Restaurant advice from Bob, please

I get that you are anti-tourist trap restaurant and that (like me) you find the term romantic restaurant an oxymoron. SO where do you go to dine for special occasions? You know, those evening when you favorite local bistro is just not unique enough.

Lets say your kitchen has caught fire and your ins. co. has put you up in a hotel. It is your Mom%26#39;s 60th b-day and money is not a major concern. Where do you choose?

Or you are entertaining the PDG of a large multi-national, where do you take her for an impressive meal?

|||

Well I am ashamed to say so, but if the PDG is foreign, I%26#39;ll definitely bring her to the Café de l%26#39;Homme, with this, OK corny, but so to die for view of the Eiffel tower. Especially in the summer when you can eat on the terrace (can you still?).

I used to like Le Zéphyr on rue Jourdain in the 20th, but they must have changed management or something because service has really gotten too casual, even for my own very casual taste (in its heydays, I did bring my folks there and they loved it).

I like Le Repaire de Cartouche on rue Amelot in the Bastille area, because of the provincial decor, the relaxed atmosphere and the impeccable food. For a more %26quot;Rive gauche%26quot; experience, Cosi on rue Cujas (or in the area) is a great %26quot;nouveau%26quot; Corsican restaurant frequented by the Paris based establishment from the island (including former Paris mayor and current 5th arrondissement mayor Jean Tiberi)

But I can reveal the latest gem I found recently, because it is so much in the middle of nowhere, in an uninspiring street and neighborhood, that it will never be crowded by hordes of TAites: Le Restaurant du Marché. It is a tiny bistro with a great authentic decor and all the trappings, the food is delicious and inventive, IMO not far from a Michelin star. This guy (his name is Francis Lévêque) is going to be the Senderens or Ducasse of tomorrow. And for the time being the prices are reasonable (€ 50) for the high quality of food you get. It%26#39;s between porte de Vanves and porte de Sèvres, 50 rue de Dantzig 15e, Tel. 01 48 28 31 55. You should reserve, because I don%26#39;t think they can sit more than 20 people.

|||

Thanks!

|||

call me an ignorant peasant but what%26#39;s a PDG? French version of CEO?

|||

Yes, PDG is Président-Directeur-Général.

|||

phread - I love the feminist ideal inherent in reference to your theoretical PDG as %26quot;her.%26quot;

|||

All is well and good with excellent

dining recommendations. I have enjoyed

posting to Bob, phread, JustGrace and

lovetotravel on a number of ocassions

and have respect for them and their opinions.

I do hope that we can be a bit cautious

so as not to be seen as too elitist.

|||

%26lt;do hope that we can be a bit cautious

so as not to be seen as too elitist.%26gt;

No worries there, Randy. Considering Bob Saccamano was a notorious character on the series %26quot;Seinfeld%26quot;, its easy not to take the snobbishness of this nomenclature too seriously.

On the television show, THAT Bob Saccamano was the infamous never-to-be-seen friend of KRAMER. Mr Saccamano was said to have had a business selling Russian hats down at Battery Park, made of nutria fur. Nutria, Kramer claimed, was a type of rat.

Last time I checked, some Seinfeld episodes were still being shown in France, in dubbed format.

|||

Hi Randy, not sure what part sounded elitest. Sorry, about it though, because that was absolutely not intended. Just thought folks would like some dining suggestions from someone who has voiced a strong opinion on the subject and who usually has some pretty good ideas.

|||

Hey Bob, Hope you open this one. Went to Le Restaurant du Marche tonight. Thank you for the recommendation. It was very good, I went nuts for the griottes in eau de vie and ended up buying a jar to take home. I love that neighborhood.

|||

Nutria is, in fact, a type of water rat, native to Argentina. It was imported into the bayous of Louisiana (for God knows what reason) and soon began to ruin the ecosystem by eating everything in sight. They are similar to a beaver in that they are forever damming the waterways and flooding land.

The outer fur is gray/silver and rather scratchy but if it is sheared it reveals the thick, plush underfur which is velvety soft.