Paris Restaurant Recommendations

I have a few friends going to Paris this month, so I thought I'd compile my restaurant recommendations here on my wine blog. I'm only recommending restaurants I've actually been to and that I would definitely go back to again. I don't always remember how much things have cost, so I've just categorised them into two medium- and high-priced categories with notes on what I remembered paying (for meals only, not wine). French restaurants consistently have plenty of reasonably-priced wine options, although I've been known to splurge on bottles that cost two to three times the cost of the food....And remember, most places are closed on Sundays!

Haute Cuisine

• L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, 7eme - modern decor, reservations essential and definitely a "creative" menu (6 course menu was around 125 Euro/pp in 2006). Just off Rue de Bac
• Les Bouquinistes, 6eme - a Guy Savoy restaurant right on the Seine with a view of Notre Dame (6 course menu around 75 Euro/pp in 2008 although there are other set menu options for less). Fabulous wine list and great set menu for the prices!

More Moderate Indulgence

• La Robe et Le Palais, 1ere- wine bar and restaurant where the wine list is a rolodex in categories. Great oysters and cheese plate. Closed Sundays (found out the hard way!)
• Fish La Boissonerie, 6eme - Run by the American owner of La Dernier Goutte wine store around the corner, this restaurant has fantastic wines by the glass (and bottle!) and a Mediterranean menu at a very reasonable 36 Euro for 3 courses. All the staff here speak English and French so if you want to escape the dismissive French waiters, give yourself a break here! Open Sundays.
• La Table de Fes, 6eme - Moroccan couscous and tagine, and even some tasty Moroccan red wine! An sweet elderly woman seats you, serves you and tells you to keep eating, which isn't hard to do at this tasty restaurant. It's off the beaten path on a side street, but not too far from Montparnasse. Food and wine will be about 45-50 Euros/pp. Closed Sundays.
• Le Relais de Venise L'Entrecote, 16eme - Just off the Porte Maillot Metro stop, this is a famous Parisian brasserie and for good reason. The menu is simple - everyone gets steak frites with the special sauce in two helpings and it has reasonably priced quality Bordeauxs as well! They are open Sundays, but they don't take any reservations so be prepared to queue outside with the other Parisians until there is a spot for you. Well worth the wait and reasonably priced!
• Le Doudingue, 18eme - Funky little bar/restaurant on a corner street in Montmarte.
• Chez Toinette, 18eme - Excellent bistro fare, cozy and charming. Down a side street but not too far out of the way.

I also recommend restaurants in the side streets of Montmartre (18eme), but not the main squares, and almost everything on/off the Rue de Buci between St Michel and St Germain de Pres, a great little neighborhood street with a lively atmosphere. Please post any additional recommendations!

Le Relais de Venise in London

This is a lesson in why I need to actually write down wine labels when I'm out, even if I do look like the complete dork that I am.

Last night I had the chance to eat at La Relais de Venise L'Entrecote, the London location of the original Parisian brasserie off the Champs-Elysees. Coincidentally, I went to the Paris restaurant with Katie during our recent December weekend trip. Last night, a friend and I chanced upon the London location off the Marylebone High Street as we wandered around looking for somewhere suitable for dinner. The restaurant has a simple menu of salad with walnuts and steak frites with their signature special sauce (served in two helpings!). It also famously does not take reservations and you simply wait in a queue outside until you are eventually ushered in to a tight-spaced table.

We didn't have to wait long to be seated since it was 9pm on a Monday night, and the brevity of the wine list assisted a quick decision to get the second Bordeaux on the menu. Now, here's where my problem starts. I do remember the name of the wine "Blend 55 - Bordeaux" but I can't find it when I google it, and more embarrasingly, I can't remember which varietals the 55 refer to (it being 55%/45% of two different varietals). Being a Bordeaux, the options are either Cab Sav, Cab France, or Merlot, so I'm guessing it was the two cabs?!

The first sip gave me the impression that it was a bit flat (something that too much Merlot might do to it). It had good flavour but maybe not enough tannins. But as I started to drink it with the food, the structure appeared and it was a much friendlier wine, all the more so for the reasonable £16.95 price. It's an easy combination to pair medium-cooked steak with a red cab blend, so the choice was right and I'm just left wondering if the restaurant has it bottled and branded just for their restaurant?...