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WHAT IT COSTS In Euros

AT DINNER

¢

under €13

$

€13–€17

$$

€18–€24

$$$

€25–€32

$$$$

over €32

Prices are per person for a main course at dinner, including tax (5.5%) and service; note that if a restaurant offers only prix-fixe (set-price) meals, it has been given the price category that reflects the full prix-fixe price.

1ER ARRONDISSEMENT (LOUVRE/LES HALLES)

La Ferme Opéra.

¢ | CAFÉ | If your arm aches from flagging down café waiters, take a break in this bright, friendly, self-service restaurant near the Louvre that specializes in produce from the Ile-de-France region (around Paris). Inventive salads, sandwiches, and pastas are fresh and delicious, and on the sweeter side, you can find wholesome fruit crumbles, tarts, and cheesecakes. They serve whole-wheat scones and freshly squeezed juices for breakfast, from 8 AM on weekdays and 9 AM on Saturday; breakfast is served from 10 AM on Sunday, when there is also brunch from 11 AM to 4 PM. There’s free Wi-Fi access in the barnlike dining room. | 55 rue St-Roch, Opéra/Grands Boulevards | 75001 | 01–40–20–12–12 | MC, V | Station: Pyramides

Fodor’s Choice | L’Ardoise.

$$ | BISTRO | This minuscule storefront, decorated with enlargements of old sepia postcards of Paris, is a model of the kind of contemporary bistros making waves in Paris. Chef Pierre Jay’s first-rate three-course dinner menu for €34 tempts with such original dishes as mushroom and foie gras ravioli with smoked duck; farmer’s pork with porcini mushrooms; and red mullet with creole sauce (you can also order à la carte, but it’s less of a bargain). Just as enticing are the desserts, such as a superbfeuillantine au citron—caramelized pastry leaves filled with lemon cream and lemon slices—and a boozy baba au rhum. With friendly waiters and a small but well-chosen wine list, L’Ardoise would be perfect if it weren’t often crowded and noisy. | 28 rue du Mont Thabor, Louvre/Tuileries | 75001 | 01–42–96–28–18 | www.lardoise-paris.com | MC, V | Closed Mon. and Aug. No lunch Sun. | Station: Concorde

Fodor’s Choice | Le Grand Véfour.

$$$$ | HAUTE FRENCH | Victor Hugo could stride in and still recognize this place—in his day, as now, a contender for the title of most beautiful restaurant in Paris. Originally built in 1784, it has welcomed everyone from Napoléon to Colette to Jean Cocteau. The mirrored ceiling and early-19th-century glass paintings of goddesses and muses create an air of restrained seduction. Foodies as well as the fashionable gather here to enjoy chef Guy Martin’s unique blend of sophistication and rusticity, as seen in dishes such as frogs’ legs with sorrel sauce, and oxtail parmentier (a kind of shepherd’s pie) with truffles. There’s an outstanding cheese trolley and for dessert, try the house specialty, palet aux noisettes (meringue cake with chocolate mousse, hazelnuts, and salted caramel ice cream). Prices are as extravagant—a single main course averages €100—as the decor, but there’s an €88 lunch menu. | 17 rue de Beaujolais, Louvre/Tuileries | 75001 | 01–42–96–56–27 | www.grand-vefour.com | Reservations essential ; jacket and tie | AE, DC, MC, V | Closed weekends, Aug., 1 wk in Apr., and 1 wk at Christmas. No dinner Fri. | Station: Palais-Royal

Pinxo.

$$–$$$ | MODERN FRENCH | The word pinxo means “to pinch” in Basque, and this is how the food in this fashionable hotel restaurant is meant to be eaten—often with your fingers, and off your dining companion’s plate (each dish is served in three portions for sharing). Freed from the tyranny of the entrée-plat-dessert cycle, you can nibble your way through such minidishes as marinated herring with Granny Smith apple and horseradish, and squid cooked à la plancha (on a grill) with ginger and chili peppers. Alain Dutournier, who also runs the more formal Le Carré des Feuillants and Au Trou Gascon, drew on his southwestern roots to create this welcoming modern spot; granted, some dishes work better than others, but it’s hard not to love a place that serves