I’m seeking recommendations from fellow posters on the following:
A solid dinner spot that’s open on a Monday evening, and will be a good counterpoint or compliment to lunch that day at Alliance. We are open-minded and flexible on location, just don’t feel like overstuffing ourselves with too rich a meal this evening.
Can anyone from recent experiences assist in whittling down the following considerations to 3 slots (across 2 lunches and a dinner): Geosmine, A.lea, Eunoe, Oktobre, Perception, Anona, Restaurant H. General consistency, no drop-off from savory to sweet, and value proposition at any price point are always appreciated. Once again, location is flexible.
The Monday dinner question. Not sure when you are visiting or what kind of activity you want be around. Huguette can be fun- it is in an active area on Rue de Seine and near Buci (6th). Maybe you want to think seafood tower- Le Rotonde or Le Dome are classics that I know as well- there are many more. For your lighter eats, Cyril Lignac restaurant on Rue du Dragon can fit that- but have more a hip than formal vibe… But there is nothing wrong with street falafel in Le Marais! I hope you have a wonderful visit. My advice totally skewed because I stay Left Bank and can get lazy. I am sure you will probably get a lot more advice that is so much better- mine gave you some “vibes”.
If you want something completely different and maybe a lighter meal we love Kunitoraya for stellar Udon noodles and other delicious Japanese items. It’s in the 1st by the Tuileries. Open on Monday as is Ippudo for good ramen.
To some extent, Les Parisiens in the Pavillon Faubourg Saint-Germain (hotel) on the borders of the 6th and 7th is my Monday-night go-to when I’m looking for a flexible menu. Anything fishy is done particularly well.
To keep with the gastro glow from Alliance going, the à la carte menu (they also offer a tasting menu) at Origines on rue Ponthieu near the Rond Point in the 8th. But it ain’t cheap. https://www.origines-restaurant.com/
Assuming a very expensive but restrained and not exactly Falstaffian 3-course lunch at Alliance, appetites and wallets could be ready for the tasting menu (just a series of small plates) at Pierre Sang Oberkampf in the 11th… and remarkably good price/ quality ratio.
Depending on appetites and style, a bar à vins/ cave à manger could fit the bill. If you don’t mind standing because of very limited seating, one or other of the three Avant-Comptoir wine-bars (all in the 6th, two on Carrefour de l’Odéon and 1 inside the Marché Saint-Germain on rue Lobineau… https://camdeborde.com/ ) with French tapas or Freddy’s (on rue de Seine/6th. Or, if you can tolerate trendiness, the surprisingly good Lolo Cave à Manger on rue Chateaudun/ 9th for sit-down table service or the seafood-focused Istr bar à cocktails on rue Notre Dame de Nazareth in the trendy upper 3rd.
If you want very parisian old-school, La Rotonde Montparnasse. A landmark brasserie with a very flexible menu and so you can order as much or as little as you want… at this time of the year, a platter of oysters is almost obligatory (at least for me). Reservations by phone only (not a problem for visitors who don’t speak French)
Based on our deplorable experience there in September on a Sunday night I wonder if on Sundays they have an incompetent B team there. Not sure how Mondays fare.
Details, please. Having been to Les Parisiens multiple times and having many friends/ family members who have gone and like it, your one-off “deplorable” just doesn’t resonate.
I agree, it was one-off but I do not dare to try again.
Unmemorable (mostly mediocre) food and incompetent service.
Gazpacho with frozen feta was decent - except there were no traces of feta by sight or by flavor.
Whole grilled fish for two was well prepapred.
We had another couple of appetizers that were nothing special.
Service was terrible. I have seen all night long servers runing around the dining room not knowing where to place the dish they were carrying. Everyone in service looked like deer in headlights all night long. They kept trying to put stuff we did not order on our table.
We had our champagne bottle omitted from our bill (125 euro). I had to flag our server to add it back on so that we could pay for it. Except flagging him down was no easy task.
Our neigbouring table had items on their bill they did not order - it took them over 30 minutes to straighten that out.
The vibe was not great either - dining room full of American tourists (some more loud than appropriate), it felt like a dining room in a mid level US hotel.
Much appreciation for all of your thoughtful suggestions here! Pierre Sang Oberkampf has piqued my curiosity, especially the polarizing takes on it…might have to give it a go!
I’m a big fan of Pierre Sang Oberkampf, but if you have anything even that amount of food after an Alliance lunch (even bigger fan there) I suggest you go to the late seating and not the early one.
As for your one dinner slot, of your list I highly recommend Perception. French with Korean touches, imo very good value, and top of my personal list to return to for the tasting menu.
75% echoing Parn, imo your comments on the food are indeed a one-off. All the fish and desserts I’ve had there in particular are top notch.
At lunch I’ve never noticed any of the service issues you mention, and for the lunch menu value alone I favor Les Parisiens then.
At dinner, while I never experienced anything as bad as you seem to have, I did notice that the service was less than perfect. One time it was fairly minor, so I ignored. The second time it was more problematic. Not enough to deter me from returning, but enough so that I don’t dismiss your comments about the service as one-offs in the same way that I do indeed contest the comments about the food. Hopefully your speculation about it being a Sunday night B team is closest to correct.
I have been lauding Perceptiom for the last 2 years on HungOn. Nevertheless, you hint that value is one of your criteria (and, as a local, it’s certainly very important to me). Given their superb price/ quality ratios as well as the fun factor, Eunoé and/ or Pierre Sang Oberkampf deserve to be on your short list.
Since you have just a few days in Paris, I would caution about making every meal a high note. The laws of diminishing returns set in very quickly. At least it does for me.
I’m definitely a proponent of value propositions, which can arguably be attained (or missed) at any price point, and to that end I’m willing to go up or down the scale accordingly.
If nothing else, it would be interesting to me as a New Yorker to see how a Korean inflected take on French food is interpreted and fused together, as there are a number of solid spots here that are working in that mode.
It’s always a challenge when one wants to cram in so much in just a few days, especially in a city as bountiful as Paris!
Rather than starting a new stand-alone thread. Thought I’ll just tag along this current Paris related one.
Question: Idea for an optional Parisian Michelin 3* addition to our itinerary.
In your opinion, is ’ Plenitude ’ currently Paris best Michelin 3*? Their 6 ’ sauces ’ tasting menu looks very interesting and innovative. Also, for the price, wine pairing offerings that include Le Montrachet and a 50 year old Lafleur are quite extraordinary.
If not? Which one stands out?
( FYI, have eaten at L’Arpege, Pierre Gagnaire, Le Cinq ( did not enjoy ), Epicure and Guy Savoy ( before demotion; so-so and overpriced )
My experience of 3-stars has been extensive (thank you, expense account) pre-Covid but, mercifully for me, rien since Covid now that the new boss has decided that business dinners at such obscenely expensive temples of gastronomy just ain’t worth it. But, from my previous experience, one important conclusion: the differences between them are so insignificant that it’s almost gastronomic identikit. Which of them will be best depends more on you, your personality and your preferences and, even more so, the menu on the day you go.
I must admit that I rarely enjoy the usual reverential ambiance and prefect dishes (not all of which appeal to my particular palate however good they might be for others) of 3-star restaurants. Most enjoyed because it has a personality that the others don’t and because every single dish was a joy to my palate was Guy Savoy before demotion. Go figure.
Thank you for your prompt response! 99% of my thoughts exactly!
Actually, my most enjoyable and memorable 3* meal I had in Paris was the one at Joel Robuchon ’ Jamin ', years ago!! Quaint, relaxing ambiance and totally unpretentious… with great food to match and occasionally serve by the master chef himself!!
Nowadays, some 3* personality and characteristics are 100% opposite!..stiff, overly formal and worst of all…staff with attitude! As for the food, so much focus is being put into visual appearance rather than taste?!
