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The following are some of my favorite Paris Restaurants, divided between Bistro and casual restaurants and Top Tables.

(Note : when calling or faxing from outside of France, dial 33 and delete the first 0). Unless noted, all restaurants take most major credit cards. Prices include service but not wine.

Click here to view Paris Top Tables

BISTROS AND CASUAL RESTAURANTS:

ALLARD
1, Rue l’Eperon, Paris 6.
Telephone: 01 43 26 48 23.
Fax: 01 46 33 04 02.
Métro: Odéon.

Closed Sunday and three weeks in August. Lunch menus at 22.90 € , 30 € , and 53 €. A la carte, 65 to 70 €.

I confess, as wonderful as it is to sample new and modern fare night after night, nothing satisfies the soul like good old fashioned bistro fare: Beaujolais, salads of frisée lardons, and meats and poultry roasted whole, on the bone. Yet even in Paris, those old fashioned spots remain a dying breed. As good as ever is Allard, the well-worn 1940’s Left Bank bistro once the home of Fernande and André Allard. More than 60 years later, you can still find a very dependable duck with olives, tender Bresse poultry served with a sauté of wild cèpe mushrooms, and – my very favorite – the giant lamb shoulder, with portions large enough to feed an army.

L‘ANGLE DU FAUBOURG
195, Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré
Paris 8.
Telephone: 01 40 74 20 20.
Fax : 01 40 74 20 21.
Email : angledufaubourg@cavestaillevent.com
Métro : George V or Charles de Gaulle-Etoile.

Closed Saturday, Sunday, and August. Menus at 37 € and 60 €. A la carte, 50 to 65 €.

I don’t know when I last had such authentic, well-prepare and well-presented French fare as this: Succulent, moist, glistening cubes of lamb shoulder, paired with meltingly tender potatoes enhanced with the essence of violet-toned garlic. Braised veal cheeks so gorgeous any French housewife would fall on her knees with joy if she had prepared them, teamed with a truly original (and successful) gratin of macaroni and artichokes. What could be bad about that? Add a glass or two of the rich, velvety red Vin de Pays d’Oc L’Hermitage, Les Domaine Camplazens (a bargain at 30 € ) and you are certainly on the road to heaven.

All this at the very understated, carefully conceived l'Angle du Faubourg, owner Jean-Claude Vrinat’s “wine bistro,” or little brother of his renowned restaurant Taillevent. The bare, colored-cement floors, brick-toned walls, simple white linen tablecloths and soothing celadon china sets a discreet, soothing background for what is to come. The menu, brief and in the know, remains true to French culture, while not getting lost in a swirl of nostalgia. There is always a trio of cheeses with accompaniments, such as goat’s milk Cabécou drizzled with chestnut honey; the rich blue cow’s milk Fourme d’Ambert marinated in the sweet Loire Valley white wine, Coteaux du Layon; and sheep’s milk tomme de brebis from the Pays Basque is rubbed with the slightly spicy, smoky piment d’Espelette.

Even if the food were just ok, L’Angle would be worth a visit for the wine list alone. It is not a heavy, biblical tome, but rather eight pages of wines that would be worth drinking any day of the week. There is a full page of wines by the glass, including Domaine d’Aupilhac’s white vin de pays from the Languedoc, and Domaine du Deffends’ Clos de la Truffière from the Var. On my last visit, I enjoyed the pleasant white Picpoul de Pinet, from Domaine Saint-Martin la Garrigue in the Languedoc (16 € ), along with the Domaine Camplazens.

L’ASTRANCE
4, Rue Beethoven
Paris 16.
Telephone: 01 40 50 84 40.
Fax: 01 1 40 50 11 45.
Métro : Passy.

Closed Saturday, Sunday, one week in February and August. Menus at 33 € (lunch), 75 € and 90 € (dinner.) A la carte, 60 to 85 €.

I was amazed by Pascal Barbot’s food when I first visited the newborn restaurant in the winter of 2000, and repeat visits assure me that this talented, modest chef continues to grow. Like many contemporary chefs he focuses on the ingredient first, the process second. But it’s his combination of ingredients as well as his pristine, even exciting presentations that distinguishes him from the rest of the pack. Along with partner Christophe Rohat, he is a chef to follow.

In a single meal you’ll sample the full range of seasonal fare: Crab and avocado, zucchini and baby turnips, fava beans and langoustine, tomatoes and arugula, tuna, brill, squab and veal. As good as ever is his signature crab and avocado “ravioli,” really thin slices of avocado masquerading as pasta, layered over a brilliantly season salad of crab enhanced with lime zest, chives, fleur de sel, and the most delicious, sweet and fragrant almond oil.

The cool and soothing grey dining room, the starched linens, the gilt-framed mirrors add a restive backdrop to all this modern excitement. Rohat’s choice of wine – a deep red Pic St Loup, Château de Cazeneuve, with overtones of dark red fruit and a touch of gingerbread --- was a totally fitting match. Reservations at Astrance are hard to come by, so plan ahead for your next exciting meal.

L’ATELIER DE JOEL ROBUCHON
5, Rue de Montalembert
Paris 7.
Telephone: 01 42 22 56 56.
Métro : Rue du Bac.

Open daily. About 50 €.

One common trait among very creative and very successful people is the ability to constantly reinvent themselves. Chef Joel Robuchon – who “retired” from the restaurant business but not the food business in 1996 -- is back in all his glory. If you are someone like Robuchon, the reinvention is a good thing. Particularly with chefs, one becomes easily bored with delivering their 10 Greatest Hits day after day, as I am sure they do, too.

Robuchon “retired” at the top of his game. He said goodbye before we were ready for him to go. He knew he was generally considered the best chef in the world, and decided to leave on his own terms.

He is back, with a restaurant that is new, a concept that is new, a look that is new. At L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, the kitchen workshop comes alive. No more stern maître’d in starched white shirt, bow tie and formal black suit. No more tables or starched linens, snooty sommeliers who hold the wine list at arm’s length. This is modern Europe and JR is reinventing what it means to dine out.

There is just room for 42 diners, all seated at oversized and comfortable red leather stools, with plenty of room to dangle your feet at the bar. The décor is all black and red and stainless, with real food assembled like still lives throughout the dining room. Chefs are in black, not white, the staff is bright red. You sit face to face with the sommelier, the wait staff, with JR himself, who wanders by to see what everyone has ordered, and wants to know if it pleases.

The kitchen itself is “open” but discreetly so. Ever since the day he left his eponymous restaurant on Avenue Raymond Poincairé Robuchon has been plotting and dreaming of this restaurant . Cleverly, he took on restaurant consulting assignments and carefully placed his top men in place: Sommelier Antoine Hernandez and chef Erick Lecerf at the Astor, where they achieved two Michelin stars. Philippe Braun, at Laurent, where he achieved two Michelin stars. The fourth chef, Eric Bouchenoire, remained at his side as Robuchon, they are all equal partners in the affair.

And the food: It’s a something for everyone menu, a world menu, filled with the new and the daring, the tried and true, comfort food and some of the dishes he made most famous. On opening night, May 5, 2003 we began with a trip down memory lane, with a few carefully prepared servings of his famed crème de choufleur aux huîtres, creamy, sweet, and memorable. But the dish had a new look: Rather than being served in porcelain tea-cup sized bowls, a clear martini glass did the trick.

Everywhere, there are new and different looks of china, glass, some imported from Japan, everything diminutive in size.

Robuchon takes influence from Spain, where he has a vacation home, and so there are lots of dishes “a la plancha” or cooked right on a fiery hot griddle, such as oversized langoustines seasoned with coarse salt. There is gaspacho and paper-thin sliced ham from Spain, spaghetti carbonara and an outstanding Vitello tomato from Italy, steak tartare and frites “bonne-maman” from France.

Robuchon classics -- such as his merlan frit Colbert (deep fried whiting), look just as welcome and at home seated at a stool as at a stiffly starched linen-covered table.

Perhaps what’s best is the ambience. The great sounds of a lively bistro, yet everyone is talking, making friends with the stranger who sat down next to you a few minutes ago. Robuchon wants to break the mold of the formal restaurant, bring quality to more casual dining.

Prices are reasonable, and one can come in for a simple serving of gaspacho at 6 €, then a giant spring vegetable salad for 20 €. Or, one can have a multicourse meal, beginning with two or three tapas style starters – such as fresh avocado rolled around spoonfuls of crabmeat or irresistible sweetbreads decorated with fresh bay leaves and served with a lovely rendition of Swiss chard, a single wilted leaf wrapped around crunchy stalks, bathed in a creamy white sauce. Lamb, beef, veal, tuna and fresh cod make up the main course offerings.

Reservations can be had for the first service at lunch and at dinner. And, bravo, there is no smoking allowed in the restaurant, ever.

ATELIER MAITRE ALBERT
1, Rue Maître-Albert
Paris 5.
Telephone: 01 46 33 13 78.
Fax: 01 44 07 01 86.
Métro: Maubert.

Open for dinner only, Monday through Saturday, until 11:30 weekdays, 1 am weekends. 40 to 45 €.

Is there a better symbol of French gastronomy than a simple, sublime, classic roast chicken? Golden, fragrant, its skin crisp and crackling, the humble poulet rôtie is one of the world’s greatest dishes, one that can stand on its own or serve as a soothing escort to all manner of potatoes, crying out to be paired with a red wine of some stature.

In comes Guy Savoy, once again, to show us the way. His newest endeavor in the Parisian restaurant world is a remake of one of the city’s older restaurants – the Left Bank Atelier Maître Albert – a warming spot with a giant fireplace at one end, a modern rotisserie at the other. Walking in after the opera late one Saturday night, the place felt as though it had been open for decades, as tables for two, for four, for ten diners filled the room with sounds of fun and good times. The brief menu includes some Savoy classics – such as my ever favorite huître en nage, or chilled oysters in a bed of soothing oyster jelly -– and of course that golden rotisserie chicken, teamed up with a warming potato purée. Daily specials might include a perfect roasted duck and a potato gratin (with potatoes too thinly sliced for my taste). The wine list offers some old favorites such as the fruity, lively Savigny-les-Beaune from Simon Bize (the 2000 priced at 47 €) or Jean-Noël Gagnard’s sterling red Chassagne-Montrachet (the 1999 priced at 49 €) both perfect for pairing with poultry. Another plus is that the restaurant’s hours fit all lifestyles, open evenings only, Monday through Wednesday from 6:30 to 11:30, Thursday through Saturday, 6:30 to 1 am.

AU BON ACCUEIL
14, Rue de Monttessuy
Paris 7.
Telephone: 01 47 05 46 11.
Fax: 01 45 56 15 80.
Métro: Alma-Marceau.

Closed Saturday, Sunday, and July. 25 € lunch menu ; 29 € dinner menu. A la carte, 40 €.

You might call Jacques Lacipière a revolutionary. When he opened his traditional little bistro in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower it became an instant hit. In the spring of 2003 he transformed the tiny dining room into what might well be the first Elegant Bistro. The walls are wood, the recessed lights are halogen, the chairs are cozy, the napkins a pale grey linen, the napery a crisp white. The menu is still ingredient based --- fresh sole from Saint Gilles Croix de Vie and milk fed lamb from Pauillac – and the dishes are way beyond bistro, but the welcome sounds of good times are still there, and the wait staff still dons their black Bon Accueil work aprons.

The food and the wine list chart new territory. The food is light and complex, full of surprises. I loved the tiny roasted shrimp-like langoustines teamed up with cébettes – tiny spring onions – bits of bacon and a dark, rich jellied consommé. Fresh green asparagus from Pertuis, in northern Provence, sit upon a bed of tiny minced vegetables, showered with shards of Parmesan. A main course poultry – volaille du cros de la Géline – is first poached, then roasted, making for a bird that is both moistly tender and crisp at the same time. Set on a bed of creamy morels bathed in sweet vin jaune from the Jura made a traditional combination taste brand new indeed.

Desserts get points for beauty as well as flavor. The thin apple tart appears as a golden rose, almost too beautiful to eat, but we did. Served with a salted caramel ice cream, it made for a perfect ending. Equally fine is the tiny raspberry tartelette, with the plumpest and ripest raspberries set on a crunchy cookie-like pastry.

On the wine list I was delighted to discover Domaine Joblot’s rich, juicy, smoky white Givry Clos de la Servoisine 1999, decently priced at 46 € a bottle. Equally exciting, and beautifully priced at 23 € a bottle was the 2001 white Chateau l’Ermitage Costières de Nimes, cuvée Sainte-Cécile, a wine rich with the Northern Rhône flavours of Roussanne and Marsanne and loaded with pleasantly oily, mineral richness.

LE DOME
108, Boulevard du Montparnasse
Paris 14.
Telephone: 01 43 35 25 81.
Fax: 01 42 70 01 19.
Métro: Vavin.

Open daily. 60 to 80 €.

On many a Sunday evening I can be found on the indoor terrace here, feasting of fresh oysters, excellent turbot, sea bass (bar) or the finest sole meunière to be found in Paris. I always order their delicious Quincy, an excellent Sauvignon Blanc, that pairs beautifully with the fish and shellfish menu. For dessert, it’s always lime – citron vert – sorbet.

FISH LA BOISSONNERIE
69, Rue du Seine
Paris 6.
Telephone: 01 43 54 34 69.
Fax: 01 43 54 33 47.
E-mail: cosi@wanadoo.fr
Métro: Mabillon.

Closed Monday and two weeks at Christmas. Menus at 16 and 20 € (weekday lunch). A la carte, 30 €.

Juan Sanchez not only manages to run the best little wine shop in Paris (La Dernière Goutte, 6, Rue Bourbon-le-Château, Paris 6 ) but also keeps his wine bar, Fish, packed day after day. It’s no surprise, for the wine selections are intelligent, appealing, wine-lover friendly. The food is just as endearing and unpretentious: mussels steamed with fresh coriander, a sturdy bruchetta laden with mozzarella and tiny tomatoes, a fine penne with eggplant and pine nuts. Wines? Try the toasty white Minervois Domaine de la Tour Boisé and the rough and red St Chinian from the fine Mas Champart.

AU GOURMAND
22 Rue du Vaugirard
Paris 6.
Telephone/Fax 0l 43 26 26 45.
Métro: Mabillon.

Closed Saturday and Sunday. Lunch menus at 22 and 29 € , dinner at 33 €.

A Left Bank newcomer worth visiting is Au Gourmand, a tiny restaurant the size of a railroad car just across from the Luxembourg Gardens. Chef Christian Courgeau and partner Hervé de Libouton offer an unpretentious, carefully conceived little spot that’s run with care and attention. There is a single, 33 € dinner menu with changing daily specials that might include a brilliant starter of two fresh Brittany langoustines dusted with coarsely chopped pistachios and served with a tiny tangle of greens (a bit too salty for my palate) or a superb main course of a thick, giant pork chop – côte de cochon – cooked rare, a delight. I also loved the pairing of filet of dorade, or porgy, set upon a bed of crushed potatoes. The fish and potatoes had the very same texture, yet stood out on their own in the most soothing way.

If you have a sweet tooth, don’t miss the pain perdue aux cerises, classic French toast paired with super sweet cherries and a dollop of pistachio ice cream.

CHEZ GEORGES
1, Rue du Mail
Paris 2.
Telephone : 01 42 60 07 11.
Métro: Sentier.

Closed Sunday and holidays. From 45 to 55 €.

More than two decades ago, one of my first bistro meal in Paris took place on a brusquely cold day in February, when four of us tucked ourselves into the banquettes at Chez Georges, a classic turn-of-the-century bistro with ruddy-faced waitresses, copious help-yourself-from-the-terrine portions of sleek and shiny herring fillets, and an abundance of free-flowing Beaujolais. I remember thinking then “This is it, this is for me!” and it pretty much has been ever since.

The cozy bistro is long and narrow, almost like a railroad car. You place your coats behind you on a shelf or leave them on a coat rack at the door. You sit elbow-to-elbow with Parisian families, eager to dive into the perfectly golden, crispy and flavorful fries, the finely grilled steak with a thick Béarnaise sauce, the outrageously delicious pan-fried duck breast or steack de canard, paired with meaty wild cèpe mushrooms. And don’t forget the curly endive salad with bacon and a perfectly poached egg. Or the baskets of baguettes from the boulangerie Au Panetier Lebon across the street, baskets that, alas, need constant refilling. And then there is the Beaujolais, flowing free and easy, turning less than perfect days into oh such sweet ones.

PINXO
9, Rue d’Alger
Paris 1.
Telephone: 01 40 20 72 00.
Fax : 01 40 20 72 02.
Metro: Tuileries.

Open daily. A la carte, from 20 to 60, including service but not wine.

Following Joel Robuchon’s lead into the world of the more casual any-time-of-day gastronomy with his Left Bank Atelier, respected chef Alain Dutournier has tossed his hat into the ring. Pinxo, a clean, modern, all black and white restaurant near the Place Vendôme on the Right Bank, offers a nice breath of fresh air, a new approach. Open seven days a week from noon until midnight, the restaurant will help break France’s traditional strict dining hours and customs.

With a bar open to the small, compact kitchen, and a casual atmosphere, the restaurant is designed to accommodate those who want a single quick bite as well as diners who are willing to wile away an afternoon or evening sampling Dutournier’s creations. The chef is a proud son of France’s southwest and a staunch defender of all its products, and so it is no surprise to find the region’s specialties honored here. From the marvelous beef race blonde d’Aquitaine to tiny chipirons (baby squid) and on to a cool pipérade (eggs, red peppers, onions, tomatoes and ham), the brief menu takes us on a fine tour of the region.

The wine list, wisely, is arranged not by region or color but by price, with bottles ranging from 28 € for a Domaine de Deurre Côtes-du-Rhône Villages Vinsobres 2000 to 85 € for a Volnay 1er Cru Marquis d’Angerville 2000. Wines by the glass range from 5 to 7 €.

Miniature heads of lettuce the size of a Belgian endive are all the rage right now, and he kicks in with a welcoming salades croquantes, a generous mix of a trio of crunchy hearts of lettuce, sliced mushrooms, shallots, radish sprouts and tomatoes. His soup is brilliant, a mix of herbs, mushrooms, a touch of ginger, and fresh beans, all warming and energizing. And I literally devoured his tiny spring roll of fresh crab, a fine rendition of an Asian classic.

I am a huge fan of the sweet, crunchy, tiny squid known as chipirons and no one does it better than someone from France’s southwest. Here they are cooked a la plancha, or on a flat griddle, seasoned with a touch of ginger, mildly spicy pepper and garlic chips. When you go, do order the beef filet, aged to perfection and cooked perfectly rare. The meat is served with an unusual combination of cubed Charlotte potatoes bathed in a healthy tapenade, or black olive purée.

We loved the Jurançon Sec Clos Uroulat Cuvée Marie 2000, an always appealing white from the Petit Manseng grape, and priced at 35 €. Most items – which can be mixed and matched – range from 7 to 22 €.

LE REPAIRE DE CARTOUCHE
8 Boulevard des Filles de Calvaire and 99, Rue Amelot
Paris 11
Telephone: 01 47 00 25 86.
Fax: 01 43 38 85 91.
Métro : Filles-de-Calvaire.

Closed Sunday, Monday, and August. 23 € lunch menu. A la carte, 30 to 45 € .

About once a year something leads me to pick up the phone and book a table at Le Repaire de Cartouche, one of the city’s better bistros, and one that I seem to love more with each visit. It seems that chef Rodolphe Paquin and my palate are on the same wavelength: Keep it simple, keep it honest, and keep the big flavors coming. Paquin tugs our bistro-craving chord but does it with originality, spunk, and a pleasant precision.

My last meal in this cottage-like spot included a perfectly seared wild boar steak, or côte de sanglier, this one seized in the hottest of pans for a rich, caramelized crust, with an interior so beautifully rare, it was the color of fresh raspberries. The accompaniment --- red beets in vinegar – was as fitting as it was colorful.

But the surprise of the evening was an inventive minestrone of oysters and calf’s head, a warm soup fragrant with plump oysters bathed in a creamy liquid studded with vegetables and cubes of soft and succulent tête de veau. Totally different, yet totally appealing.

Just right for the season was the terrine of blood sausage, a perfectly spiced boudin noir set on a bed of apples, accompanied by a welcoming green salad. The wine of the evening – a red Minervois, Le Bois des Merveilles 1999 from Jean Baptiste Senat -- started out tasting like a so-so, flat Beaujolais, but grew and grew as the evening went on, tasting in the end like a rich, pure syrah with lots of punch and tons of notes. As is, it was well priced at 20 € the bottle.

Desserts were tops, with warm, moist prune clafoutis and a palate-cleansing pineapple sorbet. The crusty bread from a neighborhood bakery was so good I almost had to ask to take the basket away, fearing total overdose.

LE SOLEIL
109, Avenue Michelet
93400 Saint Ouen.
Telephone: 01 40 10 08 08.
Fax: 01 40 10 16 85.
E-mail: lesoleil@wanadoo.fr
Metro: Porte de Clignacourt.

Open daily for lunch, and Thursday through Saturday for lunch and dinner. 35 to 65 €.

What is it about the thrill of a potential flea market find that puts us in such a good mood? Add to that the thought of a fine Sunday lunch, a few sips of good wine and the companionship of friends and the stage is set for a very fine day indeed.

Take a look around you at the excellent flea market restaurant Le Soleil and everyone is smiling, laughing, looking like the well-fed lot that they are. Owner Louis-Jacques Vannucci is the ultimate host or bistrotier, back-slapping and hovering in the best of ways, making sure that each and every client is happy to be there.

Vannucci is a true gourmand himself, and loves nothing better than describing the pedigree of his fresh-caught fish, of his beef rib or entrecôte from Salers, or the giant block of sweet, golden butter that’s passed from table to table. There is no printed menu, just a blackboard that travels from table to table. Choices here vary according to Vannucci’s whims, so you may not see the same dishes here time and again. But follow his lead and you’re sure to leave the bright, multi-colored 50’s-style restaurant with a feeling of satisfaction.

The food has a nice flair, with a perky céleri-rémoulade, enhanced by a touch of acidity supplied by fresh green apple; and a nicely done foie gras mi-cuit set on a round of brioche and flanked by a touch of sweet aspic. At a recent lunch the owner offered a surprising and successful starter, a rectangle of puff pastry topped with slices of Jerusalem artichoke, or topinambours, and thin slivers of foie gras.

Fat portions of confit of duck arrive set on a bed of sautéed potatoes, and thick, perfectly cooked lamb chops arrive with a welcoming vegetable accompaniment, a mix of fresh green beans, browned onions, and sautéed mushrooms offset by a bit of tomato and garlic. For dessert there is always their famous, giant, baba au rhum. A great wine choice is the 1999 Château Puech-Haut, a spicy red Coteaux du Languedoc that’s got the right balance of tannin and fruit, and is filled with intense flavors of blackberries and cassis, reasonably priced at 33 €.

WADJA
10, Rue de la Grande-Chaumière
Paris 6.
Telephone: 01 46 33 02 02.
Métro: Vavin.

Closed Sunday, Monday lunch, and the week of August 15. Menus at 15.50 € and 25 €. A la carte, 35 €.

I’ll be frank. Sometimes my dream bistro dinner – on a quiet weekday with friends – is the most simple of all. Happiness comes in the form of a truly simple green salad, a full-flavored historic French bistro dish (such as a great blanquette de veau) and a shared bottle or good red country wine.

I often find simple bistro bliss at Wadja, starting with their Salade Simple (oh, a chef who actually OFFERS just greens in their best form, perfectly dressed), and a marvelous seven-hour leg of lamb, part of it cooked long and slow until it melts into a confit, another part cooked oh so quickly so you get the best of both.

For lighter fare, try to grilled swordfish or espadon, or for non-lighter fare try the cassoulet, loaded with good beans, a crusty, hearty dish that does the trick when you are really hungry.

The place is tiny, service lovely, and the wine list a revelation, full of all the greatest hits from the Loire, the Rhône and the Languedoc. A fine neighborhood spot if there ever was one.

ZE KITCHEN GALERIE
4, Rue des Grands-Augustins
Paris 6.
Telephone : 01 44 32 00 32.
Fax: 01 44 32 00 33.
E-mail: zekitchen.galerie@wanadoo.fr
Métro : Saint-Michel.

Closed Saturday lunch and Sunday. Menus at 21 and 32 € (lunch), and 33 € (dinner). A la carte, 40 to 55 €.

Chef William Ledeuil does it again, at one of my favorite spots, Ze Kitchen Gallerie. He has his finger (and palate) on the pulse of the modern diner. Despite the kitschy name, Ze Kitchen Galerie is a delight. The menu is divided between soups, pastas, raw and marinated fish, and main courses, all cooked à la plancha, or directly over a very hot, flat griddle. I have loved just about everything I have tasted over a series of visits. Ledeuil wisely hires young chefs from various nationalities so the food has an authentic flavor.

His combinations and creations are always inventive, never wacky. Mussels are teamed up with coconut milk and mushrooms in a creamy, warming soup. Lentils and mushrooms are turned into a wintry soup enlivened with gingerbread, or pain d’èpices. I love most, though, the pastas, such as the roborative macaroni with pesto, pine nuts and grilled chorizo sausage. Best of the selection of raw fish and shellfish is his yummy preparation of oysters and scallops in a spicy horseradish cream.

Desserts are simply fun. Try the roasted pineapple served with a tiny vanilla milk shake and a scoop of rich vanilla ice cream; or the cinnamon caramel-ice cream with a chestnut milkshake.

There is a small but always inviting wine list: Try the always dependable Faugères from the Languedoc, here the intense, well-structured red Château Anglade from Marie Rigaud-Anglade, a fine blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre grapes. The décor here is modern and a touch cold, but that’s the style today.

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TOP TABLES:

LES ELYSEES DU VERNET
25, Rue Vernet
Paris 8.
Telephone: 01 44 31 98 98.
Fax: 01 44 31 85 69.
E-mail: hotelvernet@jetmultimedia.fr
Métro : George V.

Closed Saturday, Sunday, Monday lunch, August, and Christmas week. 105 to 120 €.

Anyone wondering what might have happened to Grand French cuisine should reserve a table at Les Elysèes du Vernet, where the talented Eric Briffard has been working his magic since December of 2001.

With touches that are both thoroughly modern and totally classic, Briffard’s menu offers something for everyone. From the plumpest and sweetest scallops to his rosemary-infused grilled lobster and on to the finest duck I have ever eaten anywhere, he somehow covers all bases.

While some chefs let the finest ingredients speak for themselves and others prefer to impose their own personality on the ingredient (often smothering it in the process), Briffard manages to pull off both. There is absolutely no question about the quality of his ingredients, which he treats with utmost respect. But what is amazing is his range of creativity.

Briffard is one of the many talents to come out of Joel Robuchon’s kitchens, and to my mind one of the best. The wine list is exhaustive and includes some treasures, such as the dense, intense red 100 % syrah Vinsobres, Civades 2001 priced at 50 €.

PIERRE GAGNAIRE
6, Rue Balzac
Paris 8.
Telephone: 01 58 36 12 50.
Fax: 01 58 36 12 51.
Email: p.gagnaire@wanadoo.fr.
Métro: George V or Charles de Gaulle-Etoile.

Closed Saturday, Sunday lunch, holidays. Menu at 85 € (lunch) and 195 and 260 € (dinner). A la carte, 200 to 290 €.

In these days of French anxiety, it is always reassuring to know that when all else fails in this country, one can always be assured of a certain gastronomic bliss. A meal at Pierre Gagnaire can remind one of what several hours of pure pleasure can do for the soul.

I confess that it is rare that a dessert remains my strongest food memory of a meal. But I can’t stop thinking about how pure and pleasurable I found Pierre Gagnaire’s chocolate dessert. part of a procession of “quelques” desserts. When it arrived, our table burst out with a laughter of joy. Like a candy store on a plate, it arrived as four or five rounds of chocolate cookie the size of an Oreo all filled with a smooth chocolate mousse, stacked up like a dark brown millefeuille. The dessert was streamlined and simple in its own right, pure decadence in another light.

Gagnaire is at the top of his form, and that’s saying a lot. Somehow this classically trained chef has managed to always keep up with the times, always remain passionate and true to his art, and make us all feel that he is having a good old time at it as well.

Gagnaire’s food has always been complex and full of fireworks, but once you think through a dish of his, it really is all about the purity of flavors, with an emphasis on aesthetics, on the progression of colors, of varying essences of varying power. Even his butter looks like the more beautiful thing you’ve ever seen, the color of brilliant lemon zest. Sometimes I think that his food is about all sensations, all the time, and you have to step back from the table and think about what is going on to digest it all in your mind.

But nothing is lost if you just dig in! He is into processions these days, especially during his market menu at lunch time. You will find things like a tiny bouquet of asparagus green and asparagus white, enhanced with an egg yolk pâté that looked as though it was applied to the bowl with a putty knife. An incredible gelée of varied vegetables --- peas, snow peas and white Tarbais beans – is a riot of color, texture, spring flavor. Lieu jaune – a generally less than noble codfish --- arrives warm and has a rich herbal essence to it. Here we have the smoothness of the fish offset by the Gagnaire’s original sel cuisiné, his own varied mixtures of fresh herbs and sea salt that he sprinkles atop his dishes like we use common salt and pepper. Here the mixture is one of chives and salt, and this simple addition creates a texture that common salt could not. Finally, his curry de racines (a mixture of varied root vegetables paired with bean sprouts and pistachio oil) create a colorful, spicy climax to his lineup of starters.

The main course – a perfectly cooked saddle of lamb, pan-fried with oregano and served with a timbale of lamb sweetbreads and sorrel – has an almost a calming effect as it follows the fireworks of the complex first course.

Wines I have loved here include Rossignol’s 1999 Volnay Chevret, a fine example of the 1999 red Burgundies that are drinking now with a certain youthful beauty; and Thevenet's 1999 Macon-Villages, an always welcome well-priced example of a classic Chardonnay.

JAMIN
32, Rue du Longchamp
Paris 16.
Telephone: 01 45 53 00 07.
Fax: 01 45 53 00 15.
E-mail: reservation@jamin.fr.
Métro: Trocadéro.

Closed Saturday and Sunday. 53 € lunch menu, 95 € dinner menu. A la carte, 105 to 135 €.

Of all the chefs I have spent time with over the years, few have impressed me with their depth and stability as has Benoît Guichard, on his own since 1996 at the famed restaurant Jamin in Paris’s 16th arrondissement.

Before that he could be found fine-tuning his talents as the faithful lieutenant to Joël Robuchon, both at Jamin and later at Restaurant Joël Robuchon on Avenue Raymond Poincaré.

Today, he appears full-grown and very much his own man, with a style that is classic, contemporary, modern, even touched a bit by Asian inspirations. If someone wants to fully understand what is truly great about French food and about classical French training – the discipline, the rigors, the constant search for excellence on all levels – then they should reserve a table at today’s Jamin.

Guichard – with two well-merited Michelin stars to his credit -- is now cooking on all burners, and has fine tuned his style, which is by no means static. His menu changes almost day to day, as one ingredient enters the market and another departs. He seems to be in a “wrap” mood, a little conceit that is reminiscent of Asian food and one I love. On one visit we found a perfect rectangle of turbot wrapped in bright green spinach leaves, almost a gift-wrapped package to please the palate, sauced in a delicate and golden Champagne sauce and flanked by a pair of fat, fragrant and perfectly cooked green asparagus, the first of season from Provence.

A starter might include an almost Chinese-flavored morsel of chicken wrapped in veil of dough and expertly deep-fried. The breast of the famed breast chicken is “wrapped” in a super-fine bread coating that seems to have been handled with the fingertips of an angel.

Another evening, a complete sense of well-being came over me as the waiter delivered a first-course of a giant, soft-cooked egg enveloped once again that angelic bread coating. The now-golden egg sat on a bed of wilted spinach dabbed with a rich truffle sauce. Alongside, a trio of perfect green asparagus added proper contrast in color, flavor, pure enjoyment.

I can never get enough langoustines, and here the chef who hales from Brittany’s langoustine-rich waters, knows what to do. The least possible! A duo of giant langoustines are wrapped into a delicate homemade pasta, all floating in an unctuous chestnut broth. Here, the marriage is magic, for the flavor of the deep and dense flavor of the chestnut seems to pick up right where the lingering flavor of the langoustine left off, almost like finishing a sentence.

Guichard can go classic and homey when he wants to, and nothing is more satisfying than his long-braised joues de boeuf, or unctuous beef cheeks pairs with gigantic rounds of pasta coated with melted Comté cheese from the Jura.

On one visit, the finale ended was a rich and satisfying chocolate feuilletée, a truly angelic puff pastry; on another, it was a roasted mango glazed with a highly reduced pink grapefruit sauce and served with a soothing citrus granité alongside.

There are some treasures on the wine list, and current discoveries include two selections from the region of the lovely village of Minerve in the Languedoc. The Chateau de Gourgazaud -- owned by Parisian businessman Roger Piquet -- is beginning to make some nice waves. His 100% Viognier 2001 is full of the ripest fruits – pears, citrus, a touch of honey – and the 1999 red Minervois La Livinière Reserve would make any wine lover smile, with a fine balance, and the roundness and plumy notes of Merlot paired with the flavors of red fruits ripened by the summer sun.

LE MEURICE
228 Rue du Rivoli
Paris 1.
Telephone : 01 44 58 10 10.
Fax : 01 44 58 10 76.
E-mail : restauration@meuricehotel.com.
Web site: www.meuricehotel.com.
Métro : Concorde or Tuileries.

Closed Saturday lunch, Sunday, two weeks in February and August. Menus at 55 € (lunch) and 150 € (dinner). A la carte, 120 to 130 €.

Yannick Alléno is one Parisian chef that is more than content.

Since he arrived in September of 2003, the Meurice Hôtel’s dining room has been playing to a full house at lunch and dinner.

Here, the 50-seat dining room is gracious and elegant, filled with shimmering crystal chandeliers and antique beveled mirrors that reflect large bay windows framed in rare marble. And the youthful staff dressed to the nines in mourning coats, with hair slicked back and with the posture of ballet stars, whirl about as if they are part of the show, and they are.

For me, the Meurice – long the hotel of the aristocratic, where you are encouraged to accept luxury as a birthright – is the jewel in the collection of the city’s grand hotels. And a special meal orchestrated by Alléno (who was awarded two Michelin stars in the 2004 guide) and his staff can appear magical.

Alléno installed state-of-the-art ovens and a rotisserie that flatters his top quality ingredients, including a gorgeous, moist roasted duck that is paired with wild cèpe mushrooms and baby turnips infused with the wintry flavors of juniper berries. His food has style (lots of rounds upon rounds, squares upon squares), and while flavors are generally soft in texture, there is always a touch of crunch at the end, filling our natural desires for a bit of snap, crackle and pop on the palate.

Luncheon specialties may range for the purely simple --- a superb mound of tiny girolles, or chanterelles mushrooms cooked in the sherry-like vin jaune from the Jura – to a wintry fricassée of suckling pig, anointed with sage butter and a fresh artichoke mousseline.

No matter the menu, his food combinations are always out of the ordinary, but never go over the edge toward wackiness. For instance, thin slices of abalone – ormeaux – cooked in salted butter seem right at home with the earthy nature of fresh white shell beans and wild cèpe mushrooms.

A favorite at a recent dinner was his rotisserie saddle of lamb from small farmers in the Languedoc paired with the classic white shell beans, here slow-roasted in the oven in stock, with a touch of garlic, sherry vinegar, parsley, tomatoes and the almost-smoky, just-right-spicy red pepper from Espelette in France’s Basque country.

The wine list can get pricy, but sommelier David Retif assures a small selection of wines priced from 34 to 49 euros, also available by the glass. Selections might include the Marsanne-grape based white Saint-Péray from the Voge vineyards, or a Loire Valley red from Château Fosse Sèche.

GUY SAVOY
18, Rue Troyon
Paris 17.
Telephone: 01 43 80 40 61.
Fax: 01 46 22 43 09.
E-mail : reserv@guysavoy.com.
Métro: Charles de Gaulle-Etoile.

Closed Saturday lunch, Sunday, Monday, and August. Menus at 188 and 235 €. A la carte, 160 to 200 €.

Since finally receiving his well-deserved and long-delayed third Michelin star, Guy Savoy has been giddy with joy. His staff acts as though they are in perpetual training for a non-existent fourth star, and we the diners are the fine beneficiary of all that unleashed enthusiasm.

Guy Savoy has always been a brave, modern man, a trendsetter in the kitchen and the dining room. He was the first chef I ever saw use such an array of ultramodern white china bowls, so perfect for tiny tastes, with the edges acting as a blank canvas for a chef’s creativity. His penchant for modern art took fine restaurants out of the obligatory oversized vases of flowers and a touch of red velvet.

Savoy’s latest act of bravery is to serve a single green asparagus on a plate. But not just any asparagus. Imagine the plumpest spear of green asparagus cooked to perfection, with a little rectangular notch carved out of it. In that little rectangle he poses a finely fitting portion of a foie gras royale, a creamy compact, smooth-flavored foie gras, all bathed in a forward-flavored truffle vinaigrette. Not a bad way to start a lovely meal!

I have had the pleasure of twice sampling his turbot trio, a combination of gently poached Brittany turbot paired with ratte potatoes poached in the turbot water (picking up a gentle brininess along the way) and bathed in a touch of turbot butter. This is followed by his petit ragout des cuinsiniers tasty bits of turbot quickly pan fried. It is hard to imagine how such simple ingredients can be elevated to more than the sum of their parts, and at the same time left seemingly untouched. In this presentation, flavors are pure, almost intense, textures are clean and well-defined.

Guy pulls off the same success with his agneau de lait dans tous ses états combining brochettes of shoulder and roasted leg of lamb allowing us to admire all the ways a single tiny piece of lamb can taste.

He remains faithful as ever to his classics: the ever-soothing artichoke soup topped with black truffles and Parmesan, paired with a rich brioche buttered heavily with a truffle and mushroom butter.

A wine I have loved here is Jean-Luc Colombo’s Saint Péray, La Belle de Mai 2000, a beautiful example of one of my favorite grape varieties, Roussanne, which has the ability to offer a wine with a fine balance of acidity, with complex floral notes.

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