We are currently in Paris and had lunch at AT last week. We were spurred on by the Paris By Mouth recent review…or should I say re-review. We had the same menu she did and found it delicious.
Perception is not to be missed and Petrelle is wonderful.
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Thanks very much for the note on AT. It’s probably going to have to wait for my next trip to Paris though. I am mostly set for my upcoming trip — Le Clarence for lunch, and Petrelle for dinner. The rest of the meals I am going to keep a la carte — so many to choose from — Des Terres, Le Goncourt, Servan, ChoCho, Passerini…
Chopped Alliance and Jeanne Aimee. I have room for one more set-menu dinner, and am agonising over a choice between Perception and. Geosmine. Gotta just pick one soon!
Will report back when done with the trip for sure.
We ate at both Perception and Geosmine within the last two weeks. If I had to choose one, it would be Geosmine, but both are worth a visit.
Hello Barbara and PN,
Greetings from Toronto!
I too am currently experiencing the same agony and indecision pertaining to my one remaining Michelin meal in Paris and am desperately seeking additional help and feedback.
Initially, based on its stellar reputation and high 4.8/5.0 Google Review rating; La Liste rating of #54 compared to the 2* David Toutain #69 and Septimes #120. I have marked down ’ Alliance '…95 Euro - 4 steps lunch as my choice.
However, Barbara’s thumbs-up endorsement of Geosmine is making me reconsider. Their 4.9/5.0 Google rating plus its fantastic looking offer of only 109 Euro for 8 steps and 139 Euro for a whopping 11 steps look such a fantastic deal!
Shall I gamble with a new, up & coming star or run with an established master? ( Have eliminated L’Arcane, La Condesa, AT and Monte based on past experiences )
Lastly, to make matters even worse, I just came across the 5.0/5.0, highly raved and incredibly enticing ’ Hemicycle '! …and it’s just a short 12 minutes walk from our hotel! 
Charles,
My apologies for the delayed response. We just returned from Paris and are still “digging out”. I would always go for the new and the up and coming at least once during a trip. I agree that the review of Hemycycle sounds interesting and we will probably work that into our next trip.
We went to David Toutain pre-pandamic and absolutely hated it. It just was not our kind of “place”. Eating in restaurants is so personal and there is so much more that the food that enters into the experience.
Enjoy your trip. I look forward to your report when you return.
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Hi Barbara,
I’m still planning my December trip so look forward to hearing where you went and how you felt about your choices. As you say, it’s not just the food but how one experiences a place. Welcome back.
Hi KJ,
Most of the “usuals” were great. Keep in mind that we only eat out for lunch.
Alliance-wonderful as always. We went 3x.
Ocktobre-Great food and service, but very hard wooden chairs with no cushions. We are in our 80’s and notice things such as this.
Janine-Lovely with fine food and a great staff.
Petrelle-Divine…what more can I say. It has all been said already.
Mezenay-Lots of fun with great food. Staff is delightful.
AT-We went because Paris By Mouth re-reviewed it while we’re in Paris and it was close to our rental apartment. Interesting, but not a “knockout”. When the wine we ordered was not available, I had to decline two bottles that were offered because they were 25Euros more than our original choice. Nothing really wrong with the place, but not worth a return trip.
Substance-What a sublime surprise in this neighborhood. Wonderful food, great staff; however,
visiting the toilette is not for the faint of heart if you are in your 80’s. Poorly lit winding wooden staircase with no handrails. Oh, to be young again!
We had one of my sisters as our guest for one of the weeks we were there. She had never been to Paris, so we included some “touristy” things, which led to some surprises.
Les Ombres-Despite all of the bad reviews, we hit it on a good day. Good food, great service…overpriced, of course. However, even having been to Paris many times,
sitting
and looking out at the Eiffel Tower (at eye level)
was pure joy.
Alain Ducasse Luncheon Cruise-Quelle horreuer…not us. But, I knew my sister would love it. Surprise, surprise, we did too. The food is cooked on board and it is delicious. The service is good and, of course, the views are wonderful. While perusing the wine list,I spotted a bottle of Rose from a well known producer for 35 Euros and snapped it up. It turns out that it was the last. bottle. This was my finest hour.Thank you Chef Ducasse.
Tour d’Argent-Once again for my sister. We had been thee one before pre-COVID. This was a major disappointment. The renovated dining room is lovely. The food was good. The staff is disorganized and harried. The Maitre D is a pompous ass. I had to pour the last third of our bottle of “overpriced” wine. No big deal,but at their prices ??? This is a “must miss”.
Sleeper…if you can tame one snotty waiter, Le Sargeant Recruiter on Ile St Louis serves a very nice lunch.
Have a wonderful trip and please forgive any typos or misspellings. We are out of town watching our grandkids while our son and daughter-in-law travel and I composed this on my IPad.
BTW, if anyone else is reading this, we are take the aforementioned son and his family to Paris over the Christmas holidays. Does anyone have any suggestions as to where to have Christmas lunch that does not involve re-financing our home.
A votre sante !
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Great report Thanks!
Yes, a terrific report! And Alliance three times - I’m jealous. How long were you in Paris?
I’ve looked at possible bookings at places friends have enjoyed for Christmas day, but they were all booked. I’ll keep thinking. Of course you could always go back to Les Ombres for 338€ per person! :))
Thanks. I enjoy yours also.
We were there for three weeks. We rented a glorious apartment on Isle St Louis.
Les Ombres for Christmas lunch for six people would involve refinancing the house ! We might have to settle for Picard.
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Fun frank report! I’m curious about the ages of your grandkids. My spring onion is almost 9 and I wonder if he’s ready for a trip to Paris (he’s well-traveled but big cities can be tough).
Great and most useful report!! …especially for someone like myself with an upcoming trip on the horizon.
My preliminary eating itinerary turned out to be a most challenging and indecisive one to compile! So many choices so little time!
So far, it includes:
La Poule au Pot and Josephine Chez Dumonet: Traditional French Bistro with diversified menu choices. Hoping they will cover as many traditional, rustic, homey dishes as possible…Escargots, Frog Legs, Foie Gras, Boeuf Bourguignon, Pigeon, Souffle, Sweetbread…etc
Clamato and Seulement Sea: Great, valued seafood that won’t break a bank!
Alliance and Pages: Michelin 1* lunches…for the star experience without paying an arm and a leg!
Akabeko, Geosmine or Hemicycle: Still trying to decide on which of these near perfect ratings, new and up-and-coming potential star recipients to pick one?!
Restaurant H, Auguste or Accents Table Bourse: Again trying to pick a ‘great value’ tasting menu dinner from these 1*
Assiette Champenoise ( Reims ): Our 3* experience.
( voted down by my kids due to cost, location and menu…Aspic, Amarinthe, Auberge Bressane and Pertinence )
Any feedback and comments are most welcome!
I have a res for Monday at Chez Dumonet. Never been. We keep making fun of it being “so damn trad!”
I wonder what a 40 euro tartare entails? I hope it’s more food than the deck of cards sized 33 euro steak au poivre at Bistro Paul Bert years ago.
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Digga—went over Christmas break with my daughter and granddaughter. Stayed in apartment on Ile Saint Louis and it was fabulous. That said, my granddaughter is now 20 and wishes she had been a bit older for the trip. We did have a great time though.
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Thanks for the great write up! In Rome now and had a great lunch and some other good meals but my planning energy is all focused on Paris! Lucky you with 3 times at Alliance.
Like you, my friend and I tend to do lunches and our final 2 will be Petrelle and Alliance. I love everything about those 2 places. Am trying for a mix of old and new, different arrondissements and variations in vibes. I’m less than a month away and still moving the pieces around. You put le Mazenay back on my list and the newest addition is reservation for Datil.
Really appreciate your impressions of food as well as ambiance which for me is as important. No snooty waiters necessary even if very good food.
Here’s a link to a thread that might make your lunch choices more difficult 
As for our own personal experience, last year our lunch at L’Assiette was excellent (most of it due to sharing it with Carmenere) and we fully intend to return this coming spring.
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Patience patience. Nobody yet knows which restos will be open on Christmas Day. Staff shortages continue to blight the restaurant industry in Paris and, last year, forced even a few of the traditionally 365/365 landmark brasseries to close at Christmas. Maybe again this year but who knows ?
Online booking engines can also be misleading. Sometimes they show no availability when it means the booking window is not yet open. The closer to the date the more reliable an online booking will be.
Start looking at the end of November or, even better, the beginning of December.
Thank you. We will follow your advice. Once I see the kitchen in our rental apartment, I might decide to cook. I love to cook at home and there is no reason that I cannot do it in Paris.
Thanks for the great report. I’ve never been to la tour d’argent and was thinking that it might be good for my husband’s birthday but your experience convinces me otherwise.
