Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [175]
01 45 25 63 26; www.museeduvinparis.com; 5 square Charles Dickens (rue des Eaux), 16e; starters €7.50-17, mains €13-16, menus €23, €34 (with champagne) & €58 (with wine); lunch to 3pm Tue-Sat; Passy
Where else to enjoy a wine-paired set menu than at the restaurant of the Musée du Vin? What’s more, a meal here allows you to look at the exhibits for free. Try the terrine de canard en gelée forestière (duck terrine in aspic with berries) followed by the petit salé aux lentilles (lean salt pork with lentils).
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SELF-CATERING
The open-air Marché Prèsident Wilson is convenient to the neighbourhood.
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ÉTOILE & CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES
The 8e arrondissement seems to have been born under a lucky star. Its broad avenues radiate from place Charles de Gaulle – also known as place de l’Étoile or simply Étoile – and among them is the celebrated av des Champs-Élysées; from the Arc de Triomphe to the place de la Concorde, the ‘Elysian Fields’ rules unchallenged. With very few exceptions, eateries lining this touristy thoroughfare offer little value for money, but those in surrounding areas can be excellent and well-worth seeking out.
SPOON Map Fusion €€€
01 40 76 34 44; www.spoon-restaurants.com; 14 rue de Marignan, 8e; starters €16-20, mains €20-47, menu €47 (lunch only) & €89; lunch & dinner to 11pm Mon-Fri; Franklin D Roosevelt
Diners at this Ducasse/Starck-inspired, recently renovated venue are invited to mix and match their own main courses and sauces – pan-seared red mullet, say, with a choice of barbecue, lemon or sesame sauces or duckling with peppers, lemon-parsley butter or crushed olives. It has an excellent selection of New World and non-French European wines.
MARKET Map French €€€
01 56 43 40 90; 15 av Matignon, 8e; starters €12-27, mains €26-42, menu €34 & €45 (lunch only); lunch Mon-Fri, brunch noon-4.30pm Sat & Sun, dinner to 11.30; Franklin D Roosevelt
Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s very swish restaurant focuses on fresh market produce delivered with signature eclectic combinations and Asian leanings. While it’s less formal than his accolade-adorned restaurants in the US and China, it’s still a refined experience with lunch attracting a business crowd and dinner a somewhat sexier proposition. It’s a place for everyone; breakfast is served from 8am to 11am during the week.
BISTROT DU SOMMELIER Map French €€€
01 42 65 24 85; www.bistrotdusommelier.com; 97 blvd Haussmann, 8e; starters €14-25, mains €22-32, lunch menus €32 & €39, with wine €42 & €54; lunch & dinner to 10.30pm Mon-Fri; St-Augustin
This is the place to choose if you are as serious about wine as you are about food. The whole point of this attractive eatery is to match wine with food, and owner Philippe Faure-Brac, one of the world’s foremost sommeliers (Click here), is at hand to help. The best way to sample his wine-food pairings is on Friday, when a three-course tasting lunch with wine is €45 and a five-course dinner with wine is €70e. The food, prepared by chef Jean-André Lallican, is hearty bistro fare and, surprisingly, not all the wines are French.
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top picks
LATE-NIGHT BITES
Chez Papa
Julien
Le Clown Bar
Le Grand Colbert
Le Vaudeville
Terminus Nord
Le Petit Zinc
Les Pipos
Brasserie Lipp
La Coupole
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GRAINDORGE Map Belgian €€€
01 47 54 00 28; 15 rue de l’Arc de Triomphe, 17e; starters €12-16, mains €22-30, menu €34; lunch Mon-Fri, dinner to 11pm Mon-Sat; Charles de Gaulle-Étoile
The name of this stylish restaurant, with its soft lighting, burgundy chairs and banquettes and Art Deco touches, means ‘barleycorn’ – it alludes to the great breweries of Flanders (check out the list of beers on offer). The signature dish is potjevleesch (€12), four kinds of meat cooked slowly together and served in aspic, though you’ll find plenty of other dishes that hint at the Low Countries, including waterzooi de homard (lobster poached with shredded vegetables and served in a creamy broth) and bintje farcie de morue en brandade (potatoes