Paris - Dylan's Recommendations

Dylan’s Paris Notes: 2007
Note * ratings
No stars – would not go back
* would go back under certain conditions
** would probably go back
*** would rush to go back
Expensive restaurants
As a general rule, all of the high-end restaurants have special lunch menus at reasonable prices
(55-95 euros, all inclusive; Alan Ducasse seems to be an exception with no special lunch menu).
The dinners tend to cost 3-4x more, so caveat emptor! There were a number of top places I didn’t
get a chance to go to. First on the list is Hiramatsu, apparently a stunning French/Japanese place.
I also hear that Astrance is very interesting. I would like to go back to Taillevent, the classic. A
knowledgable person recommends Alain Senderens (to me the menu at Senderens Passage, the
more casual bar looked better), Table du Lancaster, Sormani, Helen Darroze, and Chiberta.
Places I DID go to:
*** Pierre Gagnaire - Three Michelin flowers and worthy of it; certainly one of the best meals I’ve
ever had. The 95 euro lunch menu is not cheap but worth every penny (the prices on the a la carte
menu are quite scary though). Gagnaire’s flavors are creative without being weird. Pierre himself
welcomed me personally and also said goodbye! Impeccable, unpretentious service.
** Table Du Robochon – The food was only OK, but at 55 euros the lunch menu here is a great
value – 3 courses plus cheese, 2 glasses of wine, and coffee in a very nice room. But this is no
where near Gagnaire. If you don’t care about price, there are probably better lunches to be had for
slightly more.
* Hotel Costes, George, and Café Marly. I stopped in all three of these Philippe Starck designed
places – all have (nearly) exactly the same menu! The food is fine but not exceptional. Given that
it’s all about the scene, I would take Marly on a nice day (outside, looking at the Louvre Pyramid)
and Hotel Costes for a trendy dinner. It’s probably worth going to at least one of these places
during a visit.
L’Ami Louis – Famous for the best roast chicken in Paris – and for being virtually impossible to get
into. I wandered in without a reservation at 10:30 and was promptly seated. The chicken costs
$100 and comes only with frites; I was unimpressed with both the chicken and the frites. This is
mainly a tourist institution; don’t bother unless you really don’t care about prices.
Cheaper restaurants (I recommend looking at Patricia Wells’ web site for bistro
recommendations – www.patriciawells.com – she keeps an updated list.)
*** Le Table Des Fes – Probably the best tagine I’ve ever eaten – chicken with prunes. Highly
recommended for an excellent morrocan dinner.
*** L’As Du Falafel – the famous falafel/schwarma place on the Rue Des Rossiers in the Marais
(closed Friday nights and Saturday, otherwise generally open). I had the schwarma sandwich this
time (actually I went twice!), but in the past I’ve had the falafel: both are excellent. Also, the frites
are homemade here and are quite delicious. In a city where schwarma is omnipresent, this is really
the only one you need to bother with. (And make sure you get it “picant”).
*** Chez Rene (5th arr.) – They’ve been serving up beouf bourguignon and coq au vin here for
about 100 years, and unlike most restaurants with that kind of history, the food really is good (I had
the beouf bourguignon – with great frites insteads of boiled potatoes). Also a truly excellent mille
feuille for dessert.
** Le Severo (8 rue des Plantes) -- Only about five things on the menu here; it’s a small bistro all
about steak frites, which are done absolutely perfectly. (I had steak with half (demi) frites and half
salad – that was good. The salad is a nice mache with mustard dressing, just what I like with a
steak.)
** Chez Janou – A cool little bistro on a nice corner in the Marais. The food is fine, but the room
and the vibe of the place are quite wonderful, a quintessential Parisian bistro. Also a good place to
have a drink at the (crowded) bar. Definitely go if you are seeking a cool place in the Marais.
Rotisserie D’en Face. This is Jacques Cagne’s “casual” bistro, supposedly famous for its roast
chicken (I went there after the failure at L’Ami Louis). I found it thoroughly mediocre – do not
recommend.
Pastries/Tea
*** John Paul Hevin (Rue St Honore Branch) – Hevin is most famous for his chocolates, but his
pastries, only available at this particular branch, are also wonderful. I had a stunning chocolate
mille feuille – they muttered something about it only being available on Saturday. I would go early,
call ahead to make sure they have it , etc. It is worth tracking down.
*** Pierre Herme – Multiple branches; I like the one on Rue Bonaparte. The “2000 Milles Feuilles”
is a wonder – a praline/chocolate mille feuille. Again, they don’t always have it. Very creative
macaroon flavors; my favorites are the caramel fleur de sel and chocolate passion fruit. Excellent
croissants and pain au chocolats (sometimes pain au giandua as well) – but go early to get them
as they run out.
*** Mariage Freres (in the 4th – 30 rue Bourg Tibourg). Well, it’s not breaking any new ground to
recommend it, but could there be a better place for tea and pastries in Paris?
** Sadaharu Aoki – (I went to the branch at 35 rue de Vaugirard in the 6th). Pastries are not quite
at the same level as Herme or Hevin, but they are sill quite good. Aoki has a number of Japanese
variants on French pastries, such as black sesame éclairs and green tea mille feuilles.
* Laduree – A wonderful (if overcrowded) room and somewhat mediocre pastries (even inferior
macaroons) relative to Hevin and Herme. I think they’re resting on their laurels a bit but in any
other city, this would still be a “must visit”.
A few other thoughts

I really enjoyed both the Paris Museum of Modern Art and the Palais de Tokyo (they’re right beside
each other). The shop at the Palais de Tokyo is particularly good. The new Bramley tribal art
museum (also nearby) has a number of impressive works, but I found it a bit cramped. I enjoyed
my visits to the Catacombs and Pere La Chaise cemetery – both a bit off the beaten track. The
stores Colette and Pylones are great. And my favorite neighborhood to walk around in is still the
Marais….

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Dylan’s Paris Notes: 2007

Places I DID go to:

A few other thoughts

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