Paris November 2013

From  Paris (November 2013), we would like to share the following new information:

Le Relais de l'Entrecote. 20, rue Saint Benoit, 75006 Paris, France (Luxembourg). We always visit this restaurant while in Paris and the place continues to please. Everything was fine this time; service, the meat, and of course the fries. The atmosphere is energizing.... and not expensive. Still recommended.

Fusion Restaurant Oscar Paris. 15, rue de Pyramides, 75001 Paris, France (Louvre / Place Vendôme). A great, inexpensive, non-touristy restaurant in Paris. This is a great option in Paris in terms of quality, price, and service. The restaurant i swell decorated and has one view of a scenic side street (next to Eglise St. Roch) which provides tranquility. The service is fantastic they really try to make you feel good and please you. Wine is list is small but very well chosen, food is delicious (although nothing sophisticated), and the prices are very reasonable. Highly recommended when you are not fishing for Etoiles...

Le Sergent Recruteur. 41 Rue Saint-Louis en l'Ile, Paris, France. It is not recommended - why the star?

We went to collect another "Etoile" (it has 1 Micheloion star), which in our view is totally undeserved. Problems:

1. The space is minuscule; you might as well eat in a bus.

2. Decoration is very poor, nothing to remember or admire.

3. Service is uncoordinated - too many people running around, picking up plates changing forks, etc., but with no real purpose.

4. No menu was offered, it was assumed we would just go with the fixed menu, but the price was not announced beforehand. Obviously it was what we expected (EUR 130 per person), but it needs to be said upfront.

5. We added the "small wine" service at EUR65 per person (the regular one is EUR90 per person). Nothing to remember. The worst part was that the waiter would explain each wine by trying to describe it "fresh, flowery, whatever" - why describe it, if we are about to taste it?! Each time I had to ask the appelation to know what I was drinking.

6. The worst part.... the food! I don't even remember a single dish we ate. The vegetable "from our garden" were tasteless. Fortunately, we did not agree to the "white truffles we just got" at EUR65 per person!! (an old trick, by the way....)

Total bill EUR500. With that money, go the La Tour D'Argeant, or any 2 or 3 starred restaurant in Paris.

They really need to work hard to earn that kind of money, so unless they introduce major changes, this one deserves to lose the star right away.

Lutetia Ile Saint Louis. 33, quai Bourbon, 75004 Paris, France. Good for coffee. Well located near Notre Dame, it has good coffee and croissants. A good place to stop if you are walking the neighborhood to recharge.