2 1/2 weeks away!!
We’ve never been to Juveniles, so we are very excited. We’re also doing Cagouille.
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It’s in a cool neighborhood and walkable from Palais Royale/Musee du Louvre if you’re comfortable with the Metro. Check out the columns in the Palais Royale before dinner (will be closed after) and then enjoy the Louvre view at night on the way back. Also worth the block and a half walk to see the Fountain Moliere (same street as Juveniles).
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Well Bouillon serves a purpose, but not a great one. The food was just about acceptable (with the caveat ‘for the money’ which was basically nothing.
The Republique branch is huge, 400 covers at least, and they seem to maintain a queue outside even as it was 1/3 empty at 16th when I arrived.
The customers were an odd mix, LOTS of American students or just youngsters in their 20s. I ordered a lot of food as this was lunch and dinner, it was ok.Just.
The difference to my favourite bistro in Bordeaux was as marked as McDo and the Ritz. Sort of.
It solved a problem.
Just had some great meals at Le Cafe de l’Usine and Parcelles. Reports below and off to Erso tonight.
Cafe de l’Usine
We began the evening with a glass of Cremant from Jura that worked so well with the tarama et herbes marines, also shown is another natural wine from Joahnn (the Somm) that we loved…
Followed by Peas and Strawberries, which L and I were delighted by! The labor required to remove the peas outer skins must have been tedious but so worth it! The creme fraîche had just a hint of smokiness that was enchanting.
Gnocci with wild garlic in vin jaune, so buttery yet balanced.
The main was lamb and haricot verts with a most inventive mustard that worked so well.
And for dessert, a chocolate mousse that was paired with a haznelnut ice cream and we still are not sure how they did it, but the ice cream was a light as the mousse and the balance was spot on…
Parcelles
We had booked Parcelles while still in the US and I was not sure how I would feel about our visit after truely exceptional meals at Le Cafe de l’Usine.
It was of course a totally different experience than l’Usine but every bit as enjoyable.
The wine steward remebered us from our November visit, along with the bottle we ordered at that visit. He then confirmed my thinking that a Puligny-Montrachet would work well with the Sweat Breads and helped me settle on the 2022 Bachelet-Monnot Puligny-Montrachet, and this bottle was just excellent.
For starters my wife had the pate, which was lovely:
My choice was the white asparagus, with hollandaise sauce, with Salmon roe, and lemon infused cucumbers, which was excellent! The asparagus and hollandaise provided richness, while the roe and the cucumber provided the salt and acid balance, along with a wonderful crunch.
L and I both indulged in the sweat bread dish and it was just decadent, so so good. This was only the second time I have had sweat breads (the first time was a lackluster showing at Septime) and they were divine. Certainly not a dish I would enjoy more than once or twice a year, but what a treat.
Just a wonderful evening with great service and great food.
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Thank you so much to everyone for this thread. Upcoming trip to Epernay, Amboise, Bordeaux and Paris.
Paris restaurants booked: L’Ami Jean, Septime, Juveniles (in that order).
Debating the last night between Clown Bar and Petrelle. Anyone want to sway me between the two?
hey team. trying to get a handle on my paris trip this summer. first time back since…2017! and bringing our 7 year old who dines out a lot in nyc. anyone have thoughts on this itinerary?
sunday…racines (near our hotel and after a week in bretagne, im guessing we’ll want italian)
monday…day in euro disney
tuesday…parcelles (looks great but will this be suitable for a 7 year old? there’s gnocchi)
wednesday…figured a small plates place makes sense…is au passage still a good option? haven’t been since 2015.
thursday…final dinner at bon saint pourcain…a favorite of my wife’s
i was thinking bistrot des tournelles if we can get in. what am i missing to cover my bases?
My recent Paris line up:
Clown Bar
Clamato
Septime
Le Duc
Juveniles
All were great but not none perfect.
Juveniles was outstanding and only minor quibble was the bread everywhere else was outstanding but so so here. Probably good as otherwise I eat too much bread. Composed mussel dish for starter and composed calamari dish for main, both complex preparations. Calsac l’Echappee Belle champagne BTG was wonderful.
Clown Bar also tops but main of Lotte needed a redo as it came out at a tepid temperature and the redo was not as perfect texturally. Amazingly citrusy white asparagus elevated the lotte. . First couple of courses were so great (including a fish tartare) that I added two extra courses. Rhubarb desert was great.
Septime for me was perfect but the vegetarian version for my wife had repetitive ingredients in some of the courses (not so last time).
Clamato - not sure if it’s me but found the spider crab disappointing compared to the work involved (and I usually don’t mind with mud crab, dungenous or blue crab). Fabulous composed oyster starter and raie main however .
Le Duc - great soup, superb sole; wish they had some better vegetable sides to choose from (braised endives were ok, black rice very nice) . Comte 2013 BTG made me very happy.
Barry its Paris…
Most of us are lucky to see Paris once in a lifetime. Make the most of it by doing as little as possible. Walk a little, get lost a bit, eat, catch a breakfast buzz, have a nap, try and have sex if you can, just not with a mime. Eat again. Lounge around drinking coffee. Maybe read a book. Drink some wine, walk around a bit more, eat, repeat. See? It’s easy.
Anthony Bourdain
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Humble question for the more experienced here–I have reservations at Oobatz and Juveniles for dinner tomorrow night, going to Le Mermoz tonight. It’s just me, so looking for a good meal with an interesting/attractive wine list, would you pick Oobatz or Juveniles tomorrow?
Well I absolutely love Oobatz but it is Pizza and I live in NYC so if I had to choose one I would go with Juveniles as it is a more Parisian experience. If wine matters Oobatz is all natty.
Truthfully if I was along in Paris I would do both! 
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If it came off as I didn’t have a great time, that’s inadvertent.
Meals on many prior trips were perfect, this time less so, but still very very good.
Just kidding with you Barry. Your post did come off a bit hypercritical 
And it made me think it is Paris and every time I am there I delight in everything about it and don’t focus on that level of detail. No offense intended.
Point taken. Probably more of a function of my mood when writing it.
I think you are the #1 person on WB that I would like to meet in person! And that is a compliment
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now that I’ve been baking my own bread, this is something I’m always noticing at restaurants when their bake is off, things are under/overproved etc, but everything is normally in the range of good - if something comes across as underwhelming or distracting that’s a different story.
That being said, when I was in paris about a year ago, I really struggled to find good pastries and bread. Granted I did not go out of my way to find great bakeries in the same way I was looking for dinner restaurants, but I was surprised about the lack of quality many places. In the states (and at home in DC) I have quite a few options for great bakeries (both bread and viennoiserie), so going somewhere like paris with a very robust food culture was odd to have them seem so much harder to find. YMMV.
The bread at EVERY restaurant but Juveniles was amazingly excellent. Not that Juveniles bread was bad.
If you go again to Paris, please check in. Many great places, and these days Pierre Hermes has many shops across Paris. I also love the chocolate pastry at Paul.
I miss Patricia Wells book not being updated. I found the best pastries/chocolates/cheesemongers/bread due to her, and I still go to my favorites.
Overall though, Juveniles was my most fun meal, in answer to @Mlunt.
Thank you both @Robert_Dentice and @Barry_L_i_p_t_o_n for your guidance. Juveniles it is! Unfortunately I’m not quite up to the challenge to do both that Robert laid out…next time!
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My 22 year old daughter is currently at 110 Taillevent drinking 16 Raveneau Butteaux BTG.
Proud papa
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that’s awesome jordan!
even more proud if using her own euros:)
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Very nice Jordan. Did she hit Baronne/the Bar (or Jardin) afterwards? (Or just hit it & not tell you??). (It’s across the street from 110. Perfect place to meet a FR guy. Still an ultra-ultra-Parisian crowd. The tourists/instagrammers/much less the Ferrari crowd haven’t found it (yet). Some i-n-c-r-e-d-i-b-l-e nights there… )