Response to Restaurant Choices
We agree with the three numbered items.
As to pricing, we would consider $75-100 at dinner to be in the splurge category. For this reason, we probably should not have put Le Bristol on the list. We also would be willing to do a lunch as a splurge, and this is why we put L’Astor on the list. Another possibility would be La Tour d’Argent which we just came across. We are sure that there are probably others as well.
In the list we gave you, we noted four as being “On your list”. These were the ones that you had flagged in the old Zagat’s we had, and we thought it easier just to list them along with the ones we had come across. Of those that you had listed, we probably would not be that interested in Beauvilliers (a “20” rating for food with a cost per meal of “83 Euros” seems to be over-paying for the food) or Blue Elephant which is Thai food. You listed LeMaupertu, which sounds good to us and Vin Sur Vin, which also sounds promising, although we would probably favor LeMaupertu over it.
Among the rest, there is information about most of the restaurants in the travel section of the NY Times under Paris restaurants which is taken from Fodors. That is where we started in our review. Among these other restaurants, we realize that the decor is not always very highly rated, but it seemed that the food was well thought of and a good value for the money.
Having said this, we would divide our list into two groups. The first five are the ones we would prefer more, and the fifth one ranks considerably ahead of the sixth one.
The first five are: La Regalade, L’Avant Gout, L’os a Moelle, Chez Maitre Paul and Le Pamphlet. (It sounds as if Le Maupertu would fit in this group for us.)
The next four are: L’Ardoise, Les Olivades, Astier, and Les Zygomates.
Either 8:00 or 8:30 for dinner would be okay and we might vary it from night to night, although we would probably tend more frequently toward 8:00. Your assumption about not going out for one of these reservation meals on the days we arrive and leave is correct.
Posted by Mom+Dad on 5 April 2003