Dining and Drinking, Paris

I strongly advise all tourists to Paris to enjoy dinner cruises on the Seine River and cabaret shows. We booked a dinner cruise on the Seine RIver and our cabaret show with www.ComeToParis.com and they did a great job for us. They give you the widest range of activities and great service.

In most countries a brasserie = brewery is a place supposed to brew beer. Not in France where a brasserie is a place where one can drink beer, wine, coffee, sodas all the day but also eat breakfast, lunch or dinner.
The difference with a restaurant lies in the fact that the food served in a brasserie is generally (with exceptions) rather simple, less elaborate. Most served are salads, omelettes, toasts and steak frites. Nothing complicated to prepare especially at noon time when the brasseries are often full because employees have lunch there as well as people doing their shopping in the centre.

Do not assimilate the food of a brasserie to that of a Fast Food; there is an ocean of difference. A cultural difference and a dietetic difference. The problem of overweight is linked here to the "Burger" type food and the Parisiennes and Parisiens are, from what I observed, keen on staying slim especially in the areas with luxury shops like around La Madeleine or Place Vendome
You will see in a brasserie that most women eat salad. There are usually a dozen different ones on the menu. But even salad is not cheap in Paris, often around 12 € for a "Salade Caesar" type.
To be slim is a necessity when eating or drinking in a brasserie because the seats and the tables are so terribly close to each other.
Inside is non smoking; outside on the terrace is for smokers.

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Many Paris museums have a cafeteria. Most are just useful like the big one under the Pyramide of the Louvre.

A few are charming:

Best is the restaurant at the median level (restaurant from the former station hotel) of the MUSÉE D'ORSAY:
Magnificent decor, correct food, efficient often kind service, normal prices for Paris.
The painted décor of the ceiling and walls is of Benjamin Constant and Gabriel Ferrier. I advise you to arrive at the opening at 11.45 am. Tearoom in the after noon and dinner on Thursdays evening.
(I don't recommend the Café and Cafeteria on the 5th and 6th floors).

Another charming place, when the weather is dry, is the cafeteria "Le Jardin de Varenne" of the MUSÉE RODIN located in the beautiful garden at the back of the Hotel Biron among 25 statues from Rodin. There are seats inside but by nice weather it is quite agreeable to eat a "baguette garnie" or sandwich with a glass of wine under the trees. Prices are normal (for Paris). One has to pay 1€ to enter the beautiful garden of the Rodin Museum.

At the PETIT-PALAIS museum (free) is a café-restaurant called "Le Jardin du Petit Palais" under the peristyle and looking on the interior garden of the Petit-Palais (open 10 - 17h; closed on Monday).

My wife and I attended the'Tour de France' tasting with O Chateau. It was one of the highlights of our trip. The wines were all yummy. The presentation was fun, very informative. The sommelier made us feel really welcome.
Two thumbs up!!
Can't recommend it enough!

Paris is known for its fine dining although it is pricy so since on my second trip I was with my school, I unfortunately didn't get to experience the fine dining Paris has to offer. The first time I went, I eat at a bistro which has some of the best Frites (French fries) as well as poulet (chicken) and escargot. France is also famous for its wine which in fact is cheaper than beer and coke. If you want to avoid the high prices, eat out in the non-tourist areas as prices tend to be considerably higher in the touristy sections of the city.

I went to one of these tasting with O Chateau, very informative and fun- and, as I'm no expert, not at all intimidating!! I learnt so much in 2 hours (a bit wasted by the end but i remember most of it!!) and the wines were really good. Olivier the sommelier took us through 7 wines (1 Champagne) and all for only 50 Euros (I think they also shorter tasting and a cheese and wine lunch)... a bit off the beaten track but afterwards it was fun to discover the cute cafes around the Republique area. definitely worth while!!

I use to associate Paris with grandes brasseries. A good treat in a (grande) brasserie has been always a pleasant experience. For it being less formal than a grand restaurant (that is sometimes overrated). Also, it *can* be cheaper. A plus, unlike cafes, restaurants & brasseries are still the right places to have long lunches (for, at least 1 hour... you're in vacation after all), enjoying the good food & drinks & a good company.

If you are lucky enough to spot the perfect brasserie to try Auvergnate cuisine, Bretonne, Corse or from Périgord area. Then, it is possible to try cuisines du terroir or classic French dishes (ris de veau, rôti de boeuf, salades de foies de volaille, pot-au-feu, fromage de tête, terrines...). I would not like to fill my page with links to Parisian brasseries, unless I've tried them. Still, I think brasseries are Parisian features to experience.

I don't know why but I have a thing for them. Also, you can have everything in a brasserie: your noon lunch, your diner, your breakfast, your beer/pastis/kir (royal or not) sitting in a terrace. If needed, you can return there in the afternoon to have this berry dish that lured you while having your breakfast. That's what I did at Le Zeyer (14e arr.).

I had my typical French breakfast (demi-baguettes beurrées - didn't need jam - plus warm chocolate). As I went there rather late (10 am), could see the waiters cleaning and getting ready for the noon rush. Then, I saw one of them placing those alluring plates of berry fruits in the fridge of the dining room. Hmmm... I hadn't forgotten it and when my Dad suggested, in the afternoon, that we went chilling out at le Zeyer, after visiting Les Batignolles area and that we couldn't visit Jardins d'hiver at Jardin de plantes (closed for reparation for an unspecified duration), I had my berry fruits plate: with a glass of sparkling water and a scoop of mint icecream. Isn't life grand ?

I'll tell you later about the lunch and diner formulas and dishes when I have tried it there.

I have used www.ComeToParis.com and was very pleased with their high level of services. Quick and relevant answers, great range of services to book and good advise. They have made my (and my wife's) trip unforgettable. I used www.ComeToParis.com to book private airport transfers, dinner cruises on the Seine River (highly recommended), cabaret show at Le Lido and Le Moulin Rouge and some activities such as guided tours, wine tasting and cooking classes. Relevant and precise information. Booking was easy and you receive your vouchers by email very quickly. So when you cometoparis, I recommend you www.ComeToParis.com!