Sunset Over the Seine, Sunday, April 10, 2011, iPhone Image
Your taste of life in Paris and France
ParlerParis.com
Monday, April 11, 2011 • Paris, France
Dear Parler Paris Reader,
With the beautiful spring weather, out have come the Parisians. So have the Italians, especially the students, who come by the droves every April around Easter. I assume it's because they get vacation time or their schools have scheduled these visits at this glorious time of year.
Paris has been particularly perfect this past week or so. Every single day has been one big ray of sunshine and blue skies. You could easily get used to it, but we know better than to do that. So for that reason, everyone is taking advantage of the phenomena by hanging out at the outdoor cafés, donning their sunglasses and summery clothing. Still, the skeptic in me reminds me not to leave the umbrella at home.
Since the restaurant guide was recently re-launched -- the "Adrian Leeds® Top 100 Cheap Insider Paris Restaurants" -- friends and editor of the guide, Lynda Sydney, and I have been revisiting old restaurants and testing out new ones. Mind you, this has nothing to do with the glorious weather, but the warm breezes sure make being out on the streets to explore the restaurants and their environs a lot more of a pleasant experience than dodging rain bullets.
As always, there's a buzz about the newest, hottest restaurant or bistrot coming out of the American media that everyone is talking about. Normally I pay little attention to the buzz, particularly in relation to the writing of the restaurant guide for a variety of reasons:
1. They're new and therefore not 'tried and true;'
2. If the American media is talking about them, then that means they are filled with Americans;
3. They are not likely to be such a bargain, even though the food might be really great, now that rich tourists can afford to pay higher prices;
4. And if new, then likely not to have that classic old-world style most visitors to Paris are hoping to find.
You understand, it is not the aim of the guide to be trendy, but to provide a truly wonderful Parisian dining experience at a price most travelers and every day residents can afford. For someone who dines out twice a day, price is a big factor. And for someone who believes no meal should be wasted on poor quality, dining well is imperative, at any price.
Finding these kinds of restaurants has become a bigger challenge than in the past. With some of the newest, hottest restaurants, they are so difficult to even get a reservation, that the effort becomes frustrating and at some point it makes sense to give up...especially since now that we've given a few of them a try, theories about why they are to be avoided have proven to be true.
Let's take each reason and apply it to a real-life restaurant experience:
1. They're new and therefore not 'tried and true;'
I hadn't added "Pramil" to the guide, simply for this reason, but now that I've enjoyed this restaurant about a half-dozen times, each time better than the next, it will clearly make the grade. It's small, quiet, nicely decorated and the food is exceptional, but not at all expensive. Look for it in the next edition:
Pramil
9 Rue Vertbois
75003 Paris
01 42 72 03 60
2. If the American media is talking about them, then that means they are filled with Americans;
"Le Gaigne" was 100% American. One woman had such a loud voice, that we heard every single word she said -- non-stop -- to the poor guy stuck listening to her...along with the rest of us. Not only did it ruin our meal, but so did the cost (even though the food was quite good) at 50% more than it should have been, when considering the atmosphere. It will not make the guide.
Restaurant le Gaigne
12 Rue Pecquay
75004 Paris
01 44 59 86 72
We also tried one of the city's oldest and most respected eating establishments, "Le Voltaire." It was perfectly elegant and the service impeccable. The food quite good, and even 30€ for four asparagus (large, green and divine) would have been well worth it, if it hadn't been for the American woman sitting next to me. Once again, in spite of her British and French dining partners who were soft-spoken, and in spite of her ability to pay the high price of Le Voltaire (money, but no class) or that she had lived in Paris many years (obvious from the conversation), her loud non-stop chatter gave me indigestion. (I fantasized about spilling my glass of red wine in her lap...accidentally...on purpose!) It won't make the guide, more for price than the one odd diner.
Restaurant Le Voltaire
27 Quai Voltaire
75007 Paris
01 42 61 17 49
3. They are not likely to be such a bargain, even though the food might be really great, now that rich tourists can afford to pay higher prices;
"Le Baratin" has that old world charm and it's been in the restaurant guide for years, but it may have lost its ranking. The cuisine is no longer simple -- in fact the dishes are now such elaborate combinations that it we found it difficult to make a choice -- although the food was excellently prepared and tasty. Still, the prices have shot up, especially since Alexander Lobrano wrote it up in the New York Times. Two courses with wine and coffee will now cost you 45€ when it used to be more like 30€. Veteran Parisians would have no problem venturing into this part of the 20th arrondissement, but the average tourist may not feel so comfortable in what can sometimes look like a war zone...so, I wouldn't recommend it for the less than adventuresome. Cross it off the list.
Le Baratin
3 Rue Jouye Rouve
75020 Paris
01 43 49 39 70
4. And if new, then likely not to have that classic old-world style most visitors to Paris are hoping to find.
We tried "Philou," too. It's next door to my favorite Cambodian restaurant, "Le Cambodge" (in the guide), and luckily has a nice old-world/contemporary mix that makes it feel homey but up-to-date, with the tables lined up and cozy (no secrets should be told here). Philou has gotten all sorts of great press, so perhaps I was expecting more...but it seemed again like an ordinary kind of bistrot. The prices were no bargain, thanks to the amount of buzz, but at least it had an international clientele. The Dutch couple next to us were demure, but once again, the American woman across the room was easily heard. The service was particularly friendly and pleasant, and the meal was good, but not memorable. At this price, 45€ for two courses, wine and coffee...one can find better. It won't make it, either.
Philou
12 Avenue Richerand
75010 Paris
01 42 39 04 73
Le Cambodge
10 Avenue Richerand
75010 Paris
01 44 84 37 70
The ones that still make the guide where I've been fortunate to be a diner lately are:
My favorite Italian...I dream about the Insalata di Mare!:
Caruso
3 Rue Turenne
75004 Paris
01 42 77 06 98
Best museum café, for lunch only...absolutely gorgeous interior and fabulous salads for a light lunch:
Le Café Jacquemart-André
Café Jacquemart-André
58 Boulevard Haussmann
75009 Paris
0 1 45 62 04 44
Best bargain bistrot with old world charm for classic fare...not haute cuisine, more amazing for the price:
Au Pied de Fouet
3 rue Saint Benoit
75006 Paris
01 42 96 59 10
Two other locations, also at:
43 rue de Babylone, 75007, Paris, 01 47 05 12 27
96 rue Oberkampf, 75011, Paris, 01 48 06 46 98
And you can still count on seeing me at Chez Omar and Café Charlot, two that are tough to beat at any price, where there is so much noise that even loud Americans can't make a difference!:
Chez Omar
47 Rue Bretagne
75003 Paris, France
01 42 72 36 26
Café Charlot
38 Rue de Bretagne
75003 Paris, France
01 44 54 03 30
*Special note about speaking loud:We Americans don't even realize that our culture, which taught us to 'speak up and be heard' along with our wide open spaces, has developed within us very resonant voices. We have given rise to a voice quality that is quite different from other Anglophones, and can project and carry over others with very little effort. In France, where the French are taught to modulate their voices so that no one can hear what they are saying for reasons of privacy, respect for others and to be less intrusive, a resonant voice can cut through the din like a sharp knife...and the person behind the voice can be completely unaware of this. I do not speak out of turn, nor is my intention to offend, but only to heighten awareness. Everyone who lives in Paris will tell you this is true, but only some will be so bold as to 'speak out' (pun intended). I urge all of you to take notice and should you encounter anyone disturbing the peace in such a way, to also 'speak out' and let them know they will still be heard even if they whisper.
A la prochaine...
Adrian Leeds
Editor, Parler Paris
at the Café Jaquemart-André
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P.S. You can get the guide for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, plus digital formats (pdf) for the Kindle and iBookstore at tapbooks.org/top100-paris-
P.P.S. I hope to see you tomorrow at Parler Paris Après-Midi when Kristin Shannon and Antonio Meza of PSI Communications teach us all "How to design your own Body-Language Business Card." For more information, visitparlerparis/apresmidi.html
