Photo above from One Thousand Buildings of Paris, Text by Kathy Borrus, photos by Jorg Brockmann and James Driscoll
Neighborhood Restaurants in
Paris, Part 2
Blogathon June 21
Le Train Bleu (12th arrondissement)
20, Boulevard Diderot/ Place Louis Armand in Gare de Lyon
http://www.le-train-bleu.com/
This is my bonus offering. Not because the food is exceptional (I don’t have first-hand dining experience at Le Train Bleu; I hear that it’s just fair these days) or reasonably priced, but because the interior is a must-see This Belle Époque-dining hall, built 1899-1900, was classified as a historic monument in 1972. In the glorious days of steam travel, passengers dined here when traveling along the Paris-Lyon-Marseilles route, and the restaurant’s name pays homage to a rapid train that went to the Cote d’Azur. According to the restaurant’s website, Coco Chanel, Brigitte Bardot, Jean Cocteau, and Colette were regulars. Renovated in 2014, the glittering brass and glass interior includes chandeliers, a sweeping staircase, and mounted canvas wall paintings of the destinations on the southern train route. You don’t have to dine here to take a peek.
Below for Part 2 dining in Paris are more affordable neighborhood French restaurants. There are so many that I could go on and on. I may yet add another listing to this to cover other neighborhoods not previously mentioned. If I haven’t listed a website, it’s because they don’t have one. For additional notes see my dining blog posted June 19th: http://kathyborrus.tumblr.com/post/121971508978/parisian-neighborhood-restaurants
7th Arrondissement
Le Bistrot du Septième
56 , boulevard La Tour Maubourg
http://bistrotdu7.com
Phone: 01 45 51 93 08
This bistro serves up traditional French fare on tables covered in crisp white linen. The menu is varied with a changing entrée du jour and the principle plat du jour (usually the best deal). The menu selection focuses on beef, lamb, fish and duck. I like the seafood offerings, and the wines and dinner are reasonably priced especially since its location in the chic 7th would indicate otherwise. The staff is pleasant, but they tend to group the Anglophone diners together, which seems to me to be a touch on the condescending side. Nonetheless, you can’t beat the meal and the wine for the price. Closed Saturday and Sunday Lunch.
11th arrondissement
La CuiZine
73 Rue Amelot,
http://www.lacuizine.fr/
Phone: 01 43 14 27 00
I haven’t been back here since 2013, but it was quite good then. It’s not much on décor but great food. I had a grilled shrimp salad and Dorade. Noel and my friend, Adrian, each had two entrées instead of a main course (hardly ever done in Paris except at brasseries), but Adrian has lived here long enough to be bold about it. She and Noel both started with clams, and then Noel had duck foie gras, and Adrian had the shrimp salad. She and I shared their incredible decadent chocolate-molten cake drizzled with raspberry sauce. All of us enjoyed our meal and I will definitely go back next Paris trip. Closed Sunday and Monday, and midday Saturday. Open noon to 2 PM and 7 PM to 10PM.
12th arrondissement
Le Baron Rouge
1 rue Théophile-Roussel
Phone: 01 43 43 14 32
I wish I loved oysters because if I did, I’d hurry over to Le Baron Rouge where everyone appears to be having so much fun. No one seems to mind waiting either. A lively crowd often spills out onto the street, waiting to eat freshly shucked oysters over large wine kegs at the bar entrance. Indeed, I took Noel here and he loved the oysters and the atmosphere. Slightly off the well-worn tourist path, Le Baron Rouge is close to the lively indoor d’Aligre market. Closed Sunday afternoons and Mondays.
15th arrondissement
Cave de L’Os Moëlle
181, rue de Lourmel
Phone: 01 45 57 28 28
An unusual, communal dining adventure at Cave de L’Os Moëlle (Cellar of the Bone Marrow). Unusual that it is communal/self serve but also unusual with the “French women don’t get fat” mentality that it’s “all you can eat;” the caveat being you must eat what you take. A friend of mine who lives in Paris loves it and I’ve eaten there twice, but I’m too picky an eater to enjoy it. Your food is whatever the restaurant decides they are making that day. They pass it around family style. I’d rather order my own, but it’s different and most people love the atmosphere. Closed Mondays. Open Tuesday 4PM -10PM, Wednesday-Sunday, 10:30 AM-10 PM.
16th arrondissement
Le Beaujolais d’Auteuil
99 Boulevard de Montmorency
www.lebeaujolaisdauteuil.com/
Phone: 01 47 43 03 56
This neighborhood restaurant/café is a great afternoon stop, where you can sit outside, sip a glass of wine, and munch on a tasty cheese offerings. But you can also have a lovely dinner inside or out at reasonable prices, served by young, friendly, and whimsical waiters who sport wooden bowties. Dine on classical French cuisine with a modern twist including smoked herring caviar and celery roumelade. Located at Porte d’Auteuil, its contemporary interior has mirrored walls, tiled floor, and velvet chairs. It’s a perfect stop if you’re on your way to Roland Garros or the Auteuil
Hippodrome. Open everyday from 8 AM to 1 AM.
Kathy Borrus 