I Will be in Paris for four days. I Will be doing Epicure, PG, and Astrance as my $$$$ meals. What other cheaper recommendations (probably $150 a person or less) are there for my lunches and dinners?
If fancy meals put you in the mood for a light lunch, Au Babylone.
My longtime favorites for regional cuisine are Ambassade d’Auvergne and Au Trou Gascon.
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Japanese execution, French cuisine:
After receiving his first Michelin Star, Chef Hideki Nishi is still rockin’ it at Neige d’été .
Neige d’été
12 rue de l’Amiral Roussin
75015 Paris
+33 1 42 73 66 66
Also in the 15eme, Chef Nishi’s friend Chef Terumitsu Saito is serving up great stuff at Pilgrim.
Pilgrim
8 rue Nicolas Charlet
75015 Paris
+33 1 40 29 09 71
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Does anyone have a favorite place in Paris for andouillette?
I just got back and had a fantastic dinner and lunch at Chez Georges. I highly recommend it. It used to be a hangout for the press until they moved outside of Paris. Still great food, though.
The sweetbreads were the best I had the whole trip, the turbot is excellent, their fries are crispy and addictive and their steaks are great.
There are two Chez Georges, not related, in Paris - this one is on Rue du Mail.
I like Brasserie Vaudeville. They serve the best tete de veau!
Our fave place closed, sadly. AOC. It served the best cote de boeuf with mashed potatoes and bone marrow for two…
Found another place at last minute that served cote de boeuf for two. The beef was excellent, the fries and vegetables superb, the service prompt. The only thing we didn’t like was it was more of a hipster place and we prefer more traditional restos. But other than that, a very good restaurant.
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Though I didn’t get it at either place, both both Chez George and Cafe Vaudeville serve andouillette. I didn’t have any in Paris this trip.
Almost forgot - awesome crepes and cider at
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I will start off by saying that the food here is excellent. There was not a single component that was improperly executed. The sauce work was impeccable to the point that I mopped up every plate with nearly half a loaf of bread by the end. The cook on all the proteins and vegetables was spot on. The chefs in the kitchen are executing at an extremely high level.
The place is small and run by a very small team. 2 FOH folks and 3 in the open kitchen. There’s probably about 20 tables in the whole space, but when I got there at 7:30 I was the only person dining. 1 couple came at 8 and another at 8:30 but those were the only other people in the restaurant so it was quiet. There was not much of a vibe. The music is light jazz which makes for a very subdued atmosphere. It would be a perfect place for my wife and I to do a date night since we have two kids at home but I’m not sure I would have said the same 10 years ago as I’d probably want a little more energy in the room.
The 2 FOH people are very sweet and attentive but they are not seasoned servers so lack the professional edge you’d find at a lot of fine dining establishments. It didn’t detract from the experience because the place was so empty, but I think it would have been a bit of a mess if even 2 more tables were seated. The pacing was a little out of whack by the end of the meal, but I think that was more of a BOH problem than a FOH problem.
I didn’t drink, but there were a few well priced bottles I would have been happy to order. The meal was pretty low on acid so would be great pair with wine if that’s your jam. The ginger mocktail I had was great and the lychee one I had was meh.
The desserts were just how I like my desserts: not too sweet. The first one with cucumber sorta blew my mind as I’ve never had cucumber in a dessert. The second wasn’t quite as good, but I would gladly eat it again and order it a la carte if allowed.
It gets two thumbs up from me. Definitely a recommend though I absolutely don’t expect it to be to everyone’s liking.
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had a decent dinner at Pilgrim, but recently found the food at Automne to be a little bit more interesting, personal taste, if we’re continuing with Japanese-run French kitchens. some clever execution, though both menus felt a bit “light” (not necessarily a bad thing). Sot l’y Laisse even a little better, maybe my favorite of the bunch so far.
the dish of sweetbreads, whelk, and sauce gribiche sounds like a winner
had a few drinks at PIlgrim with decent markup, though not as good as wine bars’ markup. Dehours champagne was pretty good (always a good value producer) but Domaine de l’Arlot Les Suchots was even better for the price.
but when it comes to “cheaper eats” in Paris, I don’t really associate degustation menus with that. maybe the mid-day formula at times.
i tend to think of bistros/brasseries and wine bars.
yes Chez Georges rue du mail is a good standby.
and for crepes - Tanguy.
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The opening post clarified “cheaper” as “than Astrance,” so …
fair enough.
had a bad meal at Astrance (menu Astrance) last year, on several fronts. out of 10 courses, I liked maybe 1 dessert.
for cheaper than Astrance, but not necessarily “cheap,” there is some pretty good food at nicer bistrots
at La Poule au Pot, I liked pretty much everything, but specifically the Quenelle de bar bathed in sauce Nantua, with rice pilaf
at Benoit (mixed success), I like their fricasse of cockscomb, foie gras, sweetbreads, kidneys, and macaroni
will try it at Chez Georges in October.
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I don’t either but this was the only place Pilgrim was mentioned already.
Will check it out.
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