We stayed in the 11th during our trip last month (for which I’m behind doing my write-up here), but the restaurant we went to that is surely, deservedly on the cusp of a star is (Parn recommendation) Perception in the 9th. The food was fabulous, and the service at (or at minimum very close to) Michelin star status as well.
My wife loved the food at Kubri, and I liked the food at Parcelles, but I don’t think the food at either is at the same level, and even if others disagree on that point, the service is not at all star level.
Perception is “French by a Korean chef”, and imo well worth the trek from the 11th. We will for sure be going back when we return to Paris.
Thanks Andy. The other day I was sitting with my wife at a park in Brooklyn reading this Perception Google review. So brilliant maybe ChatGPT generated https://goo.gl/maps/GgQiu7kULPEfSELJ8
Lunch at Perception after a morning at Montmartre is already on the schedule thanks to you and Parm.
In the 11th, I’ll add Eunoé near the Square Gardette. A very relaxed Japanese-cheffed modern French resto that is amazing value for the excellent quality and has a great vibe. Too new to be on the tourist radar yet but there is a HungOn post —> Eunoé, Paris 11 by the Square Gardette
@sfcarole has written about Pianovins, I believe (from last fall?). She says I think that you can check out the menu and decide based on that whether to go. It wafts in and out of my list.
My number one place, it’s not in the 11th, that I have been going to since a few weeks after it opened is Jeanne Aimée. I’ve loved pretty much every bite I’ve eaten there. Worth the travel, IMO.
We generally visit Pianovins (in the 12th) at least a couple of times when we’re in Paris, and I do check out the menu posted on their website each week. It’s a tasting menu so there are not a lot of choices, and one may not be in the mood for whatever they’re serving any particular week.
But in the 11th I’ll also throw out Korus on rue Amelot which is always a joy, food-wise and for the ambiance.
Thanks Carole. Appreciate all your reports. Ultimately I may need to choose dinners between Pianovins and Virtus, or both if the menus will look strong. Virtus has a new chef, but Michelin $$$$ so not quite sure about price/quality at the moment. Things will be clearer by October I’m sure.
Not that important but Pianovins seems like in the 11th if we go by Google.
Oh, I believe you’re right, Ziggy, Pianovins is in the 11th - on the edge but indeed in the 11th.
My last dinner at Virtus was a real disappointment, although lunch a week or two before was fabulous. Go figure. Dinner was more crowded and the courses werent prepared with as much care. I’d love to hear from others that have had a different experience at Virtus. Another reason I enjoy lunch is the option of combining it with a visit to the nearby Marché Aligre.
I was also going to mention Korus, but have only eaten there once! Still, I particularly loved the offerings of the pastry chef (the chef’s girlfriend, as I recall) whose playful sensibilities, both with the amuse bouches and the desserts really appealed to me! For example, at the end of all the complicated dishes in the long tasting menu, she served a bowl of plain grapes. And amazing grapes they were!!!
I went to Virtus for the dinner tasting menu this past fall, then we went back for lunch last month. I thought the lunch price was very fair (50E for 3 courses, 70E for 4), and liked the food and vibe very much, but we weren’t “wowed” in any way, which I had been at the admittedly more expensive tasting menu dinner.
Have not been to Pianovins and was intrigued by sfcarole’ s rec. I did walk past it one day at lunchtime, and in terms of decor and vibe it’s clearly not at Virtus level. But if choosing between those two only for a dinner, you will be paying a lot less at Pianovins.
We ate at Pianovins last week and it was delicious. The menu had wonderful fresh ingredients that were perfect for the season and not too heavy given the weather. The owners are lovely and warm but respectful of personal conversation. We ate at Le Servan recently on a very hot night, in fact so hot that it was barely manageable and i like heat. The food was good, especially the boudin wontons. I thought that the oeuf dish was over-salted for my taste but still good. The staff were friendly and working hard in a less than ideal temperature. I would definitely recommend both restaurants although they have very different vibes. Pianovins is calmer and good for conversation. Le Servan is more lively and fun although I’d chose a night that isn’t as warm if possible.
My 2 cents on 2 places:
We’ve gone to Korus several times and will continue to go. We even went twice during a month long previous trip several years ago. However, our most recent dinner at Korus (last Oct, with Onzieme) seemed lack luster, although more than fine. When this happens in NYC, I allow it may be a “one off” and don’t draw hasty conclusions. However, when one is in town for only a short while, with limited meals to experience, your one night is the entire sample size and others’ experiences might be more heavily weighed. I’d love to hear opinions from the Paris residents if any of them have gone more regularly. And I’ll be sure to summarize what we experience next May, when we’re there again.
As for Fulgurances, we’ve experienced 2 very different meals (with different chefs) with different results. I think that we’re somewhat expert in their model, having gone to their Paris small plates/wine bar across the street & having eaten at their Brooklyn outpost (Laundromat, in Greenpoint) 6 or so times. Most of these meals are very good, with some great & others duds, and it is impossible to give a blanket recommendation because of this. However, we keep going – we’re going to Laundromat this Friday for the rotation by a former chef from Bianca (no, not Carlo) who’s currently there – because it is always fun and $89pp (+ wine, etc) is a very good deal regardless. And, since we’re staying only blocks away from Fulgurances in May, we’ll be there again as well.
It was loosely a month, back when I was looking for June, and not sure if that was 28 or 30 days (I think probably one or the other from my experience), but it looks like the reservation links are just dead at the moment. When you try, you get the error message that there isn’t anything available for 2 people for the next two months. It could be that they are booked for the rest of July, are taking their vacances in August, and have not opened September yet…
In any case, I have sent them a message asking if this is the case, and when they might open bookings for September. Will report back!
When my wife and I visited Manhattan last year, there were a couple of restaurants we wanted to visit, but their booking sites told us they were completely booked out. So I checked every day, and sure enough they both had cancellations, and we could go to both of them on the dates we wanted to.
It was a month before. Go on their site and you can see what date is available is today and figure out if it’s 30 days exactly. I reserved a month before for a Friday night. For the week in May we were in Paris they seemed to have availability during the week for a bit longer than the weekend.
Last October Korus was working with a new chef who started in April 2022 and I thought one or two of the dishes out of seven or eight were not totally successful. But the chef is trying new things and most dishes were amazing. We were there with friends who loved it, but I plan to return this November and see how it’s doing. We love Yann and Afrae (the owners) and will not cross off our list a place we’ve enjoyed so many times because of one or two dishes. And we always love the ambiance!
As to Fulgurances, because their concept involves rotating chefs, I’ve learned through a lot of trial and error to wait until a chef is well ensconced and see how good the reviews are.
Well, you’re absolutely right Andy that the decor at Virtus is beyond many restaurants, and certainly better than Pianovins which is classically spare. However, our experience of the dinner tasting menu at Virtus (which I thought was bland and uninspired) vs. the lunch tasting menu (where we were “wowed”) was the complete reverse of yours. So that says to me that it’s really impossible to predict how any particular meal will go!
Just an update @Ziggy: I’ve been stalking Parcelles’ reservation site quite assiduously, since I will be in Paris the 2nd week of September and want to go back. Today, they are offering tables at the end of August, two weeks out. But nothing a month or 30 days out (as has been their previous pattern). I’ll keep a look-out and report back if they open a bigger window.
