this is from a few weeks back but yes there are always some weird tourists. i mainly hung out at wine bars and had some apero with friends.
had a weak meal at Aux Crus de Bourgogne bistrot off a busy street by Sentier. i know it’s a place that is recommended on other boards, but it felt like a tourist trap to me.
really dull and rubbery pastry vol-au-vent that was hard to cut. morels sauce was gritty with some sand. wine service was weak as well.
Sorry to hear we had a very enjoyably lunch there on our last trip but it only consisted of two dishes.
all good sometimes in Paris at these kinds of places ymmv depending on the dish or time of day. the service was the best thing but the vol au vent was strangely very, very stubborn and hard to cut. perhaps i should’ve tried some other dish.
Sorry to hear that I always get bummed when I have a abad meal traveling, we stuck to some classics like steak frites and lardon salads. Our service was indifferent but I chalked that up to bringing a very young child
brilliant. if you saw it on tv you’d say ‘that was a little on the nose’.
yes, it was a bit surprising. they did order a pretty good 1er Leflaive which i’m sure wasn’t that cheap, but he was pouring it himself by holding the bottle by neck. just an odd scene because he made it sound like he was this busy banker from Singapore and he wanted to take his wife for holiday. something was off when she ordered ketchup and mustard.
needless to say, i kept entertained while snacking on the excellent brioche and also thinking to myself, damn i should’ve ordered more escargot and what kind of event would i need to rent one of the salons upstairs?
anyway, these rocked at Le Saint Sebastien
Domaine Nowack Les Terres Bleues. Olivier Horiot Coteau Champenois blanc. Horiot Solera was also banging two nights prior.
any wine bar spots with good food that you recommend? there for a few days and booked Septime, because I’ve always wanted to go. But otherwise am down to float around and nibble and drink.
Will get back to you later with more. Tried to respond earlier but site was having issues
But usually I stop in to Le Saint Sebastien or Le Mary Celeste for good wine (excellent selection and fair markup) and some bites. LSS’s excellent manager Tom just left but the team is still good, with some Mexican-leaning food if you want a full dinner, but you can easily pop in for some anchovies, peppers, and cecina. Le Mary Celeste can get incredibly crowded at times after 10:3pm just fyi I also like 228 litres for wine in the 9th but food is less consistent; I know they do some chef pop ups though Delicatessen Place has a little bit of food I usually buy from their bottle shop next door Delicatessen Cave (and bring charcuterie from Bidoche a few stores down to a friend’s olace for a nice apero)
Not top food destinations necessarily but places I frequent since I tend to spend time in haut Marais or 11th.
Beautiful, I went to Le Mary Celeste ages ago. Great to hear it’s still worth my time. Never heard of Le Saint Sebastien but it looks great! Might have to pop in there!
I do like Le Saint Sebastien a little better overall. You can pop into the bar but occasionally it gets full around dinner time. It’s also a restaurant, not just a bar, that’s why. But if you’re nice they’ll probably fit you in and you can just get some snacks and wine first to feel it out. I do like their beef tartare as well when they have it. The new manager is I think a guy from Milan Sante!
La Retraite is a nice off-the-beaten-track wine bar. I don’t remember what the food was, went in a few times after dinner. There’s a great Xi’an noodle place a few doors down, La Taverne de Zhao Canal Saint-Martin.
