An American (chinos) in Paris ???

I think my husband regretted his choice when he saw a neighboring table served the lamb stew.

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I’m so jealous it isn’t even funny. I miss Paris.

For seafood we have always enjoyed Avant Comptoir in the 6th. Very small place behind those plastic freezer curtains of a seafood vendor (or at least in appearance) . Menu posted on the ceiling based on what’s fresh. Mounds of salty butter on the bar.

It’s been a few years since we’ve been now - hope it is still there and as we remember.

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Planning to hit #3 Bouillon Julien tomorrow. Wife declared tomorrow “Husband Day”, yay!! I suspect that the fact many of the seafood venue options are not open on Monday and the threat of rain prompted her generous gesture. :slight_smile:

Hit up Padra Alta for lunch today, a Portuguese seafood restaurant. Incredible value. We opted for cooked stuff for a rare change, deviating from our (her) usual raw seafood focus. (Wife claims the raw menu items were even cheaper than street stall prices)

More than we needed for lunch. A cacophony of Crustaceans & Bivalves on Shoestring potatoes, pot of mussels/scallops/squid rice in tomato broth, frites and a litre of Sangria.

Our seating karma going STRONG. After a reasonable wait, the corner deuce against the window.

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I only know about oysters. I like them at Pleine Mer, Huitrerie Regis, Le Vent d’Armor, and other places. I don’t have my Paris info with me right now. We’re still in Manhattan.

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Yeah, Monday isn’t easy. Maybe check with this list…

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I had a few good meals when Julien was still a brasserie under another ownership, would be glad to know your view. Depending what you expect, the reviews are a mixed bag.

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Monday was Husband Day. Stroll to Arc de Triumph, graze en route of course, then pre-dinner rush meal at Bouillon Julien. That was the plan.

Walking down the Champs-Elysées savoring some earlier food memories, wife “mentions” an outpost of Pedra Alta conveniently mere metres away. “A small appetizer and some vino before dinner”? Had me at vino.

Grand Plateau D’Oleron.
Pour une Personne (for one)

12 Oysters

1 Brown Crab - totally packed with roe and “insides”.

2 Vernis? Razor Clam?

100 gr - Prawns. Guessing 25/30’s? Will return just for this.

100 gr - Shrimp deep water

100 gr Whelks. All mine. Wife had turned to Elephant Woman on previous exposures. :frowning:

2 Langoustines - prefer great prawns personally.

1 Crab Velvet Swimming. Fun.

3 Dog Cockles (clams). We’re raw clam lovin’ people.

75gr Periwinkle- not hungry enuff to tackle. She said good.

6 Mussels- MUCH better off the street stall of a couple days ago.

Crevettes (40/50) - tad too small for me.

3 Prairie Clams - clams half shell. Yum.

1 Big Clam - that was bloody good.

We enjoyed this raw meal even more than the cooked version a couple days ago. Very good.

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Wow, for 1?! Even with no dinner after, it was a lot of food.

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Yeah. It’s all good. Husband day ended with eats in the comfort of our room. Julien postponed until today, pics to follow.

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What was the 2nd dessert with Paul 130 ans?

OMG! That is a feast!

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If you like classic pastries, I would recommend Stohrer (51 Rue Montorgueil, 75002 Paris). Well, on the same street, don’t miss Fou de Patisserie (45, rue Montorgueil) which sells the signatures pastries of the few famous chefs in town, but cheaper than the chefs’ own stores.

A very enjoyable meal at Julien. Normally not a fan of this style of decor, but in this instance the setting was just right. Our server turned out to be the floor manager as well. A pleasant personable fellow, made for a relaxing memorable lunch.

Foie is/will be banned in California, so we indulged. For our limited experience, very good. Endive Salad was just ok. A tad wilted with drab muted flavors. Pass.

Steak and Potatoes hit the spot. Medium Rare as ordered, not overly tender. Worth the €13 menu price.

Veal Head was superb! Tender juicy meat complemented by a subtle creamy sauce. Will be dreaming of this dish.

While we were waiting for our desserts, the manager slid an extra carafe of wine on our table with a wink, a smile and a sly finger tap on his lips. Our secret. :wink:

A well appreciated gesture of hospitality. We’ll be back!

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The veal head sounds great.

A funny story. Long time ago, I brought my (language) class there for a farewell meal, there was an US among them, don’t know why he got very upset with the place and kept saying it was a place for nouveau rich. He is an architect and usually very sensible, maybe he thought the art nouveau decor was fake?!

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Hahaha, that’s funny!! As I mentioned, that is not usually my cup of tea. But since it is truly authentic, it was easy to take it in and enjoy.

We went to the Eiffel Tower yesterday, and thought: better renditions in Vegas and Macao!!! NOT!

Sure they are smaller elsewhere. What’s the difference?

Don’t like the fact they placed the glass to protect around the place. (Since last year?)

That was a so-so mille-feuille, thought the lemon tart better. Wife loves Paul.

Train food:

Pan au Chocolat, Bread Stick and Sausage Roll. I could have waited out the 6 hour ride to Barcelona. Wife? No.

Funny train story. Wife eagerly gathered a bunch of bentos and beverages for her very first bullet train ride, Kyoto to Kobe. I tried to tell her the ride time is quite short. She was not to be dissuaded.

Board the train. Settled in. She starts to unpack and spread out her bounty. Train intercom announces eminent arrival to Kobe. I treasure my life, so did not give her a “I Told You So”! :slight_smile:

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Haha! Yeah face that with hubby. Unlike you, I usually confront, and get the BANG! LOL.

6 hour is a long ride. We just returned from a 4.5 hour ride Monday night (1+2.5+1: local train + fast train TGV + another local train ).

You can find Paul everywhere, even in London, and I bet in US. Not exciting but somehow glad when needed one in train station.