“Caché is the secret ingredient.”
Not sure I understand. These places like L’As du Fallafel are hardly hidden/ “cachés” Every guide book touts them. Or do you mean “cachet” (pronounced the same as caché) / stamp of approval.
oops. fixed. cachet.
Agreed. But I’m more intrigued by the process of how certain places get elevated into “star” status". Why L’As du Fallafel and not Mi-Va-Mi ?
There is a certain pizza restaurant in Naples, a city of a thousand pizzerie, where visitors stand for hours to get a slice of their pizza. Somehow, it got promoted as the best pizza in Naples by someone somewhere. It would never occur to me to queue for a pizza of all things… and in Naples of all places. The differences between “the best” and the 100th best pizza are so insignificant that they hardly matter.
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Great thread. Allow me to give my perspective, as someone living 300 miles north of Paris in the Netherlands.
First up: I can see how many here would want to go for ‘trad cuisine’, just as I can imagine how locals wouldn’t. Thing is: locals have been eating trad cuisine from when they were young, whereas I haven’t. Hence I want to try traditional French food in France at least once to get a benchmark of how certain dishes should taste. This is the only way to elevate my own cooking.
But will I then always go for trad food? No, I cannot imagine ordering boeuf bourguignon in Paris. In the country side, in winter time? Yes, sure. But not in Paris. It’s just a cheap cut of meat, and imho more fitting to a home kitchen or regional cuisine where they can truly take the time to make it right.
I’d rather go for more luxurious seasonal ingredients, fitting to the great capital that is Paris. Oysters, lobster, white asparagus, turbot, best quality raw beef, and so on. And of course, I can have lots of ‘Parisien’ dishes in Belgium, like blanquette de veau.
Imho choosing a restaurant should be a function of a person’s wants. Fear of missing out, and wanting to boast to your friends back home? Go to some place that is well known among your peers. If it’s a ‘tourist trap’, so be it.
For me, and especially in big cities, I choose a restaurant based on setting and clientele. A restaurant should be like a live theater: people watching, chatting with the staff and locals, admiring good design and furniture, gossiping. And of course good food.
Last summer I went to Le Recamier and had a chicken main which wasn’t that good if I’m honest. I should have ordered better, because I know I don’t like chicken breast. Will I go back? Absolutely. Nothing more fun than sitting on that terrace when the weather is good.
Same for La Rotonde. Two years ago I made reservations in English, and they put us (2) in one of those round luxurious seats - I honestly felt like Macron! 
Those things really matter to me, as a tourist, that they would give such a good table to me. When I went back later that week, they gave us a small table near the windows, with the ‘plebe’, but that was at least as much fun. Another restaurant I’d happily return to.
I’ll be in Paris again next week, with reservations for Virtus. Somehow I have the feeling it will be a disappointment, but let’s see. Always good to try new things!
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As is so often the case, I agree with Parn 100%. The fixation on “the best” in American culture is not only ridiculous, it shows a real lack of understanding of connoisseurship and judgment.
Plus, since when did Paris become the world center of falafel?
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I think the main difference between Parisians and tourists is that we Parisians require variety. A daily diet of trad cuisine that many tourists seem to like would give me food fatigue very quickly.
And yes, boeuf bourguignon is not very parisian. I suspect most Parisiens would prefer a good couscous.
I very much agree about the theatre and vibe of a very good restaurant. There is often a very specific parisian buzz and sense of shared joy that one usually doesn’t get at ultra touristy restaurants. I sometimes suspect that many foreigners, especially Americans, just want the sensation of French food (and the “sensation” of Paris) rather than pleasing the senses. And pleasing the senses is what the parisian lifestyle is all about.
I’m chuffed that you are leaving your comfort zone for the modern French cuisine at Virtus… and a 1-star ! But a very pleasant and casual 1-star with charm. Enjoy the Aligre quartier as well. Lots of possibilities for a before and an after.
@damiano. Over the years on Chowhound, I have recognized your particular preferences and tried to guide you to places that match those preferences even if they are not my own. But please let me know if I seem too bullying at times. (Psst, this is a bit of compliment-mongering here so please respond accordingly. 
)
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I’m with you there. Mi Va Mi is better and also has a crazier atmosphere. And their house made lemonade is great.
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Ah no, no bullying at all! Thanks to you and the other locals here I’ve been visiting Paris more often. And what a treat!
Now that I’ve been visiting Paris more often, I feel comfortable branching out to modern cuisine. Virtus at least looks like a great place indeed, and the reservation process has gone well.
I should also add that I eat out for work a lot, on an expense account, often in more expensive restaurants including Michelin. Even two weeks ago in London, staying four days. But sadly, up until now Paris has not been a city linked to my work. Desperately trying to change that… 
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You’re reminding me of a very nice orange blossom water lemonade sold at one of my favourite Lebanese restaurants in Toronto (Tabule restaurant)
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Speaking of Lebanese, the falafel (among other things) and the lemonade-type drinks at Ma Bayté (Lebanese street food) on rue Grands Degrés in the Quartier Latin are stellar.
I lived in Beirut as kid (school holidays only) when my father was posted there as a diplomat and have quite an affection for Lebanese cuisine. And for the Lebanese (at least those not idiotized by religion)… how can you not like a people who commonly use Arabic, French, and English in one sentence ? Because of colonial connections, lots of Lebanese are French-speaking, there is a huge Lebanese community in France, and the quality of Lebanese cuisine in Paris is usually quite good. My fave restos libanais are the upmarket Liza on rue de la Banque near the Palais Royal and the totally charming O’Bergine on rue Tiquetonne in the Montorgueil quartier. Just in case you have time to stray from trad French.
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I usually do stray from traditional French meals and pastries at least a few times, when I visit France.
I’ve had some nice Chinese, Japanese and North African meals in Paris, Avignon and Metz.
Thanks for mentioning the Lebanese restaurants you like.
I’ve never had (at least that I know of) or made Coq au vin with a white wine base instead of red wine.
I’ll try it with a dry white wine the next time I’m making the dish.
Thanks for the tip.
I make a similar dish using dry white vermouth instead of wine.
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This is exactly why I love Virtus. Shop in the marché, walk around the quartier and then have a great lunch. I much prefer modern French cooking to just about any other type of cuisine. Oh sure, once every few years I’ll go back to Chez Denise and have the lovely beef cheeks and revel in the crowded-in ambiance. Or stop at La Rotonde or elsewhere for a perfectly prepared sole meunière. Or reserve a table at Le Cornichon at the height of the game season. But, although satisfying, it’s not the same experience as what I can find at newer bistros with talented young French chefs.
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And Virtus is such a salutary example of the Paris food culture and meritocratic restaurant scene. It started as a pop-up in another location with another name (Clandestino) and with amazing food at amazingly low prices by a very accomplished and young French-trained Japanese chef and funded by an expat Argentinian who owned a few excellent Argentinian restos in Paris. Then a change of name and a pair of uber-talented and personable Japanese and Argentine chefs in the kitchen when the original chef returned to Japan. Finally, a new name, a move to its current location, and a Michelin star.
There is now a new kitchen team after the stellar Japanese-Argentinian pair of chefs relocated to the Argentine. But the Michelin star is retained. What amazes me is that the “ésprit”, style of cuisine, excellence has been maintained through all these changes from pop-up to 1-star. Just the prices have changed.
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My understanding is that they are back in France cooking at Mirazur in Menton, where Chiyo had been chef de cuisine before coming to Virtus, and are looking around for a place of their own.
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Any specific tips? How about La Baron Rouge and Bluebird?
I’m underwhelmed by Le Baron Rouge but it does have a nice folklorique quality that will appeal to foreigners… and better during the day than at night. Bluebird, an unqualified yes.
The Faubourg St Antoine (this part of Paris that straddles the 11th and 12th and includes the Aligre quartier) is one of the few neighbourhoods in Paris where it’s easy to play it by ear without getting ripped off or ending up in some dire place. Sometimes I just like to explore the many passageways that riddle this area (once the artisanal furniture making quartier of Paris and one of the few intact 18th/ 19th century working class/ artisanal neighbourhoods that was left untouched by the Haussmannien tranformation in the late 19th century). Sometimes I like to peoplewatch from the terrace of Pause Café at the strategic intersection of rues Keller and Charonne. Sometimes cocktail bar-hopping on the rue Keller (once the epicentre of the hardcore gay leather scene but now just trendy Parisians in search of a good cocktail). Sometimes even a dance club like Badaboum or Twenty One (but now getting to feel out of place… the transition to my 40s has not been easy).
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An area where you glance down a passage or into a seemingly uninteresting room and see a table or so of locals seemingly enjoying a tremendously convivial meal.
Nice to see you here, Pti! I second your endorsement of Chez-Dumonet - still the best I’ve ever had in Paris. It’s on the menu once a week at Chez Rene but it dissapoints, and even though the last time I was at Cafe des Musees they were bragging that they were named Best BB in Paris I would say not even close. CInq Mars did a very nice deconstructed BB but really, without the slow braise, that is really something else entirely, even if the basic ingredients were all the same, and quite good. For all the reasons mentioned above, I think it is difficult for most restaurants to handle the amount of time the dish takes. I make it at home a few times each winter. I do marinate, because I think it gives a nice funk to the final dish. I go super low and super slow. Trickiest part is to find the right cut of beef with enough fat to stand up to that amount of time without drying out. I do like the truc of a little chocolate in the end.
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