Paris by Table

Since dinning out is one of my favorite pastimes, for my last post on Paris I thought I'd share all the wonderful places to eat.

I was lucky and had two wonderful resources. The first was Jake as our personal Paris concierge. The next resources we lucked upon when dining out one evening.

A month or so before we were headed to Paris we had a lovely dinner at Oak. It just so happened a former colleague was seated at the table next to us, Heath and Ken and as it turns out, they go every February (pretty amazing). I hit the jackpot of recommendations. Thank you Ken and Heath!

La Petit Pontoise
Our second night in Paris we tried a restaurant near our apartment recommended by Ken and Heath. It was small and packed when we arrived. Menus were on chalk boards around the walls. 

Carl ordered the sea bass and we were a little surprised when it came as the whole fish. Getting beyond that, it was delicious with a light vanilla sauce.

Chez La Vieille
Another recommendation from Ken and Heath, we tried Chez La Vieille the first night the Smiths were in town after our visit to the Lourve. 

Beautifully served palate cleansers

This was an amazing dinner and wonderful time in general. Jake ordered for us including a wonderful Rosé, then I continued ordering the Rosé each time the bottle ran out until it was time for dessert, cognac and Champagne. 

Amazing desserts

La BAL
After our crazy night out at Venus Noir (read post here) Carl, Heather and Chris headed out to a D-Day tour the next morning. I was able to sleep late and meet Jake for an awesome brunch.

La BAL was off a side street in Jake's neighborhood, near Montmartre, and across from a cute playground. I needed a hearty breakfast after the previous night's festivities so I ended up with a beautiful dish that was basically a chicken pot pie with huge chunks of bacon and a little salad. It was a perfect recovery dish although the bloody mary helped a bit too.

Le Comptoir
I spent the rest of a beautiful afternoon with Jake wandering, sightseeing, and stopping for a glass of wine whenever we needed to refuel.

One of my favorite stops was Le Comptoir  as we wondered St. Germain. We devoured a charcuterie plate and again had a Rosé.


Chez Janou
The last night the Smiths were in town we tried a local favorite recommended by Jake, Chez Janou.

We obviously had a fabulous time here. They serve a wonderful house chocolate mousse at the end of the meal. Since we were having such a good time (or had ordered and spent so much) they gave us two bottles of digestifs to enjoy as well.

Jake's Birthday
The last night we were in Paris was also Jake's birthday. We were so thrilled to be invited to a little soiree in his honor. His friends Preston and Julien hosted at their adorable Paris apartment. Preston   gives vineyard tours and wine tastings so he was responsible for all the wonderful wine. Preston's company is Paris by the Glass if you'd like to book a tour.

Carl, Shelley, and Jake

It was so great to meet all of Jake's Paris friends. I meet Georgina, another mother of twins but way cooler than me. I was also a little star-struck by his journalist friends Elaine Cobbe with CBS and Eleanor Beardsley with NPR.

Shelley, Ellie, Carl, Elaine

We hope Jake had as much fun at his birthday as we did.

Le Montebello
Our last morning in Paris we walked around souvenir shopping. We stopped at Le Montebello across from Notre Dame for a little break.

While we sat there a horse guard rode by.

Carl really enjoyed the people and puppy watching.

One unforgettable Paris vacation!