimal ala carte options. I think I would stick with ala carte ordering if I returned to have more control of what dishes I received. There were quite a few people around us not doing the tasting, and some of the house favorites looked excellent. Plus, I could happily gorge on a ton of that pate.

Our only return visit from our honeymoon trip to Paris was a small bistro off the Champs Elysees called Le Hide. It was our last night and we were looking for something near our hotel and reasonably priced. It was a toss-up between Le Hide and L'Entrecote, and I decided I wanted more than one option, so Le Hide it was.

Le Hide



You can see the long-haired Asian executive chef behind the flowers.

Shrimp & Crayfish Ravioli



I liked this a lot - the sauce was delicious.

Crab Stuffed "Crepe"



The quotes were on the menu, and we learned why when we were served the plate. The shrimp were stuffed in a crappy flour tortilla. I think this was the chef trying to be playful and failing. It would have been great had it been a real crepe. The sauce and stuffing were excellent. Ended up eating around the tortilla.

Scallops



Don't remember trying them but my wife liked them.

Lamb Chops with Mashed Sweet Potatoes



Perfectly cooked, and I liked everything on the plate.

Le Hide is a good option if near the Champs Elysees area and looking for a decent meal, but it's not destination dining. It was reasonably priced. We each had two glasses of wine and our bill came to $95. Besides the errant tortilla, it was a very nice dinner.

I'm going to be in Paris for six nights in May before heading down to the Dordogne for the trip I've been planning but putting off for two years now... I'm adding a bunch of these suggestions to a Google Map so I can reference it on the ground. I'm travelling alone, and will be doing a lot of Bistro style eating (plus lots of crepes and croques monsieur from street vendors, assuming they still do that sort of thing). I'll be staying near Place de Clichy, on the edges of Montmartre.

EDIT: Almost all the recommendations are on the Left Bank, oddly... If anyone has some for the Right Bank (especially Montmartre) that would be cool...