Hotel de Medicis: Tour Guide Shayne on Stairs part 1
When you stay in Paris for a short while only, eating out at a decent, reasonably priced restaurant may become a silly game of trial and error. In this new series of articles, I will recommend several places no traveler will ever regret having tried out!
by Phil Chavanne, Senior Editor Paris-Eiffel-Tower-News.com
Facing the eating-out issue
When it comes eating out in Paris, travelers unfamiliar with the city may have a hard time finding the right place to eat out. Consider it this way: you are to live, breathe and eat for a short while in a city which counts over 1,500 restaurants, in a country internationally known for its exquisite food. Where do you start from? And what guarantee do you have to hit the right spots for lunch and dinner?
A large number of my American friends select to follow their favorite travel guide’s recommendations. Good thinking. But there’s a downside to it: travelers tend use the same travel guides. And too many tourists kill authenticity.
The so-called ‘French cuisine’
Being born and having lived in France for 30 some years before I found my true home in America, I have an in-bred tendency to be extremely picky when it comes to food. When I travel back to Paris, I especially dislike being served so-so cuisine at over-inflated prices.
By the same token I find it very hard to accept that any of my American friends touring Paris be served run-of-the-mill food posing as ‘French cuisine’. Hence this new series of articles.
In the course of several recent trips to the French capital, I was introduced by local friends to a few restaurants I found to be absolutely noteworthy. My first stop will be ‘Chez Georges’.
The set
‘Chez Georges’ stands out tall amongst my recent discoveries.
I had received an invitation for lunch from Philippe H., an attorney-at-law who specializes in brokering deals in record time. Philippe has been lunching at ‘Chez Georges’ for the last 20 years or so, he is a fixture of the place. He even has his own table there. A very practical state of affairs, mind you, as ‘Chez Georges’ always operates at full capacity, and one needs to book at least 48 hours in advance to get a table.
The decor is typical French 1920-30, with a mosaic floor, large mirrors on the walls, dark brown wood panels, and sandish paint. The restaurant is divided in two rooms, both very narrow. The first room features a bar and a row of small square tables. Being close to the door and window panes, it is well lit. The room in the back is larger, with two rows of tables. It’s also darker, without any windows. The (small) kitchen is situated at the back of this room, and the restrooms another step behind.
The place is obviously packed, and very busy. It smells good food, and though guests are allowed to smoke I didn’t find cigarette smoke to be an issue. The whole atmosphere is congenial, vibrant and lively. No elevator music to bother you, but your neighbors’ voices may cover yours. Very Parisian, no doubt, but I saw several American folks having lunch there.
The feat
Our party of six was soon tended by Zoe the waitress, a sight for sore eyes. This smiling brunette is married to the restaurant manager, a friendly fellow who tends the bar and the cash register. Zoe has a nice word for everyone, can explain the menu in details, recommends what’s right for you, and moves about diligently.
The menu at ‘Chez Georges’ is as varied as appetizing. Everything on it spells French tradition. We decided to order a large selection of appetizers to share, including rillettes (a sort of pate made with pork, duck or goose), pink radish, herrings, museau (beef head pate), potato salad, and other delicacies.
The goods came in generous portions, and a couple of bottles of white Sancerre helped us gulp all this down. (Sancerre is a light red or white wine. It is made from black pinot or white sauvignon, and is grown in the Touraine region.) We were served two different types of fresh bread, including a delicious Poilane bread
We then attacked the entrees: duck filet with potatoes for me, please, served pink. (In my book, duck cooked to ‘done’ is unpalatable.) Soon came the plates, full up. My duck filet was perfectly cooked, and thick and tender as it should be. A wonderful abundance of gorgeous food! We accompanied the main fares with a bottle of red Chinon, a wine grown in my hometown. Things to get damned for!
All is well that ends well
The dessert was as succulent as the rest of this hearty meal. I had a Tarte Tatin, an caramelized apple pie baked ‘upside-down’. Apple slices are first baked on sugar, then covered with dough, and put in the oven again for a short while. When baked, the pie is turned over so that the dough now supports the apples. The result is a very tender pie, with a sweet but not overpowering taste of caramel. It is served with vanilla ice.
We all finished the meal on a good espresso. The check was very reasonable: it came to about 60 USD per person, for an unforgettable meal that included a ton of appetizers, six main fares, seven servings of dessert, 3 bottles of wine, and espressos for everyone. Expect to pay USD 30 on a lighter fare and less wine.
Though very hearty, my meal was easy to digest. I didn’t feel bloated afterwards, just slightly tipsy thanks to multiple servings of light wine. The products used were of very good quality, the bread freshly baked. The service we received was diligent and friendly.
Definitely a place I recommend you, my traveling friends!
Where?
Chez Georges
1 rue du Mail
75002 Paris
Tel: 33 (0)1 42 60 07 11
Lunch and dinner
Closed on week-ends and holidays
Book a table at least 48h in advance
Watch the video related to Travel Guide Paris
A week before Christmas 2007 and the hotel is soon closing . . . sad. Shayne shows us his daughter’s Christmas card and the new “No Smoking” signs that the city of Paris has made them install here, 2 weeks before the closing of the hotel.
Help answer the question about Travel Guide Paris
About Author
Your trip to Paris will be made easier by Phil Chavanne and his team of Paris experts at Paris-Eiffel-Tower-News.com,
a free guide offering valuable information on Paris hotels, restaurants, monuments, and sites to see.
More on ENGLISH4FRANCE website
The best guide to the sights of Paris is probably the Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Travel Guide to Paris. You can order one from their website http://us.dk.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780756615475,00.html Its just vastly better than the usual Rick Steve's/Frommer/Fodor's junk.
I know this sounds silly but being a "good" tourist is hard work and you should spend almost as much time preparing as you do actually being there. So don't just get a guide book but read thru it very carefully BEFORE you go.
Make a list of what you want to see based on your personal interests and the amount of time you have. Of course, its fine to come back to this forum with more specific questions after you have had the time to do some research of your own.
There's also a lot to Paris that is beyond the tourist sights. Its the ambience and the attitude of Paris which need to be lived and felt.
You should spend some time just strolling around the city to appreciate its architecture and to get a feel for its medieval layout, the Belle Epoch improvements of Baron Hausman, and the modernizations seen in places like the Les Halles Forum and the new Opera in the Place Bastille.
You should take a little time to just sit in a cafe in the Latin Quarter or St. Germaine and people watch. Go the Luxembourg Gardens and feed the pigeons. Watch little kids sailing toy boats in the big pond there.
Be a bit courageous about food. Go to places that don't cater to tourists and don't have English menus. Just point to things on the menu or, better still, walk into a cafe at lunchtime and ask for the daily special which you'll almost always see displayed on a chalk board. don't worry if you don't know what it is! Try it! The worst that will happen is that you'll have a hilarious story to tell about how you got served a calve's head with cream sauce or something else too weird for you to eat.
Mainly, don't stay in a tight little tourist cocoon. Strike up conversations with strangers, be open minded, put your map in your back pocket and just wander around, get lost, experiment, learn, take the time to really look at things.
Bonne chance!
I'm not sure where you found this information, but a ticket on the Eurostar is just that, a ticket to travel on the train from London to Paris. There is no tour guide, or anything else, included. Suggest you check the Eurostar website: http://www.eurostar.com
I have Lonely Planet, Fodor's and Let's Go, but how would I ever be able to send them?
The above advice is good, it's an excellent idea to get all the free information you can find. However, if you're shopping for a Guide Book I HIGHLY recommend Rick Steves' guide books for both locations. Rick has specific guides just for the cities of London and Paris as well as books on all of England and France in case you are traveling outside the cities. You shouldn't need to buy all 4, if you are leaving the cities, the country books alone should give you plenty of info.
I've always been a fan of Rick's books because he points you in inexpensive and fun directions that help you travel like a local but see all the touristy stuff. He also designs self walking tours of towns and museums. Saves you the money of paying for a tour and you've got all the info at your finger tips.
The Rick Steves books really are the most thorough and interesting. They also seem to be the only line that takes traveling like a local and costs in mind constantly. You can get used Rick Steves books on eBay, amazon or half. He comes out with a new version each year so you can get used 2005 or 2006 books that will still be accurate but will be a lot cheaper. Check out his other travel tips and info for London and Paris at his web site http://www.ricksteves.com
The Lets Go Guidebooks are also heavily recommended, but I find them a lot more boring and I've had bad experiences with hotels and restaurants they recommended.
Hope this helps, enjoy your trip!
Cheers.
the RER is complicated and sometimes you have to wait a while.
Better just taking the 3 line (green) to Opera and change for the 8 (purple) to Ecole Militaire.
You will be at the other end of the Champs de Mars, making for a fantastic 1km walk and build-up to the actual tower (it's a park built in the tower's perpective, so you admire it all the time you're walking.
You won't find it difficult to find your way around. Just get a good guide book, like Michelin, and it will tell you the places to go and how to get there. Much of Paris can be done by walking; just plan your days doing area by area so that you're not running around aimlessly.
Bear in mind that the Metro is easy once you know to look for the station that is at the end of the line. (In London, you look for "Eastbound", etc.)
I've done Paris many times, but spent a little time planning.
It's a wonderful city; have a lovely time.
I think this can help you:
http://www.viamichelin.com/viamichelin/int/tpl/hme/MaHomePage.htm
just give your start city and your end city and voila! you get all info you need
Be sure to request a hotel with air conditioning!!!!!
We stayed a few blocks from the Eiffel Tower and almost died of heat every single night! Because it was so hot during the day, it stormed every single night, which was kind of nice because we opened up our window and caught a breeze.
Be sure to bring a compact umbrella for everyone in your group – you don't want to lug around a huge golf umbrella, but you will definitely need to take one every where you go because the weather is iffy each day.
We visited the American Embassy when we first arrived, and they suggested we buy a pass for the underground train – not a good idea, as the train didn't stop near anything we wanted to see! So…….invest in some really good walking shoes and plan on doing the city by foot. It's the best way to really get close to the Parisians anyway. Remember — it's PARIS, so if you are easily offended, you'll be frequently offended! We witnessed a couple making love on the grass in a park right up from the Louvre! It fascinated my young son, who thought they were wrestling! LOL
Enjoy your stay — and plan to spend several hours standing in line for the Louvre and Tower, but they are SO worth it!
I wish you well!!!
This is probably not the answer you want to hear but my opinion is that all the travel guides are more of less alike and that no one guide is going to really be good for anything more than the usual tourist trip.
As I type this i am looking at my bookshelf of travel books. I must have something like 150 of which 30 or 40 concern France generally or Paris in particular. These include such obscure things as "Seeing Paris," a guide published in 1931.
I go to Paris just about every year and have been doing so for more than 30 years and yet before each trip I spend several weeks planning things out and researching. I read restauant reviews, check the blogs of ex-patriates in Paris, and make extensive notes. I have a database of Paris restaurants and night clubs with hundreds of entries that I constantly update with whatever information I can glean from the internet.
The bottom line here is that you should consider doing your own research from many sources and compiling your own personal guide book.
It will be better than anything someone else can give you and you may find, as I do, that the preparation for your trip is itself an interesting activity.
Give it a try. I know it sounds like a horrible idea but it really works and its fun.
.