Paris or Lyon

WINE TALK
21

What is the multiplier? 3x? 2x?
With all the crowds to deal with at every tourist venue nowadays, is it really worth the hassle? I imagine November would be better though.

22

The best food in Europe is in Northern Spain at San Sebastián which also boasts a restaurant with a magnificent wine list yet to been picked apart by Berserkers and other wine lovers (Rekondo). Some serious three star Michelins at a fraction of the price of their French counterparts, and some really incredible lesser restaurants. Nice beach, easy drive to Bilbao to the Gehry Guggenheim and another easy ride to the restaurant that has been called by some as the best in the world. Asador Etxbarri is definitely worth a trip on its own.

23

As someone who’s been to both in the past week, they are both expensive and rare wines at good prices are tough to find. I was just in Antic in Lyon on Wednesday and their prices are high for most bottlings and just about all of the older vintages. This being said, you may be able to snipe some cool things at $20-30/bottle cheaper than the US (Like Jamet Cote Rotie, for example). I didn’t find it worthwhile to buy to bring home at retail - only at wineries in Burgundy where i am spending most of my time.

24

If you’ve never been to either, you can easily spend five days in either one of them. But the trip is only like two hours on the train - that’s not all bad since you can do some reading, etc.

I can’t eat three meals a day, so if I have lunch, that’s going to eliminate dinner, and I’d rather do a nice dinner with some wine. Good point about the cooking in Lyon - it may be repetitive. But for me that’s also part of the charm. In Paris you can get pretty much anything, but when I go, I really want French cooking, not something international that I could get back home.

But to each his own! [cheers.gif]

25

Both cities have their charm, but for me, Paris wins. Food is top notch and I found that the pricing of wine at most restaurants I visited to be “fair”. I had great dinners at Semilla, Septime, and Yam’tcha. With that said, Lyon is great too. Good food and a little less busy than Paris which was a nice change. In the end, you can’t go wrong with either place.

26

for me paris has been stagnant now on the food front for a couple years and it is increasingly more difficult to find good deals on wine in both shops and on lists. i would go with lyon as it has a great vibe being obviously much less touristy than paris. there are definitely lots of wine shops to explore and still a few deals to be had. that being said antic is the most overpriced shop in lyon in my opinion…

27

This would be my vote. I’ve loved Lyon the few times I’ve been, and others have provided the same tips I would have regarding retailers there. Paris is indeed Paris, but it always will be. If you have the time and want to broaden your horizons a bit, Lyon would be a very rewarding visit. Plus the fast train ride makes the logistics quite easy…

28

I had some wonderful meals in Lyon a couple weeks ago. Les Apothicaires, Le Supreme (2016 Gonon St Joseph, 75 Euro on the list!), and the lovely people at Le Bouchon des Filles were great. Enjoyed the food there way, way more than other bouchons in Lyon.

There’s a lovely lady named Myriam running a small shop called Recoltant Manipulant at 1 Rue Hippolyte Flandrin that has interesting wines - Champagne, obviously, but other wines also. I stopped in a couple times. And if you like empanadas, there’s a fantastic place around the corner called Toke. They can call them chaussons all they want, but they are empanadas. Super tasty, especially the chorizo, which was surprisingly spicy for France, but I obviously loved it.

Oh - and I had a nice lunch at L’Encart also.

The only disappointing meal I had (really bad, actually), was at Daniel et Denise. I was quite surprised at how bad it was. Underseasoned, cloying, and just all around poor quality. Perhaps that explains why the restaurant was only 1/3rd full on a Friday night at 8:30-9pm.

Oh, and the meal I had at Les Apothicaires was awesome. I would eat there again and again and again. I loved it. Le Supreme was super tasty also. I would go back just for the super tiny pistachio madeleines that were served warm as a mignardises and some of the best I’ve ever had. Did I mention the Gonon St Joe at 75 Euro?

29

… and could be quite fun for the 6 and almost-8 year olds since the TGV on this route reaches speeds of up to 200mph. French train tickets for kids are seriously discounted (also look into getting a Carte Advantage Famille for a 30% discount for the whole family if you can navigate the www.oui.sncf website in French, though this may require a French address and would definitely require a weekend night stayover).

I think your decision should perhaps also depend on how often you travel to France. If your wife and kids won’t be back to France for another 5+ years, then perhaps it’s better to stick to Paris which has an abundance of non-vinous/gastronomic pleasures, or consider a day trip to another city (e.g. Tours, in proximity to the castles of the Loire Valley, not to mention the wine regions of the Loire, is only 1:10 by TGV and is doable as a day trip).

30

They’ve been on the 300 kph trains a couple of times over the last two years. I’m the one that gets excited about the scenery and the speed. They want to play Minecraft. [head-bang.gif]

Great suggestions though!

31

I was on the train from Perrache to Gare de Lyon last week.

We were delayed ten minutes at Part Dieu and still arrived on time into Paris.
The TGV was at 300 km/hour for a nice portion of the journey.

32

For Brussels, don’t hesitate to reach out me by pm - there are some good options, price list wise!

33

Paris

34

Agree
I love the Lyon Bouchons though