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By Root 1097 0

Véfour (17 rue de Beaujolais, 1er / +33 01 42 96 56 27 / grand-vefour.com). This beautiful, beautiful restaurant, set in the arcades of the Palais Royal, opened as the Café de Chartres in 1784 and was bought by one Jean Véfour in 1820. Guests have been illustrious: Napoléon and Joséphine, Voltaire, Dumas, Fragonard, and Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre, to name a few. The restaurant was closed from 1905 to 1947; after the liberation of Paris it was bought by the owner of Maxim’s and reopened in 1948 under the direction of chef Raymond Oliver (Jean Cocteau designed the reopening menu). Today Le Grand Véfour is a Michelin-starred establishment, a member of the Relais & Chateaux group, and owned by the Taittinger Champagne family. The chef is Guy Martin, also the author of a number of cookbooks, and though some say the food lacks sparkle, the lunch I had there with my friends Amy and Arlene was very, very good. (My only complaint was the exorbitant price for glasses of Taittinger, which we were not informed of in advance!) The three and a half hours I spent there were among the most memorable I’ve ever had in Paris.

* Le Pré aux Clercs (30 rue Bonaparte, 6ème / +33 01 43 54 41 73). This is the kind of neighborhood place, with consistently good but not amazing food, that has long been common in France but not so in the States. On my last visit I went three times. The owner, who seems to know a great number of his patrons—he gives nearly everyone who enters two kisses and a hug—is incredibly friendly and welcoming, and the staff is equally friendly and efficient. The overall vibe of the place is one of great conviviality, with eclectic and appealing music playing.

* Le Train Bleu (20 boulevard Diderot, Gare de Lyon, 12ème / +33 01 43 43 03 06 / le-train-bleu.com). Listed as a national historical monument in 1972 after its restoration in 1968, this special restaurant was created by the Paris-Lyon-Mediterranée Company and opened in 1900 on the occasion of the Exposition Universelle in Paris. Originally called the Buffet de la Gare de Lyon, it was renamed Le Train Bleu in 1963 as a tribute to the legendary train service from Paris to the south. The reason to come here is really not for the food, which is average, but for one of the most atmospheric dining spaces in the world. The forty-one paintings which cover all the walls and ceilings feature the sunny Provençal and Côte d’Azur destinations of the original train bleu, as well as some of the Alps. On my short list of goals in life is to have dinner at Le Train Bleu and then stroll down to the tracks to board a night train for Menton. I just know it will be splendid.

* Paul chain of bakeries (approximately forty locations in Paris / paul.fr). Founded in Lille by a family of bakers dating back four generations to 1889, Paul celebrated its 120th anniversary in 2009. In 1958, after his father passed away, Francis Holder and his mother took over the family bakery and expanded it. Today there are 360 outlets in France alone and some in numerous other countries (in the United States, there are a handful of bakeries, only in Florida). Such growth doesn’t normally appeal to me, but what I like about Paul is that I can get a nice salad, better than decent bread, and a glass of wine for a reasonable price within a short period of time and be on my way. I’m not positive I would frequent Paul if it were in New York, but the truth is, this chain is far better than any American food chain. I’d welcome it here, and I like knowing it’s an option when I’m in France.

* Willi’s Wine Bar (13 rue des Petits-Champs, 1er / +33 01 42 61 05 09 / williswinebar.com). I will always have a warm spot in my heart reserved for Willi’s, named after William Foster Simpson Browning III, the basset hound of owner Mark Williamson (the much-loved dog passed away in the mid-eighties). Williamson specializes in Côtes-du-Rhône wines, which are paired with a great range of dishes small and large—I’ve really enjoyed everything I’ve eaten here. There are tables in the back, but I prefer the seats at the long