Parisian Restaurants

I remember, a number of years ago, American Express credit cards held a promotional contest. The prize was a dinner for two at a three-star Paris restaurant that cost about $4,000. This luxury dinner incurred condemnation from the Vatican, which kind of implied that it was an orgy of eating and a scandal to spend this kind of money on food in a world of starving poor people. I think however that most of the money was spent on special, rare wines, which would not make the high price so surprising.

Beth, I haven't eaten there but Le Grand Colbert would fit what you're looking for and I believe is less expensive.

Last week, I watched an episode of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations - in Paris. I went to the website to find more information on a few of the restaurants and saw that the episode is being shown again this Thursday (23rd - on the Travel Channel). It might give you a few ideas. There was one in particular, Le Comptoir, where I am going to try to see if I can get reservations. It's in St. Germain des Pres. Have a great time!

try Le Procope or La Boussole - both great "Parisian" restaurants that are a little more upscale. (Le Procope is more 'touristy' than La Boussole[INVALID]I don't think the latter is a place a lot of Americans/tourists frequent).

I ate once at at La Tour d'Argent many years ago. Their specialty is roast duck. It is a beautiful restaurant in a high rise building with a view of Notre Dame Cathedral. But, it is very expensive (prix fixe dinner 160 Euros according to Michelin Guide), and I couldn't tell you if the food is worth that these days. It used to be a three-star Michelin, but it now has only one star.

My husband and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary at the Jules Verne restaurant in the Eiffel tower. We had a splendid evening:food ,serivce and wine were splendid. It did cost over $600, but we knew that going in. Had read mixed reviews on the restaurant, but we were very glad we went.

I have never spent $300+ on a restaurant, but for a totally gourmet experience, I gather that is not uncommon in France, or even in places like New York or San Francisco. Heck, the famous French Laundry in Yontville (Napa Valley, CA) is that expensive, and you can't even get in without a reservation a month in advance. I wish I was in that financial category, but unfortunately, I am not.

For about the last hundred years, the French have used the Michelin "Red Guide" to pick restaurants. The Michelin restaurant ratings are now available online, google viamichelin, select Restaurants, for location enter 75000 Paris. There are only 10 Michelin 3-star restaurants in all of Paris - if you go to the Michelin website you can see which ones those are. None mentioned by the OP are 3 stars; for example, La Tour d'Argent is 1-star, Taillevent is 2-star, and Le Train Bleu apparently has no stars. Oh dear!

You dont have to go to a 12 star restaurant in Paris to have a memorable meal, most neighbourhood restaurants (especially those full of locals) serve wonderful food.

I totally agree that you don't need to go to a three-star restaurant to get great food in France. Even the one-star Michelin rated restaurants are excellent, as are many less expensive restaurants that Michelin doesn't rate with stars. However, it should be noted that, while it's a lot harder to get a poor or uninteresting meal in France than it is in some other countries, even in Paris there are a lot of restaurants where the food is, shall we say, acceptable, but hardly memorable. You need a guide, such as Michelin, or recommendations by Rick, to sort out the good places from the mediocre.

L'Avant Goût, 13 arrondissement. It's in nearly all the restaurant guides. We were there in July and it was the best meal we had in France. Not totally top-end, but not a hole in the wall. It's a neo-bistro, fresh decor, fresh menu. Higlhly recommended.

Thanks everyone for your recommendations and advice.

Jacques Cagna in the 6th. Wondeful food, atmosphere, and service. They made my husband's birthday really special.

We've done the Eiffel Tower restaurant, twice (different friends with us) and it was worth it. This last May we stopped in at Le Train Bleu and had an absolutely wonderful lunch. The restaurant itself is historic. It had great atmosphere, the waiters were wonderful and the food good. We went to the Pie du Cochon (because Julia Child ate there-why else!) and had a wonderful dinner[INVALID]the best French onion soup ever. We had a wonderful dinner at a restaurant that for a week we passed by every day (it was near our hotel) called something like Le Chien Qui Fume (The Smoking Dog). These and others we have tried are all very nice restaurants, not holes in the wall (which I love also) with good food. Oh, there's also Le Souflet, very small but lovely. There's a book called "The Restaurants of Paris" full of information about the food and history of many of Paris'restaurants. Check it out. Have a great trip.