Eating out in Paris!

There are 900 restaurants in the Paris Zagats, so you might be surprised to know that Parisians in increasing numbers are eating more junk food then ever. In fact, in the paper this week, there was a story concerning a push to get the French back to a diet with less fat. How could there be less fat in all those cheese courses?????

Making the decision to eat out requires thoughts about not only where, but the type of experience: Bistro, Brasserie, Restaurant, Café. Which you choose will determine when and what you want to eat, how the reservation is handled and what you might expect in the way of service.

France operates by different rules than the US in many ways – 35 hour work week, highly centralized and pervasive government, ……. But restaurants take this to a further extreme. In the US, most restaurants are open 6 or 7 days a week - vacations are uncommon. The following schedule is fairly typical for a better restaurant in Paris. Closed all Mondays and Sunday lunch; Feb 14 – 22; Apr. 5-13; Oct. 25 – Nov. 2; AND ALL HOLIDAYS! While the level of diversity is typical, every restaurant is unique. Also, while most US restaurants have multiple seatings, French bistros and restaurants typically have only one seating. Only brasseries and cafes offer continuous seating.

Most people are aware that Parisian Cafes allow you to sit as long as you want. But most people may not be aware that most Cafes also have a bar where you can get the same food or drink at half to a third of the price at the tables. Each morning as you walk past the Cafes the bars are lined with customers drinking their coffee, eating their tartine or croissants AND depositing all trash, cigarette buts etc. at their feet under the bar!

Yes, the rules and customs are certainly different. It’s not uncommon to see the family dog sitting at the feet of the owner or even on the banquette beside him. It’s been our experience that like French children, the dogs are also always on their best behavior when dining out.

Fall is an especially wonderful time to be here because of the variety of foods and game in season. We’ve indulged ourselves with “les huitres” (oysters), “cepes” (Portobello mushrooms), “perdreau” (partridge), pigeonnau (guess?), and phaisan. It’s all wonderful and we missed having it when we were here last spring.

Apart from the variety of eating establishments, we are taken with the fact that the French eat EVERYTHING but vegetables; which they eat sparingly. Menus list traditional fare but it’s not uncommon to find every sort of offal including tripe, “ris de veau” (veal sweetbreads which I adore), “tete de veau” (veal head, something we’ve decided we won’t have to try again), bone marrow (which we love), “pied de cochon” (pigs trotters) and veal hoofs. It’s all an adventure and fun to try even if it means missing the odd meal. Many times we’ve surprised ourselves with the discoveries.

When all is said and done, and time to pay “l’addition”, the waiter appears tableside with a hand-held gizmo that allows him to swipe your credit card right there at the table. This is important, because with the prices in Paris restaurants, they don’t want you to get out of sight after you get the bill. New York restaurants will seem like a bargain when we get home.

Yes, we love to eat, and nowhere is the experience so eventful as here in Paris!

Bon Appetit,

del Balso, Paris Journal, October 23, 2005