dep0515
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Next time I'm hiding in your suitcase.
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Post by dep0515 on Aug 2, 2007 9:15:29 GMT -5
Well, only two more months until I'm off to Paris! I love all the food and restaurant suggestions and have a list of all those that have been recommended on this forum. However, I know that at times I will "get lost" while wandering around Paris and not be near any of those restos on my list.
So, my question is this: are there specific things that I should avoid when selecting an unknown place to eat? I know that I should steer clear of those proclaiming "We speak English!" and the like....but what else is there to watch out for? Is there such a thing as a bad boulangerie, cafe, creperie, etc.?
Any general advice would be appreciated!
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Post by Truffaut on Aug 2, 2007 9:33:22 GMT -5
1. Don't eat in any place where there are employees standing on the street trying to get you to come in.
2. English menus are fine, just as long as they aren't waiving banner and have kleeg lights shouting that they have an English menu.
3. If there's nobody in the restaurant at 9pm, that's not a good sign.
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dep0515
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Post by dep0515 on Aug 2, 2007 9:39:16 GMT -5
Thanks, Truffaut. I'll be sure to avoid the kleeg lights and banners!
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Post by kasthor on Aug 2, 2007 9:52:12 GMT -5
We may also add any place that advertises dishes with pictures.
Anything on and around place du Tertre or rue de la Huchette. (the exception being "les trois Mailletz" in the vicinity of the latter)
Everything that starts with Hippo/Buffalo or ends with Pino.
with that and Truffauts advice you should be fine, his last point being the unfailable.
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dep0515
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Next time I'm hiding in your suitcase.
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Post by dep0515 on Aug 2, 2007 9:58:51 GMT -5
Kasthor - Thanks for your input as well. Do many resto names start with Hippo or Buffalo? That seems so odd!
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Post by kasthor on Aug 2, 2007 10:01:37 GMT -5
Hehehe
no both are chain restaurants, the hippopotamus and buffalo-grill, my son loves buffalo because it is almost like eating at mc donalds... Nuggets and fries...
Pino is a pizza restaurant chain, Pizza Pino they are called, usually franchised and very often by north africans, who traditionnally have very little to do with pasta or pizza...
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dep0515
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Next time I'm hiding in your suitcase.
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Post by dep0515 on Aug 2, 2007 10:04:05 GMT -5
Oh....I see. That makes much more sense now! No chain restaurants for me!!!
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Post by arrowcapet on Aug 2, 2007 10:26:44 GMT -5
I think one of the most ignored issues on any of these boards where restaurants are concerned is simply considering the type of establishment one frequents (including food quality, budget, atmosphere, etc.) in one's own home town.
While all of us may consider that it is, after all, a vacation, and we want to experience new things and, maybe, spend more money than we typically would, I still think it's worthwhile to avoid, and/or embrace, the same type of establishment you're comfortable with, and/or would typically choose when you're in an "known" environment.
In other words, if you are the type of person who avoids restaurants with $10 entrees because you know they're not going to meet your high expectations, you should definitely shy away from the establishments in Paris that offer the 15€ prix fixe meal, because the quality of the food is going to be similar to the pre-made out of a bag quality you'll get in the US. If you're the type of person that goes to the Olive Garden for instance, and likes the $12 pasta dishes and the all you can eat breadsticks, and you shy away from the more expensive independent $22 entrees of an authentic Italian mom and pop eatery, then you may be perfectly happy dining in any one of those places who cater to tourists speaking English and hawking their specialties on the street.
I can almost guarantee you that if you are a "finer diner" in the US, you'll want to choose places with similar price ranges in Paris. Conversely, without beating it into the dirt, if you're happy with processed-food establishments here, you'll most likely find you're happy with similar establishments in Paris.
In addition to price, all of the other "signs" are fairly universal too. Look for linen on the table if that's what you're accustomed to, look for simple menus that have been printed in house vs. the commercial kind with pictures of the food (unless you're looking for the kind of place that HAS pictures of their food). There are people that will tell you to avoid anything on Rue(s) de la Harpe, Severin or Huchette at all costs, and yet there are a 1000+ people every night who eat at any one of the 50+ choices in that tiny little area. Some dine there because they get caught up in the charm, some because (arguably), they just don't know any better, some because a place was recommended by a friend, it's convenient to the hotel, and so on. Others will tell you to avoid any Alain Ducasse restaurant because nothing could possibly be worth that much money, while others will tell you to "run" to the Plaza Athenee because the $100 appetizers are simply not to be missed. There are also people who will tell you to avoid places they've never been to, but are making value judgments primarily because they are the types of places at which they would never dine at home.
So, the bottom line to my way-too-long post, is to seek out places that are similar in look and price to those places at which you would dine at home, and I honestly think you can't go wrong. If you avoid the price and quality of Applebee's at home, you should avoid it in Paris, but if that type of quality and price makes you happy, then go for it in Paris as well.
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Post by Truffaut on Aug 2, 2007 10:28:07 GMT -5
You might also add Leon de Bruxelles to the "no go" list, though I haven't tried it myself.
Kasthor, the things fathers endure!
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Post by Truffaut on Aug 2, 2007 10:30:55 GMT -5
Arrow, that's very thoughtful advice and right on the spot. I will admit that I do enjoy the occasional lunch at Flunch. I wouldn't be caught dead in a cafeteria here in DC (mostly, because they really suck), but Flunch is pretty decent for a quick lunch.
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Post by arrowcapet on Aug 2, 2007 10:33:17 GMT -5
Not a big cafeteria person here either, Truffaut, but I have been to, and really like the "cafeteria", for lack of anything better to call it, at the Louvre. I think their food is actually pretty good for cafeteria-type food, and was surprised that, while it was expensive, it doesn't break the bank.
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dep0515
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Next time I'm hiding in your suitcase.
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Post by dep0515 on Aug 2, 2007 10:44:52 GMT -5
Arrow - very well said and you gave me a new perspective to follow. My fear was being sucked into a sub-par tourist trap because I didn't know any better. But the tips you all have offered are much appreciated.
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Post by Happygoin on Aug 2, 2007 11:47:27 GMT -5
dep, #1 on Truffaut's original list is important. Last fall we had been walking all morning. My girlfriend was thirsty and her feet hurt. We made the mistake of stopping at a bistro with a man beckoning us in with menus in his hand. I KNEW BETTER than to do it and did it anyway. I was served the most horrible crepes I've ever had. Burned with gluey cheese in the middle and absolutely no taste whatsoever. I didn't even get mad about it, because I knew it was my own fault for going in in the first place.
If someone is standing outside beckoning you in, keep going!
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Post by Jody on Aug 2, 2007 12:04:09 GMT -5
I totally agree with Truffaut about Leon de Bruxelles. I know some people like it but we were really disappointed with the quality of the mussells. There is a cafe right down the Blvd St Germain that does great mussels ..if only I could remember the name!
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Post by Jody on Aug 2, 2007 12:05:21 GMT -5
I just noticed PJK is online! He knows the cafe I mean ..maybe he remembers the name.
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dep0515
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Next time I'm hiding in your suitcase.
Posts: 205
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Post by dep0515 on Aug 2, 2007 13:05:02 GMT -5
Thanks, everyone! I am writing in my new moleskine book right now...."avoid: Kleeg lights, banners, and desperate waiters."
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Post by iank9 on Aug 3, 2007 3:14:17 GMT -5
Re Leon de Bruxelles When our children were younger we enjoyed taking them to Leon. There was always a great family atmosphere, with many local French families dining also, it was reasonably priced, and the children ate something that normally they might avoid on a restaurant menu. We have pictures of them, napkin around the neck, dripping with juice from moules in a variety of sauces! On our Paris visits now we always maintain a soft spot for Leon, and if I have to admit it, occasionally still visit as I can order a glass of Hoegarden ( ) to accompany the moules which is not always possible in some other restaurants. demarais: we had really great moules at a restaurant around the corner from Tour D'Argent, the Bistro Cote Mer, on Boulevard St Germain, but on our last visit it was closed ( ) I would certainly agree about those restaurants in the 5th where the friendly patron attempts to entice you in to eat those "freshly" prepared meals!
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Post by Jody on Aug 3, 2007 5:01:25 GMT -5
We haven't been to the cote Mer in a few years, I'm really sorry to hear that it looked closed. It was one of Michel Rostang's Baby bistroits.
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