Yes, I know it’s possible to get a bad meal in Paris, but my husband and I just returned from the City of Light where we enjoyed one exciting, beautifully prepared and delicious dish after another during our all-too-brief visit there. We deliberately chose to eat in non-Michelin starred, moderately priced restaurants, and not one of them disappointed us (of course nothing is truly “moderately priced” in Paris–or, for that matter, anyplace else we’ve been recently). I thought I’d share some of our dining highlights, which you might find useful if you’re planning a visit to Paris in the near future.
For our first dinner we’d made a reservation in the Marais, at Café des Musées. This small restaurant, a couple of blocks from the magnificent Place des Vosges, looks exactly like the 
sort of place you envision as soon as you hear the words “Parisian Café.” Its traditional ambience is one reason we return to it every time we’re here, but the main draw is its straightforward soul-satisfying fare.
Despite suffering from slight jet-lag bleariness and transatlantic travel fatigue, I was very clear minded about what I wanted to eat at Café des Musées: Asparagus! What springtime in France means to me is plump, sweet, tender stalks of white asparagus, a rare treat almost unknown at home. I’ve got nothing against the thin green stalks that are ubiquitous in the USA, but I’ve never understood why the far superior white asparagus beloved by Europeans has never caught on with my fellow Americans. At Café des Musées the cool, pale spears–white edging towards violet–were bathed in a creamy sauce that had been spiked with Chartreuse and further enhanced by the addition of finely minced fresh tarragon. The rest of my body may have been tired but my taste buds fairly jumped up and down with excitement–they knew we were in Paris!
CAFÉ DES MUSÉES: 49 Rue de Turenne; 01 42 72 96 17
Les Saisons, an out-of-the-way little place in the 9th arrondissement, was the setting for the following night’s dining adventure. In his description of Les Saisons the blogger John Talbott sums it up in one verbal exclamation: “My goodness, my gosh, my golly” he says, and oh my, is he right. The star of this particular dinner was the cold pea soup, which may sound like a pedestrian dish, but when prepared by Les Saisons’ Jonathan Lutz (formerly chef at Le Crillon) was an exquisitely refreshing and flavorful velvety emulsion of spring peas, cucumber and mint topped with a puddle of savory whipped cream freckled with paprika.
LES SAISONS: 52 Rue Lamartine; 01 48 78 15 18
Perfect filet de sole Meunière is a perfectly simple dish but one that’s almost impossible to find these days, perhaps because it is so very unpretentious. There are plenty of imitations made with inferior fish, bad butter, leaden coating, and so on, but the real deal calls for ocean fresh authentic sole (not some impersonation of fish from the Soleidae family). The sole should be cooked whole and preferably fileted at the table; it must be delicately golden brown on the outside, and on the inside the color of a full moon and just as mysterious (how can anything so unadorned be so delicious?). LEcallier du Bistro, in the 11th, is where we go for impeccable sole, and the oysters there are pretty wonderful as well. By the way, a properly chilled Domaine de Belle Vue Muscadet, Sèvre-et-Marne, 2011, recommended by our server, hit just the right notes with both oysters and sole.
L’ECALLIER DU BISTROT: 22 Rue Paul Bert; 01 43 72 76 77
Next door to L’Ecailler is Bistrot Paul Bert, a popular destination for diners hungering for 
classic steak/frites. We were, and we went, and although the steak and fries were perfectly fine, what really made the meal a standout for me was the delectable asparagus I chose for my first course. Flawlessly fat and white, the spears were immersed in a delicate, foamy creaminess (“Cooked in milk,” said the server when I asked, but no further elaboration was forthcoming). A sprinkling of fried shallots over the top added extra pleasure, but the jewel in the crown was a poached egg which, when prodded with a fork, released its velvety, golden yolk over the asparagus like Hollandaise, only better.
PAUL BERT: 18 rue Paul Bert; 01 43 72 24 01
One noontime we joined Parisian friends for lunch in the 11th, at their current favorite eatery, Septime. This small, chicly unpretentious establishment, where every dish is a work of art for the eyes as well as the palate, is now among my own very top favorites. Are you surprised that I ordered asparagus for starters? At Septime the complex components mingling with the asparagus ranged from trout roe to translucently thin wafers of raw turnip. Although it might sound overly contrived, in fact, like the finest wine, this dish was intricate yet notable for its superb balance of tastes and textures. Lieu Jaune (an ocean fish translated as Pollock) was likewise complex, intermingling the delicate seafood with fennel fronds and fennel scented froth, smoked potatoes, and crispy fried chard leaves as bright and translucent as stained glass. This is cuisine that is new, fresh, and innovative yet impressively respectful of top quality ingredients. To put it mildly, I was dazzled.
SEPTIME: 8 rue de Charonne; 01 43 67 38 29
Les Fines Gueules, a charming bistrot/wine bar in the 1st housed in an historic 17th century building (designed by the acclaimed Jules Hardouin Mansart) was our destination for our last dinner in Paris. This bistro specializes in the type of comforting, fresh, gorgeous food that makes you take a bite, put down your fork, and begin purring. There is cool, creamy, springtime pea soup. Avocado tartare with crab. Veal carpaccio. A mountain of impeccably fresh and creamy Burrata topped with thinly sliced prosciutto. Beef tartare. We taste, we swallow, we look at each other and roll our eyes with pleasure.
On our way out the door at the end of the evening we overhear happy diners at the next table raving about Fine Gueules’ sister restaurant named A la Marguerite. Zut alors! If only we’d known about it earlier in the week, but now we won’t be able to eat there since we’re leaving Paris the following morning. But as the old song goes: “I love Paris in the springtime. I love Paris in the fall…I love Paris in the winter, when it drizzles…and the summer, when it sizzles.” There’s no doubt we’ll be back as soon as possible.
LES FINES GUEULES: 43 rue Croix des Petits Champs; 01 42 61 35 41
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