Eating and Drinking in Paris

We had a terrific lunch at Astier last year. There are indeed a few gems on that list at very reasonable prices…think Cecile Tremblay with some age.

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Was it also just barely some 4-6 pages when you went? Certainly some fine red things from Bourgogne and Loire

Yes, not a long list but some absolute gems and with age on them.

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The guest who poured it for me is a sommelier in the mosel area and told me that when she visited back when eme first opened, a NYC based importer of German wine was slaying unicorns with some friends at the round main table. Wonder if that was you? :joy:

Guessing it was! Although I am not an importer of German wine.

Sadly Dennis Wolf no longer makes wine in Germany. He was in the first offer we did for source | material entitled the Golden Generation. All wines were selected by Klaus-Peter Keller and had never been imported into the U.S. Very special wines. For some reason there is a decent amount floating around Paris.

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Denis Wolf, Julien Renard, and Saalwaechter were the german producers I saw the most on wine lists in paris. Maybe I wasnt paying enough attention the last time I went, but I remember there being hardly any options for non-french wine, and being there a couple weeks ago there seemed to be more variety which is exciting.

Wasenhaus, Marto and Stefen Vetter would be a few others.

I’m taking my HS aged daughter to Paris in mid-March for her spring break (wife refused to go due to chilly temps). I have gone through this thread and made many notes regarding restaurants along with a few reservations so far. Thanks to everyone sharing their thoughts! I have some general questions for anyone wanting to chime in.

With so many great dining options, do most of you plan 2 quality meals per day? I almost feel that is too much if we have an extended late lunch at places like Juveniles (just an example). Are you ready for another significant meal at dinner? I want to avoid feeling forced (by reservations) to have 2 serious meals per day if it is overload.

We do not speak any French and I butcher the pronunciation when trying to say French phrases from a translate app. Are there any restaurants listed here you all know of where that will be a major problem? We are accustomed to traveling and dining without speaking the local language, but I don’t want to run into hard barriers. We don’t need English menus or conversations, just to be able to get by. For instance, I have read some comments about the chef/owner at Amarante being fairly aggressive towards non-French speakers. I don’t mind the onus being on me as the visitor to get by, but I would prefer to not be treated poorly when I’m trying to be respectful and enjoy our dining.

It’s been a while since I’ve had language issues in Paris, so long as you can read the menu. I’ve found that speaking my butchered French helps folks find their English

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That has not been my experience at all at Amarante or any other Paris restaurant. As long as you are polite, you should have no problems.

I would do long leisurely lunches and light dinners. Make the smallest effort to say Bonjour and Merci and you will be fine.

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Returned recently. Don’t speak French. Zero issues. Everyone was extremely kind.

Thank you all for the information and reassurances. We are very respectful travelers around the world and have no expectations of English accommodations beyond a little extra patience as we try to do some basic communication. Never had an issue anywhere, including Paris, but it’s been more than 15 years since that trip and new political issues with the US are now on the table so I wasn’t sure.

Side note, but we were in Spain early last summer. We have been there many times, but similarly, it has been a long hiatus. I was looking forward to using and practicing my very limited Spanish. But, since our last trip, it seems everyone spoke enough English that my Spanish practice was barely used. Kind of disappointed.

I cannot do two significant meals a day. And I don’t want to spend all day at restaurants, so much more to Paris than just meals.

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Just remember to order frites and not freedom fries and you’ll be good.

Now you tell me!

We are the opposite; light lunches and leisurely dinners.

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I’ve never had a problem at Amarante and my French is sadly lacking.

Even more telling, they were nice to @Mike_Grammer when I brought him… and his French is Canadian :rofl:

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Surely this is a matter of personal preference?

And, what else you have going on during the trip, etc. So many moving pieces!

I’m less enthralled with restaurant food in general than many here, so I can’t take too many restaurant meals in a row over several days. But it all depends on how long the trip is, how much you’re in control, etc.

Another way to think about it is that just because you’re at a ‘quality restaurant’ doesn’t mean you have to order all the courses, etc.

But lots of food options of all kinds in the city!

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Part of Paris’ charms for foodies is the great stores. If the weather is right, a picnic from my favorite provisioned on Rue Cler is great. Others have their favorite shopping street. And I always stop at Marie Cantin to bring cheese home (and Maille mustard as well).

Regarding lunch vs dinner; it correlates with the weather and whether it’s a late night opening for one of the museums I live, often far less crowded in the evening.

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