Just a little warning for visitors to Paris: the cafe La Palette is recommended by Rick in his Paris guidebook as part of the real cafe culture of the Left Bank (it's mentioned in the Left Bank walking tour), but unfortunately I can't second the recommendation.
The service was rude and abrupt. The cappuccino I ordered arrived slopped into the saucer. No glass of water, no biscotti, not even the button-sized, plastic-wrapped ones they like so much in Paris...while I watched other guests getting those amenities two tables away. These may seem like small details, but I got to pay 6.70 euro for the privilege and had to flag down a different waiter because mine was on a 30 minute smoke break in the back.
I've been to France several times and am used to the foibles of Parisian table service. This wasn't that, it was just pure lousy, surly service, the kind that sends travelers back home with tales of how rude the French are. With a reported 12,000 cafes in Paris, you can do better than La Palette.