Le Bistrot d'Henri

Writing about my experience at Le Procope got me thinking about the wonderful places I've eaten in Paris. You know...the food is one of the main reasons to visit France! My budget doesn't allow me to eat at any of the 'starred' establishments (maybe someday?), but I've had many great meals at the less pricey places around town. Marie and I have eaten at Christine's in the 6th arrondissement and its neighbor, Rotisserie en Face; we've eaten at Marie's favorite, L'Epi dupin twice. We've enjoyed a meal entirely of souffles at Le Souffle on the Right Bank, and we tried great Moroccan food at a tiny place we couldn't find on our second trip. We've had our morning croissant and cafe creme every day at Paul's. My very favorite place, however, was Le Bistrot d'Henri (pictured here courtesy of Google).

I've eaten at Le Bistrot twice, and it was wonderful both times. Walking distance from our hotel on Blvd. St. Germain, it's tucked into a tiny side street, rue Princess. It's warm and cosy; the atmosphere is friendly and lively. I love it! and the food is delicious. My travel journal reminds me that it was also 'very charming, very Parisian.' I had pork chops on a bed of noodles with a sauce flavored with a tint of Dijon mustard, haricots verts with a curry-tinged dressing and the ubiquitous molten chocolate cake for dessert. On my second visit, I tried the lamb dish that the bistrot is famous for...lamb shank cooked for hours until it makes a thick gravy with prunes, onions, and carrots flavored with a touch of cinnamon. It's served in its own small Dutch oven (or is that a French oven?). A salad of endive, chopped pear and roquefort cheese chunks and again, the chocolate cake rounded out the meal. Sipping a glass of wonderfully thick red wine, I could, indeed, murmur "J'ai mange tres bien!"

Cafe Marly, Paris

I pulled yesterday's blog post from my Word document archives. It's part of an article that I put together about traveling alone in Paris. No, it didn't get published....darn. But writing the article really made me think about traveling on my own, how do-able it is, and how much I enjoyed the experience. If you clicked on yesterday's link to the Cafe Marly, you read a variety of reviews of that restaurant. Let me add mine: the experience was absolutely delightful and the food was very, very good. I've actually eaten there twice...once on my own in September of 2005 and again, in late February, 2006. I enjoyed it both times. On the warm, sunny September afternoon, I sat on the terrace and thrilled to the crowds milling around the Pyramid. In February I sat inside in the elegant and stylish dining room done in lovely soft shades of green and punctuated with crisp white tablecloths and napkins. My waitstaff on both occasions were quietly professional and polite. They certainly didn't try to rip me off by adding a huge tip to the bill. (See review by one disgruntled American diner) While I wouldn't criticize anyone on the strength of a restaurant review, I can tell you that I was able to identify American tourists instantly both in restaurants and on the streets of Paris...and not just because they were carrying Rick Steves' guidebooks! I have to say that I've been to Paris three times, and I've always been treated cordially at the very least by anyone I've encountered there. In fact, I've had some lovely interactions with Parisians...maybe a subject for a future blog post??