Photos and Post by Susan McKee, PlanetEye Traveler
Parisians raised dining to an art form centuries ago, and visitors to the City of Light have been enjoying the results ever since. From that first sip of cafe au lait in the morning, through a croque monsieur lunch and on to a four-course dinner capped with a snifter of cognac, eating out is meant to replenish both the body and the soul. Don’t expect a quick bite, unless you’re selecting a crêpe from a sidewalk vendor or picking up a baguette filled with sliced meat and cheese in a bakery to eat sitting on a nearby park bench. Dining is leisurely in Paris: savor the experience.
There are many choices, and it’s fun to select different kinds of restaurants. On a recent trip, I found a whole new-to-me group of restaurants to recommend, from Thai to classic bistro to tourist mecca.
Chez Georges
Some restaurants are so popular that they don’t always answer their telephones (and, with some, it’s not possible to make a reservation online). One of these is the venerable Chez Georges (1 Rue du Mail, Paris, 2nd arondisement.
Chez Georges, which opened near La Bourse (the stock exchange) in 1964, is run by three generations of the Brouillet family and has a loyal clientele. It specializes in comfort food or, in French, la cuisine bourgeoise. Just be sure you end up at this Chez Georges, and not one of the other (less notable) restaurants in Paris with the same name!
Thaïm
Thaïm (46 rue de Richelieu, Paris, 2nd arondisement - map) is a very elegant, small restaurant decorated with lavender and touches of gold (even the plates — square, of course — were a light shade of purple). Thaim focuses on fusion food – if you’re looking for delicate, well done south east asian delicacies, Thaim is your spot!
Le Dôme
Another venerable Paris institution is Le Dôme (108 Boulevard du Montparnasse, Paris, 14th arondisement that’s been known for its seafood since it opened in 1898. Seafood stars here, and you can’t go wrong starting with oysters. Besides, don’t you want to have a meal where everyone from Vladimir Lenin to Ernest Hemingway has dined? It’s even mentioned in
Henry Miller’s Tropic of Cancer.
Le Jules Verne
OK, so it’s probably as touristy an upscale restaurant as you can find in Paris, but lunch at Le Jules Verne (in the Eiffel Tower, Avenue Gustav Eiffel, Paris, 7th arondisement is a must. It’s an Alain Ducasse restaurant, so the menu is inventive if limited. But, then there’s the view. Right out the window: all of Paris at your feet. Take the dedicated elevator up to the restaurant, for amazing views. The menu is somewhat limited (and extravagantly expensive: the menu déjeuner at 85 € offered three courses with three choices each).
Ze Kitchen Galerie Restaurant
Reservations at Ze Kitchen Galerie Restaurant (4 Rue des Grands Augustins, Paris, 6th arondisement are almost impossible to snag at the last minute, so beware! This is contemporary haute cuisine served in an intensely 21st century setting. The tasting menu offers seven courses, each of which was a delicious work of art — from the fish eggs through the cucumber gazpacho, gnocchi, codfish and black pork right through the chocolate and raspberry dessert.
Make sure to find wonderful accompanying Paris short term accommodation to your perfect meal!
