Weekend in Paris: Part 1
The home of the restaurant and Michelin, Paris remains the best place to eat
The French celebrated Bastille Day on Monday, so it seemed a good time to offer some recommendations for Paris. As it turns out, I had too many for a single e-mail, so this week, I offer my favourite classics and Michelin-starred places. Next week, I’ll do the interesting, modern spots that I love.
For a teenager in Richmond, Virginia in the late 1980s, Paris seemed a very long way away. I understood its historical importance. It’s impossible to sit through lectures on the American founding and miss the French Revolution. But beyond that, it was more or less a dot on a map.
When I was in 9th grade, two things happened that helped me to consider Paris differently. First, my literature teacher was a Hemingway scholar (as I’ve written about previously). Second, I got really into the music of Jimmy Buffet.
Buffet pioneered a sub-genre of country music with the gulf coast and Caribbean as his backdrop. His best known songs encourage “wasting away again in Margaritaville” and eating a “cheeseburger in paradise.”
But Buffet was also a serious songwriter. Bob Dylan — no slouch at songwriting — was a fan, and in a 2011 interview, named Buffet’s song “He Went to Paris,” as one of his all-time favourites.
It is also one of mine.
It’s a story song about a man who goes to Paris “looking for answers to questions that bothered him so.”
Buffet was inspired to write the song after meeting musician Eddie Balchowsky, who had served as a foreign volunteer during the Spanish Civil War, and spent time in Paris to recover from wounds received in the fighting.
Hemingway also spent time in Spain during the Civil War as a journalist, and knew Paris well. He lived there through much of the 1920s. His On Paris collection of short tales provides a window into life in the City of Light at the apex of its modern story. A place full of vibrant bars, night clubs, and restaurants.
I carry that romanticised view with me on every visit, and my Paris restaurant tastes start there.
At the same time, Paris is no longer something distant. It’s a two hour train journey, and I’ve been there so much that I have long ago lost count.
As I’ve gotten to know Paris better, the romanticised view is being supplemented with something more modern. I’m sure I’m the last one to notice, but for me, Paris has been reinventing itself yet again. The best of Paris is no longer quite so centred in the 1st and 2nd districts north of the river or on the Left Bank where Hemingway dwelled. These days, my favourite parts of Paris are in the 3rd in the Marais and near République, and stretching even further east into the 11th and even the 20th.
There are so many great restaurants in Paris that it would be easy and entirely understandable for a first-time visitor to stick firmly to the most central areas. But to do so is to misunderstand the city and miss out on the best experiences.
So my suggestions aim to provide a cross section. But I am not an expert on Paris. These are just a compilation of some of my recent favourites.
is the best expert, and you should subscribe to Paris by Mouth if you need proper help.Hemingway’s Paris
Cafe du Palais Royale
On 12 July 1789, a stuttering lawyer named Camille Desmoulins put a chair atop a table outside a café in the Palais Royale. Standing above the crowd, his speech galvanised action. The Bastille fell.
Today, the Palais Royale remains at the heart of the action.
The Cafe du Palais Royale is just a few steps from the spot where Desmoulins made history. With two stars from Michelin, it is putting out some of the most interesting food in Paris, under the leadership of Chef Philip Chronopoulos. It is modern French cuisine with a Greek influence.
They offer three menu options at lunch: A short tasting, a long tasting, and a la carte. For the caliber of restaurant, the lunch prices are reasonable.
So, happily, was the food. A pastry full of foie gras and shaved Greek cheese stood out among the snacks. Lobster was beautiful and tasted wonderful with a sweet, cream corn sauce. A lobster tempura balanced with a bit of bitter, and the interplay between the two drew a smile. Veal with rhubarb and onion was a surprise — a new combination for me with a great range of flavours. A crispy sweetbread brought everything together.
In a town full of Michelin-starred places, I worry Cafe du Palais Royale can get a little lost. It’s well worth considering on your next visit.
Auberge Bressane
I only discovered Auberge Bressane thanks to the generosity of Paris-based colleagues who knew of my love of great food and excellent wine. I worry that they might be mildly cross that I’ve shared their secret with you. I can only apologise.
Bressane focuses on the food and wine of Burgundy, and it succeeds wonderfully. The wine list includes more than 300 wines while the food menu includes brilliantly executed classics like traditional coq au vin, grilled rognons de veau with sauce béarnaise, and countless others.
This is the food that Hemingway would have cherished. Indeed, the restaurant describes itself as “medieval.”
The experience is authentic, too. The tables are too close together, the waiters are Parisian, and you can’t hear yourself think. It’s brilliant. You’ll laugh a lot, and be friends with your neighbours by the end of your meal.
The Vaudeville
It’s a truly classic Paris brasserie. Located by the old Paris Bourse, it still attracts as many well-dressed professionals as tourists. It’s also a great spot to drop in before an evening show at the nearby opera house. It’s an art deco delight, nodding to its own historical connection with the theatre. The Vaudeville drips with history. You wouldn’t be surprised to spot Hemingway at the bar. The food goes that way, too. It’s heavy on fresh seafood. It’s also possible to do the duck double — foie gras to start followed by magret de canard. Or to revel in sole meunière. And then finish with the profiteroles. Among my favourite in Paris.
Terminus Nord
Another classic brasserie. This one founded in 1925, and located right across the street from the Eurostar terminal. Sound too good to be true? Almost.
The food is solid brasserie selections — loads of fresh seafood, French classics, great wine, etc. But the team here know how to move fast. Got a train to catch? You can have aperetif, wine, and a pleasant meal in 45 minutes. And everything will taste better and be more fun than the crap you’ll eat on the train. There’s also handy wifi. And a Eurostar departures board above the bar. Classic with modern touches.
Michelin’s Paris
Arpege
It’s not hard to recommend a three Michelin-starred restaurant in Paris, but it is a little unusual to recommend Arpege above all the others. Chef Alain Passard’s temple to vegetables is one of the my favourite restaurants in the world.
And there’s a great story behind it: Passard had reached the height of culinary achievement — three Michelin stars. But he was bored. The meat-focused foundations of nouvelle cuisine weren’t doing it for him. So he closed the restaurant, bought a farm in Normandy, and learned to grow his own produce.
When Arpege resumed, it was with a vegetable-first mindset (though there is still meat on the menu). And he soon recovered his three-star status.
Passard’s food is a wonder. Utterly beautiful and supremely delicious. No detail is overlooked. Expensive? Sure. But a treat worth experiencing.
Jules Verne
I can’t believe I’m doing this… One of my favourite places is Paris is on the second level of the Eiffel Tower.
I recently hosted my mother in Paris, and a visit to the Jules Verne was her only request. I demurred, knowing that I would subject myself to ridicule from my Paris-based friends. She was insistent.
It was great. Chef Frédéric Anton presides over the two-Michelin starred kitchen, and it is putting out food that would be stunning at any altitude.
Add the view, and a meal at Jules Verne is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
During our dinner, the couple at the next table got engaged. It’s that kind of place.
Thanks for reading. Next week, I’ll cover my favourite modern places including Folderol, Maison, and Grand Bain. Please let me know your favourite Paris spots in the comments, and please do subscribe if you haven’t already.
Great recommendations. We were back recently and had a great meal at Le Violon D'Ingres - well worth trying if you haven't been!