[Idyllchat] Food in Paris

Mon Dec 17 15:21:42 EST 2007

Dear Paula,
    I've got to put in my 2 cents' worth, because Jane overlooked a couple of good choices for inexpensive meals in Paris.
    Chez Clement is a chain of reasonable-priced, good restaurants in Paris.  I believe there are 6 different locations for them in the city and they are in some guidebooks, but they are not a tourist rip-off.  There is even a Chez Clement on the Champs Elysee just about directly across the boulevard from the McDonalds.
    Untours recommended Chez Vincent, which is in the 9th Arrondissement.  We were there in 1995 and it was an excellent choice.  Inexpensive and very cozy, with an unlimited smorgasbord of hors d'oeuvres included in your prix fixe dinner price.  Only trouble is, I remember we had a hard time finding it and got lost after dinner and ended up in the red light district of Rue Pigalle.
    Jane mentioned L'Escure to you already, located in a small alley near the American Embassy and the Place de Concorde.  If I remember correctly, it is the Rue St. Denis.  It is worth hunting for.  The prices are reasonable, the food and service are good and the ambiance is great.
    Try the big department stores -- Printemps and Galleries Lafayette -- for a good lunch reasonably-priced, plus they are fun to go into and look around.  Your granddaughter should love shopping there and you can go up to the roof of one of them for a great view of Paris at no cost.  Almost as good as the view from the Arc d' Triomphe.  One of them also has a beautiful colored glass dome as the centerpiece of the store.
    Last, there are tons of street vendors (maybe not in January, but there are in the summer months) who sell good sandwiches and hot dogs and beverages of all kinds.  Jane and I often have our lunch from a stand on the street and sit on a park bench to enjoy it and watch the world go by.  
    Another really good option is a bakery (boulangerie) or pastry shop (patisserie). They are all over Paris.  They usually have an array of sandwiches and snacks, and beverages, that are wonderful and inexpensive.
    Remember, too, that most little restaurants have tables and a stand up food or snack bar.  The sit-down food is lots more expensive than the stand-up food.  However, if you sit down, you generally have use of that table for as long as you like.
    Hope this helps.
    Enjoy your trip.
    Phil King
    Spring Lake, MI
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Paula Ahlborn 
  To: pandjking at sbcglobal.net 
  Sent: Monday, December 17, 2007 11:17 AM
  Subject: RE: [Idyllchat] Food in Paris

  Hi Jane - Hey, thanks so much for the good advice.   Paula

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    From: pandjking at sbcglobal.net
    To: pbahlborn at hotmail.com
    Subject: Re: [Idyllchat] Food in Paris
    Date: Sun, 16 Dec 2007 21:27:11 -0500

    Dear Paula,

    Lucky you!  Paris is one of my favorite cities, and we're planning to return there in 2009.

    Avoid the restaurants in the guidebooks--they're usually overpriced and crawling with tourists (because they're in the guidebooks and people don't know where else to eat!).  The easiest thing to do is to walk down the street and read the menus posted on the sidewalk so you can judge whether the food and the price agree with you.  As a general rule, places on the side streets or a block or two away from the main sights will be more reasonable (and just as good or better) than the ones right next door or across the street from the tourist places.  The "menu" (means a prix fixe meal; the French word for menu is "la carte") is a good buy--you usually get your choice of three appetizers, three main dishes, and three desserts, sometimes with a half-bottle of wine thrown in.  One of our favorite little restaurants for a good meal at a (for Paris) reasonable price is L'Escure, in a little alley off the Champs Elysees around the corner from the American Embassy.  It's tiny (seats maybe 20 people inside and another 20 outside in good weather), very old and atmospheric with its low beamed ceiling and strings of garlic and onions, and the last time we were there (2003) the complete menu with wine was 20€ per person.

    There is a book called "Cheap Eats in Paris" that you may be able to get from your library;  that's how we found L'Escure.  You don't mention your granddaughter's age, but if she's young enough to think she's going to die without a hamburger you can find McDonald's, TGI Friday's, etc. all over town.  (NB:  We've never eaten at a European McDonald's, but we've ducked in to use their restrooms.  The restrooms in the large department stores are also clean and usually free.  The automated porta-johns which clean themselves after each use were great, but they shut them down just after 9-11.)  

    Jane
    Spring Lake, MI
      ----- Original Message ----- 
      From: Paula Ahlborn 
      To: idyllchat at lists.untours.com 
      Sent: Sunday, December 16, 2007 8:46 PM
      Subject: [Idyllchat] Food in Paris

      My granddaughter and I will be in Paris the first week in January.  Could any of you suggest restaurants that are reasonably priced for us?  We expect to be all over the city, so don't limit your suggestions to any specific area.  Thanks so much for your help.

      Paula

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