An unforgettable meal for a special occasion and other Paris, France Restaurant Reviews

Restaurant Name: Guy Savoy

This restaurant was recommended to us by Parisian friends as THE place to go in the city for that once-in-a-lifetime, break the bank meal.
Everything lived up to and exceeded expectations. The services was impeccable--I have never felt so attended to. I believe we had 5 people just waiting on us--and Guy himself came out to welcome us! They kindly explained each dish to us in English and complimented my French. There is not a hint of pretension.
The room is warm and comfortable (dark woods, modern/african art). A very diverse clientele--families, lovers, celebrities, and businesspeople.
We made reservations 5 weeks in advance. They don't really go any earlier than that.
One note: we were warned that our meal could cost as much as $500, and were prepared for that. After wine, bottles of water, an aperitif, the exchange rate, etc., it ended up being over $700. So just a word of warning: prepare yourself for this kind of spending.
That said, it was worth every penny.

Favorite Dish: Imagine if you will an entire meal where every dish you try is the best thing you've ever eaten. We were blown away at each course.
We chose a tasting menu (200 euros per person) that was delicious and never-ending. We were laughing by the end because they brought something like 5 desserts!
Best dishes: Guy's a genius with soups (artichoke w/truffle & parmesan & carrot), and very good seared foie gras. But everything was phenomenal.

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Theme: French
Comparison: most expensive
Prices: US$41 and up  » Currency Converter
Address: Near Arc de Triomphe, Paris
Website: www.guysavoy.com

Restaurant Name: Various

I have several restaurants to recommend:

L'Ardoise: 30 euros for prix-fixe lunch. Seems expensive but my husband had escargot & lobster (plus dessert) for that. Inexpensive & decent house wine. Located on rue du Mont Thabor, a small street just north of rue de Rivoli, near rue de Castiglione (1er).

Chez Katy(?) on rue Jean Jacques Rosseau: not sure of name but it's the only Coucous place called Chez-woman's-name. Really good food and we had three courses + wine for 38 euros total (for two people!). 1 or 2 er: near Les Halles & La Bourse.

Cafe at Orsay with big clock in it. Reasonably priced for museum fare, and good, too.

Dame Tartine by the Stravinsky Fountain. Great view of Pompidou & fountain.

Les Philosophes in Marais. Trendy crowd but also good food.

Lescure: at end of Mont Tabor (where it meets rue Mondovi), off Rivoli. Good food, very nice staff, 3 courses each and a BOTTLE of wine for 40 euros!

Androuet: rue St. Roch around corner from church.

La Sourdiere, on rue of same name. Not far from church of St. Roch. Tiny place but very "mom and pop" bistro.

Favorite Dish: L'Ardoise: white asparagus, lobster risotto, escargots, dessert.

Chez Katy (?): lentil salad, couscous w/merguez.

Orsay Cafe: tartine w/tomato, feta, etc., on Poilane bread. Tasty and comes with big salad.

Dame Tartine: grilled veggie tartine or croque monsieur.

Les Philosophes: duck breast, gazpacho, peach/mango tart.

Lescure: beef bourgignone (sorry for the spelling) was delicious even on a hot day!

Androuet: definitely have the cheese tasting.

La Sourdiere: delicious filet of duck breast. Also had a great dessert called Colonel that was a very tart lemon sorbet served with a couple shots of vodka (I poured on sorbet--not sure if that was correct).

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Theme: French
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$31-40  » Currency Converter
Address: Various -- see above
Directions: All of these except the two in the Marais are in the central area of Paris (1 or 2 er). If you live in the apartment I recommend in my accomodations tip, you'll be in walking distance to all.

Restaurant Name: Bertillon

Bertillon is in every guide book as the "must-have" ice cream of Paris. So even though we were exhausted and boiling hot, we tromped to the Ile St. Louis (wanted to visit there anyway) to stand in line.

But it's not worth it. It is no better than any storebought ice cream I've had in the States.

You can have it as a novelty, but don't go out of your way for it. We had MUCH better ice cream at Haagen Daz.


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Theme: Ice Cream
Comparison: about average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Directions: Ile St Louis Get off at metro Cité and walk past Notre-Dame to get to Ile St Louis. You can also get Bertillon ice cream on Champs Elysees (102 avenue des Champs Elysees).