L’Arpege
This was our second 3 Michelin Star restaurant of the trip, and I was less than impressed. We picked this one after booking Paul Bocuse because I thought it would offer us a different experience and a more innovative/creative menu. It was an experience and there were lot of neat dishes to try, but the execution fell flat. Many of the dishes served were out of balance flavor-wise, some being too acidic, some bland, and some with components that were too strong. I cannot say I would recommend this one, particularly because there is so many other 3 Michelin restaurants to choose from in Paris. The service was good but nothing special at Paul Bocuse the service was like a ballet, at L’Arpege it felt more robotic. The conclusion of the meal also bothered me a bit, as you are presented with your knife you used for the meal to take home. It made no sense particularly because they promote themselves as a vegetable forward restaurant. I felt it did not fit their image at all, plus now I have to take this dirty knife with me through the Metro. These were all of the courses.
Au Passage
A hipster paradise with 5 star food. This place had a completely different feel than your traditional french dining, much more relaxed and informal. Their menu changes daily and is written on a board (no paper menus), but it was spectacular. I have very few pictures of our experience here, I kept eating without thinking about it and half the plate would be finished before I remembered. The food was that good! The oysters below, were so good, we ordered a second plate ..and so I have a picture of the second serving 🙂 We tried pigeon for the first time here and I was impressed; I was so proud of P for trying it without even batting an eye. Au Passage is about 2 blocks from Le Fine Mousse (the beer bar); a beer there and a table here makes for a perfect evening.
Semilla
Order the ceviche. That’s it, that’s my advice on the topic of Semilla. Kidding, of course I have more to say 🙂 but seriously order the ceviche! The ceviche was in the top three dishes of the whole trip. The food was amazing here and I loved the feel of the place, very high energy. All the staff spoke English and there was a very mixed crowd of patrons. Semilla features an open kitchen concept so you can see them in action. I would recommend booking your reservation for an earlier time, maybe 7:00 because they pretty much close up the kitchen at 10 (we watched them cleaning it).
The Rest (well most):
L’Avant Comptoir: I feel we got the true french bistro experience here, we ate at one of the tiny tables out front. The food was great, I had a divine steak tartare dish there. It was a good experience overall, and all of the patrons were very friendly.
La Palette: Stopped in for lunch at this seemingly popular bistro. Great service and we enjoyed the croque madame here, had to have it a least once.
Le Schmuck: I DO NOT RECOMMEND! It was one of those last-minute decisions, and it was getting late. This just proves my point of needing to pre-select all eating venues.
Grom: Gelato and it was incredible, it was near our hotel and the concierge virtually forced us into going 🙂 We went twice actually.
Recommended But Not Tested:
Les Fils de la Ferme: I experienced this on a prior trip to Paris, very small, husband and wife team, but that was over 5 years ago. It was closed for holiday this trip or it would have been a stop.
