Eating and Drinking in Paris

[theocorrel]

Hit Roland Garros/the French Open today after work b/c tix incredibly are still available - if you’re in Paris, I don’t think it’s too late to jump on it - the weather was great & I know they can pour some appropriate beverages. Super chill, super nice, various varieties of Moet on offer + Moet Apero Spritzes (pas terrible), plus all served in real coupes or large Burgundy bowls you could walk around with & bring to the courts/into the stadium (!)). (The stadium clubs & restos were not yet open…). I’ll try & post some photos below.

And, thank God, Parisians/Frenchies remaining Parisians/Frenchies:

[Dan_Sch]

I will reiterate my disappointment at this statement from you. Dismayed really that you managed to have anything less than glorious bread and pastries there. I blame Instagram. All of the solid neighborhood joints I’d have sent you to have much better than my own home bake…

[David_K_o_l_i_n]

@Barry_L_i_p_t_o_n

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.

Does Juves permit BYOB (bring your own bread)? I’ll be there for a big birthday in a couple of weeks after visiting Talloires (where my favorite bakery in France is located) and I’d hate to be disappointed

[Rob_Isaacs]

@btyson

when I was in paris about a year ago, I really struggled to find good pastries and bread.

I had the same experience a few weeks ago. Had some amazing bread but also a lot of just ok bread, left me thinking that maybe some of the bread in the US is actually on the level.

[Rahsaan_M]

@Rob_Isaacs

I had the same experience a few weeks ago. Had some amazing bread but also a lot of just ok bread, left me thinking that maybe some of the bread in the US is actually on the level.

Sure, there is variation everywhere and the US has caught up on many gastronomical fronts, including bread. But I still think the average quality is lower in the US and you have to make more of an effort to find the top tier stuff.

For example, Whole Foods is an expensive high-end store in the US and their bread is mushy mess. Not the case at French equivalents.

I would also wager that the density of high-level bakeries per capita is higher in France, but don’t actually have the data!

[Rob_Isaacs]

Not saying the US has better bread, we have so much crazy terrible stuff. But “SOME” of the bread here is very good and way better then some of the bread I had in Paris.

[theocorrel]

But we stopped @ Roland Garros really b/c we wanted to go Jardins, Jardin (& have apero there). Jardins, Jardin is one of those incredibly wonderful truly Parisian events/parties. It is on the grounds of the Villa Windsor (i.e., Edward VIII’s & Wallace Simpson’s home; now, after YEARS of work, fully restored) (in the 16th/Bois de Boulogne/10 min walk from the Hockney Exhibit/Fondation LV; 30 min walk from Roland Garros/FR Open).

This is the Paris Garden Show/Party, and it is indescribably wonderful, beautiful. The exhibitors are stunning (as only the FR & especially Parisians can do), Chanel has a private Jardin (tix required, but free) where, each year, they introduce their annual new perfume & show you, in tactile, sumptuous, wonderful detail, how they make their perfumes (and you get a free sample of the new one!), there are wonderful lectures & presentations, there are super INTERESTING (Parisian/FR) people everywhere, there are garden parties (most days; sometimes 2 x day), & almost all of the exhibitors host apero/food/ champagne/wine/soirees & in any event there is plentiful champagne, wine, food, etc., on offer every day… It is truly a pleasure, and a feast for the senses. (& This year, you have full access to the completely restored Villa Windsor - even though it is not even open to the public!) Tix are 15E. (This should go in Sarah’s GREAT ‘You Can Still Eat Well W/out Spending a Fortune’ thread.).

Everything we ate & drank was great. (And NO pretense/photos of food/instagammers/Tiktokers, even @ the Chanel Jardin & in the Villa…). Just pleasure & beauty, to be enjoyed, with your community. The French know how to do it… (& if you are in Paris now, RUN, do not walk, to Jardins, Jardins… (Insiders today did tell me today that Sunday, the last day, c’est ‘l’enfer’ - but at least it’s a Parisian enfer…)) (I will try to post some photos below.)

Heavenly planches & white wine/bubbles (hidden in the center there)


The exhibitor making/offering those Versailles planters (green) - gorgeous - wouldn’t even let us discuss anything unless we came in for wine first… (Not too stupid… And, it worked…)

And there’s a little vineyard at the Villa (!)

Where their new parfum is coming from - New Caledonia (this is the raw product of the parfum)

The 40+ stacked champagne coupes are hidden behind le dude w/ the satchel…

Everyone visiting/catching up/making new friends everywhere…

15 Euros! (You just need to not be interested in the herd.). (And learn & respect FR & Parisian culture - so you are not the problem…). It was magical. Tix again for Sat AM…

[Andrew_Kotowski]

Reading Theo’s post reminded me of one of the events I stumbled upon while walking around one day. Once a year (third weekend in Sept, iirc), France opens up all of their government buildings, universities, etc. and lets the public in to see what the government is doing with their tax money. I believe several of the bigger attractions require reservations, so flagging now if people are headed over around that time. Website is cumbersome, but link below.

You can find more info in English by searching with “Les Journées du Patrimoine” or clicking the main link below.

https://journeesdupatrimoine.culture.gouv.fr/

[MaribethS]

@Andrew_Kotowski

Consider a couple of entrees at Les Fines Gueules. ~10 min walk,

Is this still open?

[Barry_L_i_p_t_o_n]

Quoting the wrong fellow perhaps. I only was at one restaurant that didn’t have amazing bread.

[patrick_c_albright]

I was told that LFG closed as well, heartbreaking if true.

We were just wandering around the cellar in late January.

[Andrew_Kotowski]

@MaribethS

@Andrew_Kotowski

Consider a couple of entrees at Les Fines Gueules. ~10 min walk,

Is this still open?

Looks like he just closed

Bonjour à tous,
Après 18 ans de passion, de rencontres et d’échanges autour de produits d’exception, de vins de légende, le Covid a initié une période complexe, suivi d’un ravalement du bâtiment pendant plus de 18 mois, pour ne citer que cela…

Il n’est ainsi plus possible d’exploiter ce bel endroit au regard des pertes engendrées.
Il est toujours possible de me contacter si besoin par le bouton CONTACT.

Prenez soin de vous et de ceux que vous aimez.
Arnaud BRADOL, gérant

[Alan_Rath]

Well, crap, that’s sad. Glad we got to go there the one time.

[Ethan_A]

Whole Foods is particularly bad, probably the worst bread of all the grocery stores I rotate between in my area. It’s quite pathetic. I don’t quite know enough about baking to be accurate here, but I imagine the bread is par-cooked hundreds of miles away and then finished at the store?

[Keith_A_k_e_r_s]

I spent close to a week in Paris a few weeks ago. My focus was principally on new (to me) places with one classic.

I did dinner at:

Le Saint Sebastian- this was on my first night and I was extremely impressed. The wine list leans natty (seems like a Paris theme these days), but it wasn’t too off the wall for my tastes. I snagged some Ganevat and greatly enjoyed the meal overall. This was more of a last second decision as I was feeling more awake than I expected. Very happy I went for it.

Benjamin Schmitt- super impressed. I met with a friend here and was very happy at his selection. He chose the wines off the list (some Graillot Hermitage and Clos Rougeard), so I wasn’t able to see the pricing. From what I gathered. The list was more Rhone-centric which is more than fine by me. The meal was excellent and the service was on point.

228L- I’ve seen this pop up on IG and overall I was happy I went. Everything was priced well and the list leans more champagne and Jura-centric. So….i went with Alsace Riesling😂. The food was good and the advice on point.

Kodowari Ramen- I was day drinking, so I just wanted something quick and easy. This was fine. I’m not sure I’m seeing the Michelin Bib gourmand, but it did what it needed to.

Lunch-

Le Bon Georges- excellent and honest as always. Sadly, the wine list isn’t presenting the value plays I’ve felt it had in the past. I’m still happy I went here, but this may not be in the rotation for my next trip.

Mokonuts- very happy here. I got in right away at noon (made sure to have a reso). It looked like most of the diners were there solo. If I didn’t have to catch a train to Torino, I’d have dug harder into the wine list. But, I wanted to keep my powder dry for dinner later.

Wine Bars-

BubblesBliss- I’ve seen this on IG and I don’t recall it being around on my last visit in 23. I would say to get there sooner than later as I expect the prices to go up at some point or the list to get demolished. There are a lot of excellent small house producers on this and a quick talk with one of the owners to let them know you know what’s up will lead you to stuff not on the list yet.

A lot of Wine- a close friend rec’d this and I was happy. This is a place I’d like to go with a few people. It does have a natty lean, but there are a lot of excellent wines at very affordable prices. I didn’t see that many cherries that people here may want to buy, but there was a lot of cool stuff if you want something more tame or are with people that aren’t as into wine as we are.

This was my 5th time in Paris and I always find myself happy whenever I’m there. The only thing I hate is the jet lag coming from the west coast. I don’t adjust well and it gets frustrating as I want to do more. But, at the end of the day it’s still Paris and that’s all I care about.

[David_K_o_l_i_n]

Wonderful birthday dinner at Juveniles tonight. Didn’t care about the bread. Best of all, our daughter and her fiancé picked up the tab. The best gift has been traveling with them and our son over the last two weeks

[MichaelW1]

Looks like I missed you at Juveniles by one day.

Juveniles was easily our best dinner in Paris. Le Parc (Domaine Les Crayeres) in Reims was best of the trip as a whole. Juveniles and Ressources (Bordeaux) were phenomenal meals. All of them were better than dinner at Septime which I, unfortunately, found disappointing. Perhaps I had built it up too much in my mind - maybe it was an off night, who knows.

I tell you what though, I LOVE the atmosphere and service at Juveniles - but they initially undercharged us by three (out of four) entrees. They need a new system or something. Old school only goes so far when margins are tight. I wonder how many of these types of restaurants go under for simple mistakes like this. They’ve been around for a while though, maybe it was a fluke. Certainly packed. It will be my first reservation to make when we go back.

[Scott_Brunson]

Our experience at Juveniles last month was just ok.
We love the vibe, but the food, while tasty, was over-sauced (rich on rich—poor balance).
Service was uneven (brought and opened the wrong wine, brought cheese plate and forgot bread for close to 10 minutes).
We’ll probably give them another go next time though, hoping this experience was an aberration.

[Alan_Rath]

Our lone experience a number of years ago was unexciting.

[Jerry_Hey]

Two times at Juveniles in the last couple of years - the first was very good and the second just ok and we decided not to give it another try since there are so many others to try.