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City Guide  - Paris  - Food and Drink
Food and Drink

With the exception of Ile-de-France specialities, such as boudin noir de Paris, hure de porc à la Parisienne and jambon de Paris, the Paris region does not have a distinctive gastronomy. Peu importe - it draws on the culinary wealth of the whole of France. Good food needs fresh ingredients and the Ile-de-France region has been supplying the capital with the best fresh fruit and vegetables since the Middle Ages. The food markets at Batignolles, rue d'Aligre, St-Germain and elsewhere display locally grown (de Paris) artichaut, champignon and fraise.

If one avoids the main tourist areas, a decent three-course meal can be found for FFr80 or less. For FFr200, a truly memorable meal can be enjoyed, and prices go up from there. Tables at the top and trendy restaurants should be booked well in advance, particularly at such legendary addresses as the Tour d'Argent in the fifth arrondissement, overlooking the Seine. The best addresses for quality and value are usually down side streets and packed with locals. To keep costs down, it is wise to look for menus (also written as formules). These usually consist of three-course set menus, but are sometimes only offered at lunchtime.

There are eating places for all occasions; cafés with terraces for people watching over a baguette and salad, smart bistros good for shellfish and choucroute and the top restaurants serving classical or innovative French food. Although French cuisine dominates, the best North African and Asian restaurants are excellent. Chinese food is particularly good in the two Chinatowns in the 13th arrondissement between the Place d'Italie and Porte de Choisy, and Belleville in the northeast.

Most Parisians dine at 1300 and 2000-2100, slightly later than in the provinces. Opening hours are from 1200 to 1400 and 1900-2300, but few restaurants receive newcomers not seated by 1400 or 2200. However, late dining can be enjoyed at the city's brasseries, often open until 0200. Tips are at the guest's discretion. In spite of a law passed in 1993, non-smoking areas are often non existent, or clearly labelled non-fumeur but packed with smokers. Wine is traditionally sampled with meals. Many restaurants offer a wide selection of reasonably priced French wines. The lesser-known wines are particularly good value. Coffee is a vital part of the meal - a time to digest and pause for reflection.

Restaurants
: Top quality cuisine is served within magnificent interiors at Les Ambassadeurs, within the Hotel Crillon, 10 place de la Concorde, 8th (tel: (01) 44 71 16 16). Chef Dominique Bouchet believes in the simplicity of classical French cuisine. His famed dishes include pancakes with smoked salmon, topped with crème de chantilly and caviar. A lunch menu (FFr360) is available Monday to Friday. Dinner costs about FFr700.

Art Nouveau Paris is offered on a plate at Maxim's, 3 rue Royale, 8th (tel: (01) 42 65 27 94), along with the chance to join a clientele of royalty, film stars, and - to put it bluntly - the rich. Lunch costs about FFr600, dinner FFr1000.

Traditional French food is served at A la Mère Catherine, 6 place du Tertre, 18th (tel: (01) 46 06 32 69). Founded in 1783, it is the oldest bistro in Montmartre. Specialities, including Foie gras and escargots de Bourgogne, are served while Edith Piaf French classics are sung. A two-course meal costs about FFr185.

Parisian brasseries, a feature of Parisian life since Alsatian Frédéric Bofinger first introduced them in 1864, evoke the same era, but not necessarily the same attitude. Although many have been bought up by the powerful restaurant chains, Groupe Flo and Frères Blancs, most have managed to retain their habitués and individuality. La Coupole, 102 boulevard du Montparnasse, 14th (tel: (01) 43 20 14 20), frequented by Picasso and Jean Cocteau in the 1930s, has become part of the Flo empire but the food remains good and the literary clientele interesting. The place seats 400 and remains open until 0200, with a special Faim de Nuit menu after 2230 for FFr132. The standard menu is fixed at 179FFr.

Brasserie La Gare, 19 chaussée de la Muette, 16th (tel: (01) 42 15 15 31), puts a new slant on the traditional brasserie. The former railway station is now a spacious restaurant, which serves excellent rôtisseries to its varied clientele until midnight. There is a fixed menu at lunch; in the evening à la carte costs about FFr150. Not content with his empire in London, Terence Conran opened brasserie Alcazar, 62 rue Mazarine, 6th (tel: (01) 53 10 19 99) in November 1998, in a former cabaret in St-Germain. Judging by the fact that Madonna, Roman Polanski and Linda Evangelista have already dined here, it can probably be rated a success. The restaurant stays open until 0100 and charges about FFr250.

Le Buddha Bar
, 8 rue Boissy d'Anglas, 8th (tel: (01) 53 05 90 00), so-called because of the giant kitsch Buddha which defines the decor of this underground beauty parade, continues to be the place to be seen. The self-conscious clientele sample crêpes with duck and mushroom, Chinese chicken salads and sashimi, served for about FFr300.

The hippest new bar and restaurant Man Ray, owned by Johnny Depp, Sean Penn and Simply Red among others, opened at 34 rue Marbeuf, 8th (tel: (01) 56 88 36 36) in January 1999. Sushi, tapas, fruits de mer and frogs' legs are served in exotic surroundings to an 'in' clientele. The restaurant (open until 0030) serves a lunch menu at FFr125; dinner is à la carte only; a three-course meal costs about FFr300.

Couscous, although North African in origin, has become something of a national dish. Copious portions are served at Le Village de Paris, 24 rue St-Blaise, 20th (tel: (01) 43 56 66 63), located in a lovely, pedestrianised street. The set menu for FFr150 (evenings only) includes aperitifs à volonté, an entrée, four varieties of couscous served in huge wooden bowls, grilled meats (including merguez sausages) and a spicy sauce chunky with vegetables (tagines). The meal is rounded off with a huge bowl of succulent dates. Although not included in the menu, it is best to taste the sweet mint tea.

Expensive but inventive American cuisine, and a wide choice of Californian wines, is enjoyed by New York theatre types at Joe Allen, 30 rue Pierre-Lescot, 1st (tel: (01) 42 36 70 13), tucked away in a pedestrian street, close to Les Halles.

Vegetarian curries can be enjoyed at the intimate La Ville de Jagannath, 101 rue St-Maur, 11th (tel: (01) 43 55 80 81) for FFr90-160 and vegan, organic dishes cooked Japanese style at Les Quatre et Une Saveurs, 72 rue du Cardinal-Lemoine, 5th (tel: (01) 43 26 88 80) for about FFr100.

A delicious and generous magret de canard is served alongside many other traditional French dishes for FFr76 at Chez Papa, a few steps away from the Gare du Nord, 206 rue Lafayette (tel: (01) 42 09 53 87).

Budget diners could try Les Philosophes, at 28 rue Vieille-du-Temple in the Marais, 4th (tel: (01) 48 87 49 64), which is open until 0200 and serves a good meal for FFr85.

Cafés
: The first café, Le Procope, 6 rue de l'Ancienne-Comédie, opened in 1692; now there are thousands of these spaces dedicated to discussion, flirting, reading and dreaming. Tips are not expected and prices vary widely according to the arrondissement and location within the café itself - lowest at the bar, higher seated and highest on the terraces outside. Prices rise by about FFr2 after 2200. A coffee costs from about FFr15 to FFr30; and snacks such as croque Monsieur (ham and cheese toastie) are most widely available, for about FFr22.

The Spacious Le Fumoir, 6 rue de l'Amiral de Coligny, 2nd, with its excellent views onto the Louvre, a 1920s decor, soft light, comfortable armchairs and mini library draws a clientele of intellectuals, lawyers and high-up executives. Coffee is served for FFr15 with delicious little cinnamon biscuits. Intellectuals may indulge in philosophical debate (in English) on the first Wednesday of the month at the famed Café de Flore, 172 boulevard St-Germain, 6th, from 1900; or 1100-1300 on the second and fourth Sunday of the month at Café de l'Industrie, 16 rue St-Sabin, 11th.



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