You have all been extremely helpful and I have enjoyed everyone%26#39;s tid bits of what to do and what not to do. I have my map and all the sites listed by area so we can see as much as possible. As we will be in Paris for 10 days and are first timers we are hoping to just wander quite a lot and not plan very much.
So, my question is should we attempt to make reservations at one of the famous Paris restaurants? I have the eating and drinking guide and wanted to just search out places and make reservations as we went along during the trip, but I am now wondering if we will be missing out if we do not eat an extravagant meal at least one time. I have noted most of the restaurants that posters on this forum seem to like, but as I have not yet made reservations it may be too late. I will most likely need to rethink my clothes a bit to add in a dressier outfit than I had planned wearing as well.
Should I plan for one huge dinner (food and cost) and if so, where should it be?
Thank you!!
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It%26#39;s difficult to say whether you will be %26quot;..missing out..%26#39; or not....but dining at one of Paris%26#39; %26#39;..temples de cuisine..%26#39; is a genuinely extraordinary experience. Even if your palate isn%26#39;t quite up to the level of the food served at most...the %26#39;..experience..%26#39; itself is certainly memorable. These are people who are amongst the very best in the business and a bit like getiing to see Joe DiMaggio lope after fly balls in Yankee Stadium, hear Rubenstein play the piano, watch Nureyev dance......
But you don%26#39;t have to have dinner to enjoy the experience...luncheons will provide as much in the way of food, service and %26#39;..theater..%26#39; for much less (though it still won%26#39;t be cheap).
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Hi Linster
kdk is right that lunch would be a better option as it is cheaper but, as kdk said, still not cheap to eat in the top restaurants. I don%26#39;t bother with expensive restaurants in Paris because there are so many good medium priced places in Paris that you can have several great meals for the price of one at a %26quot;name%26quot; restaurant.
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Dining out in Paris is just expensive compared to the States. I think that you ought to try fine dinnning at least once for the experience. I also used the Eating and Drinking guide and it was great for the most parts (except some restaurants were closed). Depending on your budget really. Alain Ducasse, Taillevent are some of the top ones and pricey accordingly. But there are other great one that are not so expensive.
I think that a place that is not too expensive but lots of characters and great service is the Le Train Bleu at Gare de Lyon. If you concern about the price, definitely go for lunch, not dinner. Wines are what jack up the price. Therefore, you can skip the wines and order de l%26#39;eau gazuese (bubbly water). Also, most restaurants in Paris have great ambience and great service, unlike most in the States.
If you decide that you want to try one of a specific restaurants, it might be prudent to make reservation ahead, way ahead. Last time I was in Paris, I wanted to try Jule Vernes. I called them up for lunch on the same day and I had no luck. Luckily, after a few more attempts, I was able to get a table at Taillevent.
As for where should u go? It depends on your taste. But I can say with certainty that whatever you have there will be much better than most in the States. If you can spare about 3-400 dollars for two, that will give u lots of options. The %26quot;huge%26quot; dinner is not so huge. Their portions are way smaller than the USA. .Except they have many course and that can be intimidating. I usually go for 3-5 course dinner. There is even 7 course dinner. It is difficult for me to fathom how one can consump so much.
Lastly, if you decide to try one of the nicer restaurants, be prepare to spend about 2 hour +/-.5 for the meal. The French really enjoy their food. So plan accordingly if you don%26#39;t have much time in Paris.
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I will start picking a few to try for lunch. I am not as worried about the expense, I just did not want to miss out on the experience. Are there any restaurants that do a better lunch than others? Do you think I will need reservations in advance?
Thank you for all the advice.
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It depends on how you feel if you will thinkg you%26#39;ve %26#39;missed out%26#39; if you don%26#39;t eat at one deluxe restaurant on your visit. As the other posters have advised eating lunch will be more reasonable than dinner and you will still be able to satisfy your wishes of eating at a high end restaurant. Taillevent is a good choice. They have a 70 euro prix fixe menu for lunch. I made lunch reservations for my last visit to Paris, but, unfortunately, I could not keep it.
http://www.taillevent.com/
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I thnk you will likely have a problem getting a table at any of the top restaurants at such short notice even for lunch. If you can overcome that hurdle, of the famous places I would definiitely suggest Le Grand Véfour, for its combination of food, service, décor, ambience and history. FWIW Taillevent has just been downgraded and lost its third star.
There are many great places to eat besides the very expensive three star restaurants for which you generaly have to book many weeks in advance. You might consider L%26#39;Atelier de Joel Robuchon since they do not take reservations for their second sitting but it%26#39;s not at all the same experience as the historic restaurants like Le G.V.
Check out bestrestaurantsparis.com and see if something grabs your attention that is not stratospheric in price nor impossible to reserve at a few days notice. My suggestion would be that you stick with your plan at this point and make eating at one of the top tables something to look forward to and plan well in advance for your next trip.
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I agree with the other posters that if you can eat at a famous restaurant, that%26#39;s great - but by all means do not feel like you%26#39;ve %26#39;missed out%26#39; if you can%26#39;t get a reservation. (If you can%26#39;t get a reservation on your own, it%26#39;s much more likely your concierge can arrange it for you - but don%26#39;t wait until you get to Paris; email or call him now.)
I%26#39;ve eaten at some of the very expensive restaurants while there on business, but I also made friends with a waiter in Paris (yes, some of them really are charming despite what you%26#39;ve heard) who later took me to many small neighborhood restaurants that were off the beaten track. These are places that I would NEVER have tried on my own, and invariably they have the BEST food.
Now, I almost never go to any of those crowded cafes with awnings on Paris street corners!
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I have just emailed my hotel and asked if they would contact Le Grand Vefour to try for either lunch or dinner reservations for us. I had actually looked at this restaurant previously but then we decided to not do the %26quot;nice%26quot; dinner. If it works out - great, if not, I am sure that we will find many places that we will enjoy.
Linster
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