A small list of restaurants

Hi,

I%26#39;ve been doing some research, and I came up with a list of restaurants that I%26#39;d like to try. If anyone has an opinion on one of these, or who has another favorite, please let me know.

I%26#39;m leaving for Paris on Thursday :)))

Thanks

Here they are:

http://www.laperouse.fr/actualite/

http://www.ateliermaitrealbert.com/

http://www.pomze.com/

http://www.vagenende.fr/

http://www.bastide-odeon.com/

Allard, 41 rue St-André-des-Arts, 6th Tel 01 43 26 48 23, Mº Odéon

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Fodors.com does a really good review of all the Paris resturants.

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Ate at Allard some years ago and found it was full of Americans rather than Parisians. Nevertheless it is atmospheric and the food is good, though you had better like rare beef and half a pound of olives on the duck with olives. Booking well in advance required. We had a 9.00pm booking and finally got in at about 10pm.

Atelier Maitre Albert is connected with Guy Savoy as is Les Bouquinistes on the Quay des Augustines. We ate at Les Bouquinistes and it was lovely, professional service, garnishes to fit with the dish. Guy Savoy itself was without a doubt the best restaurant experience ever for us but it cost accordingly. With a modest wine you would still be up for about E500 a couple.

A noted food writer gave me these recommendations. The email was a private communication so I will not identify the writer.

%26quot;In the meantime I have a new favourite in Paris called L%26#39;Ami Jean, in Rue Malar just off Rue Saint Dominique, not far from the Eiffel Tower. It is one of the new %26#39;bistronomique%26#39; bistros, where young chefs take over an old bistro and do traditional food but in their own style - a movement credited to Yves Camdebord of Le Comptoir, which is hard to get in to but also well worth a visit. To me this is the very best way to eat in Paris these days, with one foot in the past and one in the future.%26quot;

%26quot;L%26#39;Ami Jean was an old Basque bistro, very small, cosy ,wooden, looks really old-fashioned, but the young chef Stephane Jego is very driven, yelling away

in the open kitchen and sending out the most wonderful, precise, full-flavoured food. It sounds very rustic - pork, confit, lentils, saucisson etc but it is very polished, and so delicious. You can start with a panier of whole salamis, chorizo etc with a huge pot of country terrine, and pot of cornichons and bread and such beautiful salty butter, or I had a little tripe topped with a fat fresh oyster wrapped in lard, on tiny lentils

that was superb. Waiters are fast, no-fuss. It has been written up in the US recently damn it, but still most of the diners are French, at least after

8.30 they are. Must book. There is a generous prix fixe menu of 32 Euro, but we went a la carte and drank like fish and got up to about 130Euros.

27 Rue Malar 7th Tel 0147058689 Metro - ecole militaire.

As for the big night, we had a very good dinner at Helene Darroze in Rue d%26#39;Assas, but because she is from the southwest there is a lot of foie gras

and duck. Its a lovely romantic place, very generous - country jambon to start sliced at the table, loads of breads, etc in the style of alain

ducasse, and very refined. She just got her second michelin star this year.

Otherwise I would recommend Astrance, (but it is notoriously hard to get into because it is quite small). For completely over the top two star

experience in a gorgeous dining room, try Le Meurice, where Yannick Alleno is cooking beautfully.

Also I like Atelier Joel Robuchon, a very modern presentation ( like a glossy sushi bar) of very French food, lots of buzz, but the counter seating

annoys some people.%26quot;

%26quot;Knowing that you like Guy Savoy I would reccomend a new place of his called Atelier Maitre Albert, a lovely stone-walled casual ( well, French-style

casual) place on the left bank (in Rue Maitre Atelier) with a giant rotisserie, wine bar, etc. We had a lovely meal of Lyonnaise salad, roast chicken, outrageous potato dishes, veal shank, etc. A really smart, clever place that is very good value - the new Allard perhaps?.%26quot;

Please note that things in quotation marks are from this other source, not from me. I am very grateful to this writer%26#39;s generosity in assisting us with some choices.

I hope this helps with some choices and I hope your wallet is deep. Bon appetit.

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Wow! That%26#39;s fantastic! I%26#39;m so grateful for your list of suggestions. Thanks so much!

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I ate at both Atelier Maitre Albert and L%26#39;ami Jean on my recent visit in September. I liked the first much better--the food at L%26#39;Ami Jean was very good, but the rushed service and very crowded conditions made it a less than ideal experience (partly because I was looking forward to it so much and had such high expectations, I think). Atelier Maitre Albert was a place we just happened upon one night, and it was great.

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Forgot to add--my other favorite place was Mon Vieil Ami on Ile St. Louis.

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Le Square in the Cambronne area, 10 mins walk SE from the Eiffel Tower- best steak I%26#39;ve ever had!

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I%26#39;m grateful for all your suggestions and I am printing this page as we speak. I%26#39;m off to Paris tomorrow, so I%26#39;m quite anxious!

I%26#39;ll have to report on my experiences when I get back...

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Have a wonderful time and take a little camera to photograph the restaurants and the food and a note book to write things down in. We want all the details!

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I can%26#39;t remember the name of it, but we went to a restaurant specialising in South West/Basque cuisine and that was near the Ecole Militaire/Rue Cler/Eiffel Tower area. As we have had many, many happy weeks spent in the South West/Basque area we decided to make this our last evening meal in Paris.

DO NOT GO THERE.

You will know it because the front area is a shop where you can buy tinned goods, and Basque food in jars.

The restaurant seems to just empty these tins onto the plate and heat them up.

Overpriced and the food was the most disgustingly poor effort I have ever had the misfortune to eat in all my meals in Paris.

Just thought I%26#39;d warn you as some Basque restaurants were mentioned in the thread.

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Stop and go no further-The food authority is Patricia Wells. I am praying she reissues her %26quot;Food Lovers Guide to Paris%26quot;. Always totally on the mark and great choices in every price range and area of Paris. Until that happens, on her web site www.patriciawells.com, she has her current favorites.