If you are staying in a place with a kitchen (always my own preference, to enjoy working with ingredients you might not find easily at home), you could buy the chicken at a butcher and cook it yourself exactly to your liking. 
There is a butcher across from the Berthillon shop on the Ile Saint-Louis where I have seen them (including capons). They are pricey though; >30/kg IIRC.
Pros and Cons - but we are staying at the Hilton Paris Opera House. The Con - no kitchen. The Pro - its free using points so the money saved can be used on dining out/museums/tours, etc.
1 Like
Well, if I were in your place I’d be spending the money on opera tickets. 
There is a well-cast Hoffmann at the Bastille this month.
1 Like
may try to find some classical music over opera, but we’ll see. haven’t gotten that far yet
2 Likes
I did an oie de Bresse one year for Christmas dinner, picked up at Hugo Desnoyer. You don’t want to know how much that cost 
Good news was that I had rendered fat for the next six months!
1 Like
That would be my choice over chicken any day! 
Was there for a week during the same time. Would have been neat to meet in person over there!
1 Like
Some quick notes from my Thanksgiving trip…
Les Philosophes - I’ve tried plenty of French Onion soup, but theirs is still one of the absolute best.
Omar Dhiab - A relatively new One Star that touts itself as French Egyptian, which sounded very interesting. Food was very good with both regular and pescatarian menus. Service and Wine were solid but not at the same level. The interior design was excellent. I was really hoping for more Egyptian influence during the meal, as only 3 plates out of 3 amouse-bouches and 7 courses were notably influenced. Those also happened to be the best ones. The rest were delicious but didn’t feel unique. The standout for me was the semolina burnt orange dessert that was an iteration of his grandmother’s recipe. I think if Omar does more Egyptian dishes and service is tightened up a smidge, this could easily be 2 stars.
L’Avant Comptoir de la Mer - Only one person taking orders for an extremely busy spot, so it was tough to order, but really fun. Great seafood bites and a significant wine by the glass options.
Ambassade de Bourgogne - It’s become one of my favorite wine bars in Paris. Really fantastic wine list and small plates. Good bottles prices if you want to get anything to go. Order the Compte Gougeres!
Au Pied de Cochon - Went there are 2am, and it was perfect. But the caveat is that you really shouldn’t go before midnight and having consumed many glasses of wine. There aren’t any better post-midnight eateries in the world I’ve come across.
Willi’s Wine Bar - Extremely cosy rustic Provencal restaurant. Some great picks on the wine list like mature Domaine Tempier. Would be my go-to spot if I lived in Paris.
Golden Promise - Easily one of the best whisky bars in the world.
Dirty Dicks - They make an extremely good Pina Colada.
A whole bird at Café Terroir in Lyon is superb - does have a vin jaune sauce.
2 Likes
That looks like a good menu - thanks!
Lots and lots of wines and they are open on Sunday too.
1 Like
Spent a week in the 14th in October and my wife loved her first time in Paris despite tons of rain. My thanks to those in this thread who recommended L’Assiette, my favorite meal of the trip. Cassoulet is a specialty and it did not disappoint.
A generous serving. Perfectly cooked beans and all sorts of goodies like duck and sausage beneath this surface.
My son had a riff on a shepherd’s pie with braised lamb, and my wife’s fish of the day was excellent. Escargots also great. A Pierre Peters champagne made for a festive lunch. Fun amuse with high quality ham sliced with an old hand-cranked machine. Excellent service.
Moderately priced places that we enjoyed included Bistro Chez France in the Rue Cler area with some delicious chicken and L’Ete en Pente Douce in Montmartre with better veg options than other places and good honest cooking.
Our one splurge was at the one Michelin star Sergent Recruteur on Ile St-Louis. The service was almost comically bad due to disorganization–my son had to ask for his beverage three times. But the food was excellent. Shown are a marinated scallops appetizer with mushrooms in a chardonnay sauce and a vegetarian entree that was an ingenious mix of different temperatures and textures.
Also good were foie gras and turbot. The only miss was an onion gratinee in which white truffles were overwhelmed by the onion.
A bakery I can recommend in the 14th is Boulangerie Lea & Gilles.
Some of the best chocolates I have ever eaten came from Comptoir de Chocolat by the Denfert Rochereau metro.
P.S. My kid just finished a semester at the Sorbonne and says that if you are looking for quality cheap eats, it is hard to do better than Bouillon Chartier (multiple locations).
5 Likes
Looking for a fairly specific suggestion here to round out a quick 3 night trip. Can anyone suggest a great classic bistrot that would have the usual steak au poivre, sole meuniere, etc, and a good wine list, in the 6th or 7th. We’re on the 12 line so I guess the 9th could work as well.
We really liked Au Petit Tonneau last trip which fits the bill except for the abysmal wine list.
Just got back from a weekend in Paris. Did Amarante for dinner on Friday and walked away very happy but unsure if I’d return. The service was exceptionally warm and the cooking was well executed, nostalgic even. Saturday night dinner at Juvenile was the exact kind of meal you hope to have before leaving Paris. Explosive flavors from the kind of classic cooking that is so far removed from its own *** that it gives you hope in humanity. Cannot wait to return to Juvenile on our next visit.
1 Like
Absolutely love Amarante and try to go every trip, but it’s not a place I recommend to most of my friends. Glad you enjoyed it.
2 Likes
I wonder how much of it had to do with the fact that our group was coming off of dinner at St. John in London the night before. Our dinners ran in somewhat the same texture/flavor lanes and we might have been more well served doing it a different night.
1 Like
That’s an impressively hearty back-to-back!
I ate at St John and Amarante in the same week. Do I win a participation trophy?
3 Likes
Interesting list. Has anyone ever been to Le Violin d’Ingres (1 star) or Riviera Fuga(Italian/Japanese small plates on a boat anchored in the Siene? Both near Invalides
Have been to Le Violon, but it was a good 10 years ago. Food was good and Christian Constant is a celebrity chef type (we used to hit his Les Cocottes restaurants, which are less formal, semi-frequently).