Paris in the Springtime

Hi!  I've read through previous posts (including i95's report on his November 2007 (I believe) trip), which were very helpful, but I was wondering if anyone had any new/additional thoughts to share on where to eat in Paris.  I'm going to Paris for the first time next month and would welcome any advice on restaurants and must sees, especially those that might be off the beaten path.
 
Thanks (or should I say merci)  in advance for your help!

Paris, lucky you!  ;D  It's a beautiful city, and spring is a great time to go there.  I'm afraid any advice I'd have would be a few years old, but I do recommend getting the Rick Steves guide to Paris.  Yes, it's a bit hokey and you'll see a lot of tourists toting them around, but it's crammed full of useful info on the city, metro, attractions, etc.  I wouldn't say it's the best foodie guide out there, but it's decent, especially with regards to eating on a budget.

One of his favorite places to recommend is the rue Cler area, which is not far from the Eiffel Tower.  It is a pretty little pedestrian-only street, and has a nice bakery.  Definitely visit bakeries while you're there, the bread in France is just far and away better than any I've had here, and it's relatively inexpensive, too. 

Cafe du Marche is on rue Cler, a very nice, everyday sort of cafe with good plats du jour. 

I remember really like La Fermette de Soud-Oest on rue Coquillière (near Les Halles metro stop).  Small, cozy place, absolutely fantastic duck breast and lamb chops, and the escargot was heavenly, too. 

IMO, Au Pied de Cochon (which is down the street from the La Fermette and often recommended in guidebooks) is a very handsome establishment, but the food's a tad overrated.  My husband had the St. Anthony's temptation, which is is basically a big ol' platter of pig parts, including the feet, snout and tail.  Interesting, but the seasoning was rather boring and it all tastes more or less the same.  It could be that we didn't order the right dishes.  Good place for atmosphere, though, and it's open 24 hours a day-- useful for jet-lagged Americans!

Brasserie Balzar near the Sorbonne and Musee Cluny was good... and a grand atmosphere that makes you feel like you're dining in state.  :)  Nearby is rue de Buci, which has a lovely street market and a couple gelato places.  We went to Amorino, which was excellent.  Husband recommends the pistachio and hazelnut, and I give the chocolate a thumbs up.

Street markets are great places to sightsee, get a taste of Paris, and maybe grab some food, too.  The larger ones will often have trucks selling all sorts of cheeses, bread, and even roast chicken along with some of the most gorgeous produce you've ever seen.  Failing that, hit up a grocery store at least once.  Seriously, it's amazing the variety of cheeses they have there.  It might be strawberry season while you're there-- keep an eye out for them at the markets.  You'll note that everything sold in the street market is carefully labeled as to the origins, too.

For attractions, the Louvre is mostly only busy around the famous stuff, so expect crowds surrounding the Venus de Milo, the Mona Lisa, etc.  The rest of the place has much lower traffic.  The courtyard outside with the huge glass pyramid is gorgeous at sunset, and the Jardin de Tuileries is a nice place to walk-- and it's between the Louvre and the Musee D'Orsay, which I liked even better than the Louvre.  (The building itself is beautiful and full of light, and it's a small, very manageable museum to see in a couple hours.)

If you're thinking about a daytrip to Versailles, it's definitely worth it, but be prepared for a LOT of walking.  The best part of it is the grounds, IMO-- the Petit and Grand Trianons and the Hamlet are lovely, but a bit of a hike from the main palace.  Wear good shoes, Paris in general is an incredible walking city.  You'll want to explore neighborhoods just to see what you'll find, and take a million photos while you do it.  Have fun!  :)

I spent most of a year in Paris and can honestly say that it is difficult to get a bad meal there. The French are quite serious about all things food and don't tolerate mediocrity. Look for the small mom & pop operations...think neighborhood bar & you will do fine.

I sure miss the bread......

Le Procope, Restaurant Chartier are good restaurant in Paris where you can enjoy eating and drinking. , you can browse through Paris restaurants listing and decide :


Paris must see places include: Le Relais de L'Entrecote, Musee Cluny, Sacre Coeur, Ave Des Champs Elysees, Paris museums, Eiffel Tower tickets, Moulin Rouge Paris.

Thanks so much to all for the feedback!!  And arianej, thank you for such a great detailed response!!  I'm so excited and can't wait to experience all I can while I'm there.  La Fermette de Soud-Ouest sounds ideal as lamb, duck and escargots are definitely among our favorites!  I definitely plan on checking out the bakeries and the markets - some cheese, bread and fruit would be the ideal lunch, well, maybe with some wine...
 
thanks again and if anyone else has any other thoughts, those would be most welcome!
 
 

If You are mobile and decide to visit Chateaux country in the Loire.......and if he is still there (it's been a few years) there is a baguette vendor outside of Chenoceau (sp?) that makes the most divine ham and cheese sandwich stuffed into a baguette.  My Wife and I had it 30 years ago on our honeymoon; 10 years later with our kids; and 3 years ago on a return visit.  The vendor face changes bit the food is exquisite!

We won't be mobile, but I loved that story and wish that we were so that we could check out that vendor.  Thanks for sharing and for the smile your post put on my face!! 

I will give a hearty "amen" to arianej's response...especially Rick Steves' tour book.  (I don't even look at other tour books anymore.)   He delivers extremely solid info and money-saving pointers. 

I will add a few additional tidbits from my trip since I was in Paris when this thread was originally written.  I, too, was at Cafe du Marche on Rue Cler (thanks, Rick Steves) and we had a wonderful experience.  My friends raved about their meal of duck.  I had roasted chicken with hearty mashed potatoes.  Our waiter was extremely helpful.  He even joked around with us when we stated that one person in our party would have another Heineken for dessert.  His response, "...with chocolate sauce?"  I did have the pear tarte for dessert which was EXCELLENT!

Another bistro that I recommend is Chez Denise in the Les Halles area.  I first saw this bistro on Anthony Bourdaine's show, "No Reservations".  Get reservations because it is worth it!  The meal was fantastic and the restaurant atmosphere is authentically charming.  I tried escargots for the first time which were extremely good.  A friend and I split the 1-kg order of Cote de Boeuf which was wonderful...complete with marrow bones.  My friend made the statement that he would eat at Chez Denise three times on his next trip.  I spent about 55-Euro for appetizer, entree, wine, and the rum cake.

Oh, the bread!  This cannot be emphasized enough.  France has fabulous bread which I find to be the most difficult thing to leave behind.

Are you back, LMS? 

I am going to Paris at the end of this month and would love to hear of your experiences.

Just got back yesterday and it was an amazing trip!!  We did go to the Rue Cler and had lunch at Cafe du Marche and it was excellent.  I have to say that every meal was just fantastic - the bread, cheese, wine and all the locally sourced ingredients were wonderful!!  We had dinner at a wonderful little bistro on the Il de la Cite, La Rose de France, which I would highly recommend.  We didn't have a lot of time, so focused mainly on the major sights and enjoyed walking from one to another and exploring along the way.  One sight that I really was impressed by was Sainte Chapelle - the stained glass is truly amazing.  But truly, it was all beautiful and a great experience.  The people were friendly and we managed to get along fine with minimal French. 
 
Sfreader, I hope this helps and you get this before you leave and that you have a wonderful time.
 
To everyone else, thank you so much for your thoughts, they were very helpful and spot on as to how it really is hard to miss there!

that would be lovely going there in springtime. I have a question though with regards to going to Disneyland from CDG Airport. Would this suffice? thank you