Yes, we were in Paris last fall.
We’ve not written about our favorite dining experiences there because of an assignment for the May issue of Midwest Traveler, which bought the first rights. But now we can share our finds. And let us make a point about the benefits of traveling in the off season. If one can do it, there are fewer tourists, smaller crowds in restaurants and museums, especially during the week, and a less-frazzled staff. Away from places like Paris, the travel can be even better. A few years ago, we visited the South of France, had hotel reservations the first three nights and then hopped in a rental car and traveled throughout Provence and the Riviera, only once not finding a vacancy at a hotel we wanted.
And a moment of triumph. We made reservations for the first time using our home computer, successfully communicating with a restaurant in Paris. Not far from where we were staying and only a few blocks from the Pompidou Center, an old-school restaurant called L’Ambassade d’Auvergne turned out to be one of the delights of our visit. While it’s very up to date in terms of the internet, the decor, with beamed ceilings, and menu are very traditional, with many non-tourist customers. The non-smoking dining room was largely populated by English-speakers, and there’s a communal table for single diners.
The food was fabulous. Country bread, made with whole wheat flour, and pate to greet the diner. A warm salad of Puy lentils and bacon was so good that it was hard not to fill up on it, since the serving bowl remained on the table. Interestingly, despite this deeply meat-oriented cuisine (Duck! Pork stew! Lamb! Sausage!), the don’t-miss dish is aligot, mashed potatoes beaten with cantal cheese. It’s served from a copper pot, whipped before your eyes as the cheese str-r-r-r-etches it out. Rich, warm, real comfort food. The chocolate mousse-lover absolutely must have it for dessert, and have it, and have it, because the immense bowl of mousse is also serve-yourself. All this for less than 50 euros a head, plus wine. And remember that the tip (service charge) is always included in restaurants and cafes in France. If service was worth an additional reward, a few extra euros are always appreciated. Since returning home, we recommended to a friend who enjoyed the evening as much as we did.
L’Ambassade d’Auvergne
22, rue du Grenier-St. Lazare, 3rd arrondissement
Metro: Rambuteau (exit r. du Grenier-St. Lazare exit)
01-42-72-72-31-22
Lunch and Dinner daily
Credit cards: Yes
France’s colonial history included a long time in North Africa. Because of that, Paris was for years the first place many people ate couscous. (The old Frommer’s Europe-on-$5-A-Day endorsed it as an exciting budget option; we got a chance to thank Arthur, Joe’s high school and college classmate, a few years back.) Instead of a claustrophobic basement, Chez Omar offers a wonderfully aged authentic eatery, its air of genteel decrepitude belying the fact that it is, we’re told, rather chic. The attitude, however, is very un-chic, just eager to feed people immense portions of delicious food. We split an immense couscous royale, mounds of couscous on a platter, surmounted by chicken, beef, lamb and spicy merguez sausage, lots of vegetables and broth, with plenty of the wonderful harissa sauce with which to anoint the whole. Harissa is the traditional spicy-hot sauce served with couscous, a peppery mixture mixed with the broth from the stewed meats. They even offered seconds. For dessert—which we could hold only because we’d split that entree—we chose from a huge platter of Algerian pastries. (Filo, honey, nuts, in several variations.) Fortunately the awful Algerian plonk has been supplanted by a decent wine list, although beer would work well with this, too.
Cash only at this warm, welcoming spot; make a reservation or come early. Under 50 euros a head.
Chez Omar
47, rue de Bretagne, 3rd arr.
Metro: Arts et Metiers, St.-Sebastien Froissart
01-42-72-36-26
Lunch Mon.-Sat., Dinner nightly
Cash only
For several years, it’s been common for Big-Name Chefs in Paris to open second locations that are less formal and, aha, less expensive than their mother ships. Jacques Cagna is one such BNC, and right across the street from his primary restaurant in the snazzy 7th Arrondissement is La Rotisserie d’en Face. This is another spot where we made reservations on line, and this website has an English-language option; just click on the English flag on the opening screen of the site. Its elegant interior attracts a rather chic crowd–yeah, well, when isn’t a French crowd chic, but this is a coat-and-tie place, for sure.
The featured items are meats cooked on the rotisserie, not surprisingly. If you’ve ever wondered what all the fuss was about when it came to roast chicken, this is the place to find out. But the don’t-miss dish that left us almost shuddering with delight was the vacherin, a traditional French dessert that is made with crisp meringue layered with ice cream, caramel walnut, in this case, and whipped cream, drizzled with generous amounts of caramel. The contrast of textures, temperatures and tastes was absolutely enchanting.
Reservations are absolutely essential. Under 100 euros a head unless you hit the fancy items and the wine list. We made reservations here via the internet as well.
La Rotisserie d’en Face
2, rue Christine, 7th arr
Metro: St.-Michel, Odeon
01-43-26-40-98
Lunch Mon.-Fri., Dinner Mon.-Sat.
Credit cards: Yes
Two more places very briefly: A small spot near the Eiffel Tower that’s offering contemporary French cuisine is L’Affriole, another house with a warm welcome, even for folks like us. (A sign says cuisine 
traditionelle, but the food straddles the line.) A welcoming basket of country-style bread and olives arrives at each mosaic-topped table. Our most memorable items there were the French equivalent of toasted ravioli (photo, right), pasta wrapped around a savory pot-roasted beef filling and deep-fried, with a caper mayonnaise alongside, and lamb sweetbreads, the latter to Joe’s delight.
L’Affriole
17 rue Malar, 7th arr.
Metro: Invalides or La tour-Maubourg
01-44-18-31-33
Lunch & Dinner Tues.-Sat.
Credit cards: Yes
One of the loveliest parts of Paris is the Marais, the ancient neighborhood that includes the Place des Vosges. Under the arcades that surround the Place, in the northwest corner is Ma Bourgogne, a café-bistro Ann’s been visiting the last 20 years. Sitting outside is a fine place for a summer breakfast; inside is nice on a rainy day. The menu involves standard classics, reasonably executed. Not fabulous, but deeply authentic.
Ma Bourgogne
19 place des Voges, 4th arr.
Metro: Saint-Paul
01-42-78-44-64
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner daily
Cash only