Feedback/Reviews on a couple of food and drink experiences in Paris

I did an O'Chateau tasting in 2017. It was excellent. We did it at the bar and the bartender was wonderful.

You can take a Seine cruise almost any time you want and I recommend taking one . However, the dinner cruises get bad reviews

Ducasse sur Seine receives fabulous reviews.

https://www.ducasse-seine.com/fr

The restaurants of Alain Ducasse are some of the most prestigious and highly rated in Paris.

I have done O Chateau on two different trips. The first he was still doing the tastings in his apartment! The second was as described above, at the bar. We very much enjoyed both. If it matters to you it was all in English. I believe they also do in a separate room with a group. I like the version at the bar where we could select and ask questions just the two of us. But I have been on other group wine tastings and that can be fun too with others perspectives.

Others on RS have mentioned about a Seine river cruise with champagne. Maybe a nice treat but without the expense (and possible disappointment) of a full dinner cruise.

Sounds like O'Chateau it is! Ducasse sur Seine looks great....expensive, but looks good!

I'll do a bit more looking and see if we can find an evening champagne cruise. I'd like to avoid a boat with hundreds of people on it as I don't want to fight the crowds. Seeing Paris at night would be cool.

Thanks!

Admittedly, Ducasse sur Seine costs more than the typical river cruise, but it offers a great deal more and is a reponse to those stating to just take any river cruise and eat elsewhere.

I have not tried Calife, but I understand that what they offer is worthy of the effort to enjoy a dinner cruise:

https://www.calife.com/

La Dernière Goutte, in the 6th, also has popular wine tasting classes which are modestly priced:

https://ldgparis.com/

Thanks Tocard! Le Calife, while expensive, isn't as much as the Ducasse sur Seine. I'll explore this a bit more and see. Much appreciated!

hey hey Jed
we did this seine river cruise: getyourguide.com
paris: 1 hour seine river champagne cruise with 3 tastings
we really like it, didn't seem so crowded. after that short cruise we went up to trocadero area and sat outside table to have appetizers. it was busy and a little crowded but we had the view of eiffel tower and the blinking lights, the took a tuk tuk back to apartment. greta night.
we preferred no dinner on cruise so could enjoy the sites and scenes. i also like champagne and wanted to taste the local ones and not any of the ones/brands we can buy in the states. we also took the train out to reims and did a tour of the main square and church then in a CV2 car thru vineyards and stopped at private winery. on way back to train station we stopped at a restaurant on main avenue and our gang of 4 friends had a flight of local champagnes to taste with appetizers. have a great time
aloha

A friend went on the Le Calief dinner cruise on the Seine and raved about it so much that I'm booking it for a trip this fall. Chefs prepare the food on board, which makes it a higher quality meal than what you will likely get on the ships where the food is catered (brought on board ready to serve). Le Calief is a 2 hour cruise that begins at 8:45 p.m. It gets great reviews. Current prices are 149€ for the "Royal menu" (4 courses plus champagne, a bottle of wine (for 2 people), a bottle of mineral water, coffee/tea) and 97€ for the "Calief menu" (3 courses, no included beverages other than a cocktail before dinner.) In each menu, there are several choices for each course.

My husband and I had the pleasure of experiencing an O'Chateau wine tasting way back in 2005 when the proprietor, Oliver Magny, offered this out of his own apartment in the 11th arrondissement. He'd started the business 18 months earlier, first renting space in restaurants while he renovated his loft apartment to be able to accommodate his guests. We and two other couples enjoyed a very intimate tasting experience. Oliver was delightful and we really learned so much from him! I've often thought that we should try another O'Chateau wine tasting to see how the business has grown and changed over the years. According to the website, Oliver and his partner opened the largest wine bar in Paris in 2011. I'm sure there's a whole staff of employees now, making it unlikely we could re-connect with Oliver himself.

Another two thumbs up for Le Calife. Excellent experience for my wife and I back in May 2019.

Thanks for the feedback on the boat tours. I was looking at the Royal menu it it mentioned wine but it was unclear if that was a paired tasting with each course or not? Sounds like a glass of champagne and a bottle of wine then. That’s the one we’re leaning towards. Thanks!

Just a comment about Le Calief, info that I've learned because I'm in the process of booking this myself, for a group of 10. I saw from the website that they now require payment in full at time of booking. This is a change, in that the last time I was on their website, booking required a 30% deposit, with the balance paid on board. I didn't see any cancellation terms and conditions on the website, so I emailed to get those. At first they accidentally emailed me the outdated terms and conditions, so I could see that if you had to cancel but it was more than 7 days in advance, you got a 100% refund of your 30% deposit, and if you canceled more than 48 hours in advance but less than 7 days in advance, you got a 50% refund of that deposit. When I pointed out that the old terms and conditions were sent, she apologized and sent the new ones. You pay in full at time of booking and if you have to cancel, and it is less than 3 months in advance, you get no refund. They do issue a credit voucher but it has to be used within 3 months. If you cancel more than 3 months in advance, you get a 50% refund. I think we're still going to book it. We have travel insurance that would cover this loss if we have to cancel our trip. I do think it's a little harsh that if we book this and have to cancel, they keep the whole 970€ to 1490€ (our price range, depending on what menu each person orders) despite the ability to give our table to someone else.

Thanks Vicki, I was looking for the same thing and couldn’t find it. Indeed, it’s a bit harsh. I’ll do some sunny bookings looking out this next week or so to see if they fill up or if they have openings within a week of booking and maybe roll the dice a bit and wait a little longer to book.

Thanks for the heads up!