<< Haute Cuisine || Hip & Hype >>
Le Dôme du Marais: 53bis Rue des Francs-Bourgeois, 4th, M° Rambuteau, ☎ 01 42 74 54 17. Trendy gourmet (€€€). Open Tuesday through Saturday for lunch and dinner.
The amazing interior of this converted church has an engraved glass dome ceiling for a magical ambiance, with high-quality French cuisine favored by the local gallery owners and society-page types. The unique children’s menu is charged according to age (€1.60 for each year).
Le Procope: 13 Rue de l’Ancienne-Comédie, 6th, M° Odéon, ☎ 01 40 46 79 00. Historic brasserie (iii). Open daily, noon to 1am. Reservations recommended.
Supposedly the oldest café in the world (opened in 1686 by an Italian immigrant), Le Procope was once a popular meeting place for the artistic, literary and political high fliers such as Voltaire, Balzac, La Fontaine, Diderot and Benjamin Franklin. Today it’s a brasserie serving elaborate seafood platters and prime cut pepper steaks in richly decorated 17th-century dining rooms. It’s possible to stop by in the late afternoon (between 3:30pm and 6pm) for a coffee or tea at the small bar (a trip to the restrooms upstairs is recommended to get a good look around).
Café Lenôtre at the Pavillon Elysée: Espace Marigny, 10 Avenue des Champs-Elysées, 8th, M° Champs-Elysées-Clémenceau, ☎ 01 42 65 85 10, www.lenotre.fr. Trendy gourmet (€€€). Open daily, 8:30am to 11pm. Reservations recommended weekends.
Lenôtre opened their latest café-boutique-cooking school in the beautiful setting of the historic Pavillon Elysée, under the trees of the “nice” end of the Champs-Elysées. There’s a bar inside overlooking the gourmet food and kitchen boutique, with the restaurant under a giant glass pavilion and terrace seating in warmer weather. The décor is both modern and elegant, much like the clientele. Food choices range from dainty salads and quiches for small appetites to traditional steak fillet and foie gras dishes. Save room for the famous Lenôtre desserts. Sunday brunch is particularly popular for people watching, so be sure to reserve your seat and wear your Sunday best.
Brasserie Flo: 7 Cour des Petites Ecuries (entrance at 63 Rue du Faubourg St-Denis), 10th, M° Château d’Eau, ☎ 01 47 70 13 59, www.floparis.com. Alsace brasserie (€€-€€€). Open daily, noon to 3pm and 7pm to 1am. Valet parking evenings.
This is the first of the Brasseries Flo dotted all over Paris. This one is hidden down a long pedestrian passage in a neighborhood known more for its Indian restaurants than traditional Alsatian brasseries. Inside is a step back into the early 1900s, with intricate wood paneling and stained glass windows. The professional, attentive staff serve up huge platters of seafood and hearty pork and sauerkraut dishes from Alsace. There’s a €23 formule available at lunch and after 10pm.
L’Oulette: 15 Place Lachambeaudie, 12th, M° Cour St-Emilion, ☎ 01 40 02 02 12. French gourmet (€€€€). Open Monday through Friday, noon to 2:15pm; and Monday through Saturday, 8 to 10pm.
This contemporary restaurant is off the beaten track, hidden on a small square dominated by a Gothic church, Notre-Dame-de-Bercy. It’s worth seeking out for the top quality gourmet cuisine of Mediterranean and Southwestern specialties praised in all the French food guides. For budget diners there’s a lunch menu for €28.
Le Dôme: 108 Boulevard du Montparnasse, 14th, M° Vavin, ☎ 01 43 35 25 81. Historic brasserie (€€€€). Open daily for lunch and dinner until midnight. Reservations recommended.
This may not be the trendiest Montparnasse brasserie, but it’s definitely one of the most authentic, with its 1930s spirit still heavy in the air. But don’t just come for the history, Le Dôme is the place to be if you’re looking for some serious seafood. The megasole meuniere will set you back €35, but the five-kilo fish just isn’t the same elsewhere, and people travel from all over the world for the bouillabaisse.
Pavillon Montsouris: Parc Montsouris, 20 Rue Gazan, 14th, M° Cité Universitaire, ☎ 01 43 13 29 00, www.pavillon-montsouris.fr. Gourmet French (€€€€). Open daily for lunch, Monday through Saturday for dinner (dinner reservations recommended). Valet parking.
Dine in the bucolic setting of the Parc Montsouris, overlooking the lake, at this late-19th-century pavilion. Completely renovated in 2002, it has a subtle colonial décor with pale colors and floor-to-ceiling windows. The traditional French gourmet cooking has a southern influence with Mediterranean flavors. Everyone gets a menu (€49; €15.50 for kids), with fish, meat and vegetarian options, cheese platter included. The summer terrace is particularly romantic at night.
Le Châlet des Iles: Lac Inférieur du Bois de Boulogne, 16th, M° Rue de la Pompe or RER Henri Martin (then take the boat from the Embarcaderie at the east side of the Lac Inférieur), ☎ 01 42 88 04 69, www.lerivercafe.net. Trendy/modern (€€€€). Open Monday through Saturday for lunch and dinner, Sunday non-stop noon to 5pm. Valet parking.
As soon as the first days of spring arrive, this island restaurant in the Bois de Boulogne becomes packed with Parisians and affluent suburbanites in designer-sunglasses. Originally built by Napoleon III for his wife, the Châlet des Iles has been beautifully restored to its period décor. The menu includes modern interpretations of traditional seafood, meat and pasta dishes, with an affordable Formule Châlet for just €23 (Monday through Saturday). Be sure to reserve a seat on the terrace.
Au Claire de la Lune: 9 Rue Poulbot, 18th, M° Abbesses, ☎ 01 42 58 97 03. Traditional (€€€€). Open for lunch Tuesday through Saturday, and dinner Monday through Saturday until 11:30pm. Reservations recommended for dinner.
This popular Montmartre restaurant is on a quiet street around the corner from the Espace Dali museum. Classically prepared French dishes are served by attentive staff in a comfortable dining room decorated with murals depicting Parisian life. It’s a nice, if pricey, escape from the frenzied atmosphere of the Place du Tertre.
<< Haute Cuisine || Hip & Hype >>
