Clamato
Heard of the impossible reservation that is Septime? Well, owners chef Bertrand Grébaut and Théo Pourriat’s recently opened a no-reservations spot (yes, there is hope!) right next door. Clamato is a casual “seafood bistro,” a fish shack of sorts with a French bent, and one of Paris’s best kept secrets. I say secret not because Clamato flies completely under the radar or anything, it’s just not on anyone’s must-try list and it should be. I actually had a reservation at Taillevant for dinner, but after forty straight days of mostly eating tasting menus at serious restaurants, I wanted something light and not-so-serious. So I wandered over to Clamato and was lucky enough to grab the last open bar stool. Talk about a great vibe: The place is buzzing with chatter, a breeze blowing through the room by way of bay windows...
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L’Arpege
When I think of French food, I think of creamy sauces, rich reductions, and decadent meats. Vegetarian fare? Now, that’s not something I’d ever associate with France. But I recently had over twenty, mind-blowing courses at L’Arpege and most of them were vegetarian, and every one was divine. You see, the chef, Alain Passard, is like the vegetable whisperer, teasing maximum flavor our of nature’s produce, plucked from Passard’s own garden and farm. He earned three Michelin stars at L’Arpege and he deserves every one of them. (In fact, he earned two stars elsewhere at the tender age of 26.) His Onion & Parmesan Gratin with Black Truffles is perfectly caramelized; sweet and savory Cevennes Onions and just plain unforgettable. So is the Vegetable Consommé with Four Ravioli, each tucked with a different vegetable from Passard’s garden; a delicate...
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La Regalade Conservatoire
Most of us don’t have the luxury to pick up and spend two, three weeks, or even a month in another country. (I’m still not sure how I pulled off six weeks in Paris, but I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth.) When you only have a few nights in a country, you have to pick your restaurants very carefully. You google online, pulling up Travel & Leisure, Frommers, Fodor’s and the like, ask a friend who’s been, maybe skim a few, local blogs, then hope for the best. If I had to pick my top five Paris restaurants, I would most definitely include La Regalade Conservatoire and that says a lot. La Regalade is the perfect example of a modern French bistro with authentic French cooking. It’s not one of those been around forever bistros with rickety...
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Aida
Sick of eating French food in France? Hey, it happens. Though it’s an exemplary cuisine, it’s also a decadent one, and sometimes you just need a break, which is what compelled my husband and I to take a night off and eat Japanese. Before you get too excited, I should warn you that most Japanese in Paris aren’t great. In fact, the sushi is downright mediocre. But there are a few, fantastic exceptions and Aida is most definitely one of them. (Thus, all the Japanese guests in the dining room.) That’s because the chef and owner, Koji Aida, came to Paris straight from the countryside of Japan. And after an hour inside this serene oasis in the 7th arrondissement, you may forget your in France entirely. Both the food and the space is traditional teppanyaki with only chef...
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If you’ve spent time traveling abroad, I’m sure you’ve realized it isn’t exactly the easiest thing to make dinner reservations on your own, what with country codes and different time zones. Never mind foreign countries with languages that are foreign to you, too. And it’s even harder to get a table at a hot restaurant where prime time tables are scarce. If you don’t speak the language, you have to rely on your hotel’s concierge to do the negotiating for you. (And if you rented a flat, villa, apartment, or chateau, well, it’s even more impossible.) According to the food blog, Eater, a reservation at Yam’Tcha is one of the “Eleven Toughest Reservations in the World.” (It’s in such esteemed company as Noma, Tickets and The Fat Duck.) Truth be told, one of the reasons it’s so difficult is...
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Le Chateaubriand
Wander by Le Chateaubriand and you’d never guess it was one of the top fifty restaurants in the world, at least according to San Pellegrino’s annual list. In fact, it ranked number nine in 2009, which is no small feat. This humble bistro looks like it’s been around forever: The tables are a weathered wood, the floors made of faded tiles, dim globes hanging from the ceiling, and chalkboards along several walls, featuring wine makers and wines by the glass. Upfront, there’s a quaint bar with a Marzocco coffee maker and a window onto the street. Not exactly what you’d imagine to find at one of the toughest reservations in the world. The menu is a 65 Euro tasting menu, a pretty good deal considering there are over six courses. The most pretentious thing about Le Chateaubriand is its...
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Le Relais Louis XIII
The thing about dining in Paris nowadays is that there are so many modern French restaurants that it’s hard to find a traditional, fine French one. You know, the kind that features Quenelles, Frog Legs Provencale, Sole Meuniere, and a proper Grand Marnier Souffle (I don’t know about you, but I’m salivating already!). Classics are what French food is about really. After eating my way through Paris for six weeks, I’d yet to even spy Quenelles — light-as-air fish dumplings — on a menu. In fact, I was worried this menu warhorse was in danger of extinction. It was actually a local, a born and bred Parisian driver named Thomas, who tipped me off to Le Relais Louis XIII. Now, I’d done plenty of due diligence on where to eat and Louis XIII was not on anybody’s must-try list....
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Breizh Cafe
You can’t go to Paris and not eat crepes. Quelle sacrilege! After all, crepes are one of France’s most beloved street foods, and one of the world’s greatest hangover remedies. (Well, it’s true.) These savory and sweet, wafer- thin pancakes are sold on nearly every corner. Though I prefer to eat them sitting at a table with a bowl of cider (that’s the traditional way to serve it). While there’s no shortage of Creperies in Paris, two of the best happen to be in the Marais: Creperie Suzette, and my all-time favorite, Breizh Cafe. Owner and Brittany born Bertrand Larcher first opened back in 2007 and it’s been packed ever since. Don’t take my word for it: Just check out the crowds spilling out onto the sidewalk on the stylish Rue Vieille du Temple in hopes of a table. My...
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Saturne
There’s a new school of, well, new restaurants in Paris that all seem a lot alike, so I was worried Saturne would feel like deja vu. (A little like Spring, a little like Bones and Roseval.) But it didn’t look much like the others, most of them tiny, no frills spots with not much to look at except your plate. Saturne, on the other hand, is a breezy beauty with soaring ceilings and huge picture windows flung open onto the street on warm days. There’s a second dining room in the back with a glass roof, which is equally as interesting as the front, so don’t fret over which room you’re sat in because they’re both great! The space itself is modern and yet casually elegant, furbished with blonde wood floors, tables and even a wood-topped bar, dark leather banquettes and...
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Rech
Talk about an underrated restaurant: Not once did anyone mention Rech when recommending restaurants to visit in Paris. That’s a mistake. I make to sure hit up Rech every time I head to Paris because it’s all the things you love about France wrapped up in one casually elegant spot. Why? For starters, there’s a terrific selection of Oysters from all over France. But that’s just one of the stellar slurry of shellfish on display outside the entrance of Rech, a compelling lure to step inside and order the Seafood Plateau, brimming with Langoustines, Mussels, Clams, Crayfish, Whelks, Shrimps and I could go on. You could order the Plateau, nibble on great French bread and butter, drink some Chablis and call it a good night here. But then you’d miss the Vegetable Tart, a vibrant melange of spring produce —...
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Astrance
As a foodie, I’ve always wanted to eat at Astrance. It’s one of those great dining legends you hear about, hoping one day you’ll get to experience the magic for yourself. Pascal Barbot & Christophe Rohat’s joint venture earned them three Michelin stars and a spot on San Pellegrino’s Top Fifty Restaurants In the World List for the last decade. How could you go wrong? Something went wrong because I wasn’t wowed or moved much at all. Don’t get me wrong: It’s not that dinner was bad. It’s an entirely elegant and intimate spot (with just twenty five seats), and the service is impeccable. The serene space is spread out over two floors, which are decorated with yellow leather banquettes, sky high ceilings, and charcoal gray walls. And I can’t ignore how fantastic the wine list is because there are...
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L’As Du Fallafel
Paris is one of the last places you would think you’d find mind-blowing falafel, but L’As Du Fallafel’s rendition is better than any I’ve had to date, including in Israel. This is God’s gift to Middle Eastern mezze, though you’d never know it from looking at the ugly green and yellow exterior or no frills dining room, equipped with plastic forks and knives, located in the heart of the Jewish Quarter. Sometimes, I like to walk by this spot just before noon and savor the calm before the storm…
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Le Comptoir Du Relais
Some restaurants have that certain magic you can’t quite put into words. You know, one of those spots that everyone wants to not only see and be seen, but also wants to eat at. That’s not an easy or common combination. Just think about the restaurant at the Hotel Costes. Locals and tourists alike aspire to sit on the terrace at this sceney spot, sipping rose and people watching. But what do they eat? The same thing they eat at every single Hotel Costes restaurant (and there are nearly 100 Costes-owned and run eateries in Paris), and it’s all mediocre at best. Le Comptoir, on the other hand, is one of those few, magical restaurants that manages to be everything to everyone. It’s fashionable without trying to be and the food is terrific. Though it’s been around for...
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Le Dome Cafe
If you’re looking for an old school brasserie to sup on oysters and Chablis, Le Dome in Montparnasse is a fine idea. (Ernest Hemingway and Henry Miller made a regular habit of Le Dome.) With bragging rights to a Michelin star and its own seafood shop just around the corner, the kitchen’s got today’s catch at its fingertips. As is often the case in seafood brasseries in Paris, the shellfish is on jewelry-like display at the entrance of the eatery, everything from Gillardeau and Fines De Claires oysters to Clams, Mussels and Langoustines. The space is a warm, cozy spot (especially good for a chilly night), outfitted in red-and-gold velvet banquettes, wood paneling along the walls and dangling light fixtures shrouded in lampshades. This is a fruits de mer platter kind of spot, so you’ll want to try whatever’s...
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Florence Kahn
You wouldn’t expect to find a boulangerie in the heart of the Marais named after the first Jewish woman to serve in the United States Congress. But there’s nothing American about this shop, easily identifiable by its beautiful, blue and white tile mosaic on the facade. (It’s actually a Paris landmark, which originally opened back in 1932.) In fact, it’s one of the last standing, traditional Jewish bakeries in Paris’s Jewish Quarter, and undoubtedly the best, especially for Pre-War Europe classics…
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Bones
“We could be anywhere but Paris,” my dining companion uttered as we sat down to dinner at Bones. In fact, it feels more like Bushwick, Brooklyn than Paris, France. The servers all speak English and the crowd takes cigarette breaks between each course. This new hotspot looks more like a construction site than a restaurant that’s open for business, taking the notion of ‘bare bones’ to a new level. The floors are cement, the walls completely unfinished and coming undone, some brick, others stone or unfinished plaster, and a metal beam in the center of it all. Just about everything is exposed. Bones is where the hipsters hang out these days, listening to alternative music pumping through the stereo, while feasting on hearts and other eccentric body parts. Dinner here is like an episode of Fear Factor:Food (if that were...
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David Toutain
Full disclosure: I’m not a big fan of the whole molecular gastronomy trend not just in France, but at-large (though I’m more than happy to be proven wrong and I most definitely (and thankfully) am wrong… once in awhile anyway). But like it or not, Paris seems to be embracing this avant-garde school of cooking wholeheartedly, which is why you’ll find so many mad scientists in Parisian kitchens. It’s not that I hate foam and edible dirt and all. I just want to eat good food that tastes like food rather than like an idea. Make no mistake, David Toutain falls into the avant-garde camp of cooking. In fact, David Toutain is one of the most buzzed about of the bunch, which is why I had to take a 12:45 lunch reservation because I couldn’t get in for dinner. (I promise...
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Marche President Wilson
Marché President Wilson is proof that outdoor markets don’t have to be ‘rough and tumble’ so to speak. In fact, this one on the luxe Avenue President Wilson just across from the Seine River is one situated on a very wide and stunning street in the 16th arrondissement. What that means in layman’s terms is room to wander without elbowing your way down the shopping aisles. There’s plenty of room to wander in peace in this airy, al fresco marche with top-notch ingredients (the best in Paris). Look no further than the fish stalls to see the impeccable spreads of seafood & fish – from six types of Escargot to eight varieties of Shrimp, beautiful St. Pierre, Turbot, Flounder, and heaps more all displayed on ice. That’s just the beginning…
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