Paris recommendation

My wife and I will spend one night in Paris in September before heading to Champagne. I’m looking for something good value/not fancy in an interesting walking neighborhood we can explore that afternoon.

We’ll also want a place to eat, probably informal and simple. Wine bar would be fine. Walking distance is ideal.

Ideas?

Le Comptoir in St Germain.

George

Maybe I should reconsider and boycott France. :angry:
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French love Flash and their web sites usually suck. [snort.gif]

This will work. Le Comptoir du Relais | PARIS BY MOUTH

George

Yeah, not sure what it is about Flash but the French sure do love it. I’ve told all my wineries that I don’t want to see any of that crap on their sites.

That said, what area will you be in? If it’s still open, I’d recommend Le Miroir, at the top of Rue des Martyrs. They own a cute wine store across the street, and you’re halfway up the Montmartre hill (walk off the calories). The neighborhood south of Pigalle and north of the avenue is full of tiny artisan shops and is great to wander around to get lost in. As you get closer to the Cathedral itself, watch out for pickpockets as that’s a prime tourist area. But the surrounding streets don’t get much love and that’s where the cool local stuff tends to be.

Also, www.Parisbymouth.com and the Search function on WB are your friend.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Area is flexible. We just need to get there from CDG and then to Gare de L’Est without a car. We’ve both been to Paris multiple times so there is nothing specific we plan to visit. We’d just like to explore an interesting neighborhood on foot.

You could take the RER from CDG to Gare du Nord, walk up to the Monmartre/Pigalle area, have lunch at Le Miroir (I had several fantastic meals there earlier this year with nice glasses of pretty good wine) then wander the neighborhoods. Rue des Martyrs is a market street so plenty of delicious things to see/taste/buy, and make your way to Gare de l’Est.

Also, there’s lots of small wine bars and cool shops around the Canal St Martin, not too far from both Gare du Nord and Est. Parisbymouth has plenty of recs for those.

My favorite lunch spot in Paris, but get there early to be in queue when they open.

Had a very enjoyable and relaxed meal at Semila, 54 Rue de Seine, earlier this year. Same restaurant group as Fish, but far superior, in my opinion.

Good suggestion. We had a terrific meal there. But I don’t think they are open for lunch.

For one afternoon, I’d spend it on Rue Mouffetard. If you’ve never been, there are cheese and pastry shops. Fish mongers. 2 wine stores, etc. Fresh fruit stalls. There are a zillion little restaurants. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187147-d191100-Reviews-Rue_Mouffetard_Market-Paris_Ile_de_France.html

We have liked Cafe Tourn’Bride, about in the middle of the street facing a guy with rotisserie chickens (which are delicious, as are the potatoes which get the drippings), which is featured prominently (as is the chicken guy!) in the book Paris Letters, which your wife might enjoy reading. You, too. I did.

On the street with all the cafes that heads off of Mouffetard, we had a super lunch one day at La Petite Provence. The pasta was amazing.

Now, neither of these is fine French dining. Just good bistro food in an area you can enjoy for hours.

James, they were open for lunch when I was in Paris this winter. I had 3 lunches and 1 dinner at Le Miroir (it was a few blocks from the apartment I rented), it was that good. And Rue Mouffetard is a good suggestion as well.

Ok… good to hear. We were there in October, and I don’t think they were open for lunch. I would have eaten there more often if they had been. Terrific wine list at very good prices.

Right down the street is one of my favorite bakeries, too: La Flute de Pain.

One of the best Parisian bakeries, Coquelicot, is right up the block too. Man, I’m having some serious Paris withdrawal…

Me, too. And I had a planned trip beginning on the 26th that got waylaid by work.

Yes. The 10th and 11th seem to be very hot these days with restaurants, wine bars, and shops.

La Verre Vole by Canal St Martin. A very good bistro, rustic country dishes and hell of a lot of good wines. It doubles as a retail store for local wine geeks.

I like to check out this site for write-ups of various wine bars in Paris (including La Verre Vole)

I decided to stay just North of the Jardin de Luxembourg since we have never spent that much time in the Latin Quarter or St. Germain. I’ve made a list of roughly 30 nearby restaurants that we must visit in our one night there, so I think I’m set on that front.

What would you recommend for must-see/shop places while walking? I think we will take the recommendation to see the Rue Mouffetard.

Pierre Herme is close by. That’s a no-brainer.

Stayed around there with my family back in 2006, on Rue Madam. It’s a quiet area, good location for going in all directions.

Rue Buci is really lively after dark and good fun. Da Rosa on the Rue de Seine is great and you can buy Christian Parra’s Boudin Noir here (absolutely magnificent). There is a bottle shop in the Marché Saint-Germain that is open erratic hours but has quite a neat selection.