A Few Paris Gems

By Bob & Sue

In addition to our favorite Michelin 3- and 2-star restaurants (L’Astrance, Le Cinq, L’Ambroisie, Pierre Gagnaire, Jean Francoise Piege, and L’Atelier Robuchon), we enjoyed some exciting meals in smaller venues and bistros:

Chez Georges

This old fashioned bistro delivers classic dishes as well as anyone in the city, including sweetbreads in cream sauce with morels, jambon persille with celery remoulade, and a perfect chicken liver pate.

1 Rue du Mail, 75002 Paris, France  / +33 1 42 60 07 11

Josephine Chez Dumonet

With lace curtains and decor from a past era, this restaurant offers a throwback menu with the full range of classic bistro dishes including shrimp veloute, a memorable beef bourguignon, and a perfectly braised sweetbread.

117 Rue du Cherche-Midi, 75006 Paris, France  / +33 1 45 48 52 40

Bistrot Paul Bert

This Patricia Wells favorite offers a thoughtful and expansive three course prix fix bistro menu, which may be the best value in Paris for food of this quality. Cream of mushroom soup with foie gras, rabbit in a mustard cream sauce, and a properly moist Grand mariner soufflé were among our favorites.

18 Rue Paul Bert, 75011 Paris, France  / +33 1 43 72 24 01

Auguste

Brittany chef Gael Orieux’s small restaurant near the Rodin Museum is a favorite for lunch. The tempura langoustines, sweetbreads with apricots in a jura wine sauce, and game specials such as grouse with foie gras are full flavored and satisfying.

54 Rue de Bourgogne, 75007 Paris, France  / +33 1 45 51 61 09

Gaya Rive Gauche

Pierre Gagnaire’s tiny second restaurant serves up wonderful seafood such as baby shrimps in a delicious seafood veloute sauce, as well as veal in a green curry sauce and a fricassee of chicken breast served with a gruyere mac and cheese.

44 Rue du Bac, 75007 Paris, France / +33 1 45 44 73 73

Le Coq Rico

Did the chicken or the egg come first? Antoine Westermann’s roast chicken restaurant in the Montmartre area serves up whole Bresse chickens with fries and tasty mac and cheese, as well as cream of chicken soup and oeufs meurette.

98 Rue Lepic, 75018 Paris, France  / +33 1 42 59 82 89

Allard

New owner Alain Ducasse has retained the same basic bistro menu as we enjoyed on our first visit in 1970. Diners continue to love such favorite classic dishes as escargot, frog legs, and a whole duck with green olives.

41 Rue Saint-André des Arts, 75006 Paris, France  / +33 1 58 00 23 46

KGB

Ze Kitchen Gallery’s second restaurant KGB offers a highly creative Asian-influenced 10 course menu with small bites of vegetables, fish and meat, and main courses such as Thai-flavored linguine with a confit of Wagyu beef and a delicious quail in ginger and lemongrass sauce.

25 Rue des Grands Augustins, 75006 Paris, France  / +33 1 46 33 00 85