Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [140]
An important distinction between a brasserie and a restaurant is that while the former serves food throughout the day, a restaurant is usually open only for lunch and dinner. Almost all restaurants close for at least 1½ days (ie a full day and either one lunch or dinner period) each week, and this schedule is usually posted on the front door. Chain restaurants are usually open throughout the day, seven days a week.
Restaurants generally also post a carte (menu) outside, so you can decide before going in whether the selection and prices are to your liking and/or budget. Most offer at least one fixed-price, multicourse meal known in French as a menu, menu à prix fixe or menu du jour (daily menu). A menu (not to be confused with a carte) almost always costs much less than ordering à la carte.
When you order a three-course menu, you usually get to choose an entrée, such as salad, pâté or soup; a main dish (several meat, poultry or fish dishes, including the plat du jour, or ‘the daily special’, are generally on offer); and one or more final courses (usually cheese or dessert). In some places, you may also be able to order a formule, which allows you to pick two of three courses – an entrée and a main course, say, or a main course and a dessert.
Boissons (drinks), including wine, cost extra unless the menu says boisson comprise (drink included), in which case you may get a beer or a glass of mineral water. If the menu says vin compris (wine included), you’ll probably be served a 25cL pichet (jug) of house red or white. The waiter will always ask if you would like coffee to end the meal, but this will almost always cost extra.
Restaurant meals in Paris are almost always served with bread, which is never accompanied by butter.
Restaurant Libre-Service
A restaurant libre-service is a self-service restaurant not unlike a cafétéria.
Restaurant Rapide
A restaurant rapide is a fast-food place, be it imported (eg McDonald’s) or home-grown ones such as Quick.
Restaurant Universitaire
The University of Paris system has some 14 restaurants universitaires (canteens or refectories) and 20 cafétérias subsidised by the Ministry of Education and operated by the Centre Régional des Œuvres Universitaires et Scolaires, better known as CROUS Click here. They serve very cheap meals (typically under €2.80 for local and visiting students and €6.60 for nonstudents).
Salon de Thé
A salon de thé (tearoom) is a trendy, somewhat pricey establishment that offers quiches, salads, cakes, tarts, pies and pastries, in addition, of course, to black and herbal teas.
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VEGETARIANS & VEGANS
Vegetarians and vegans make up a small minority in a society where viande (meat) once also meant ‘food’, and they are not very well catered for; specialised vegetarian restaurants are few and far between. In fact, the vegetarian establishments that do exist in Paris often look more like laid-back cafés than restaurants. On the bright side, more and more restaurants are offering vegetarian choices on their set menus and produits biologiques (organic products) are all the rage nowadays, even among carnivores. Other options include saladeries, casual restaurants that serve a long list of salades composées (mixed salads).
Many restaurants now have at least a couple of vegetarian dishes on the menu, though it may be one of the starters/first courses. Unfortunately, very few set menus include vegetarian options. Sometimes the only way for vegetarians to assemble a real meal is by ordering one or more side dishes.
Strict vegetarians and vegans should note that most French cheeses are made with rennet, an enzyme derived from the stomach of a calf or young goat, and that some red wines (especially Bordeaux) are clarified with the albumin of egg whites.
The trade of produits sans chimiques (products without additives) or produits biologiques, usually abbreviated to bio is carefully