Richard Hesse
La Fontaine aux Perles
La Fontaine aux Perles near Rennes has a Michelin star and an Olde Worlde atmosphere. Like Georgia, beans have, er, been on my mind this last week or so. Beans on toast is a breakfast favorite, and the posher newspapers … Read More
Mélac
Mélac is all about serious food and wine with no frills. Pros: Good food; inexpensive, well-chosen wines Cons: Slightly batty service In one of those eerie strokes of synchronicity, my date had told me, when I suggested … Read More
Bernard du 15
Soft-boiled eggs contained bits of salmon and mushroom and were topped with egg-white froth. Pros: Quiet, plenty of space, easygoing service (could also be a con if you’re in a hurry) Cons: Slightly uneven food quality Funny, the … Read More
Les Grandes Bouches
The menu and decor are on the quirky side at this young-mom-and-pop bistro. Pros: Friendly service, friendly wine list, pleasant surroundings Cons: Rather noisy A mom-and-pop restaurant these days is likely to be run by a couple in their late … Read More
Ratatouille and Tellus
The food at Ratatouille and Tellus (above) carries on the great tradition of French bourgeois cuisine. Editor’s note (May 2013): Tellus is no longer in business, but Ratatouille is still going strong. It’s very rare that I leave anything on … Read More
Razowski’s
The lunchtime crowd waits outside Razowski’s for what is supposed to be Paris’s best burger. Pros: Pleasant, apologetic waitress Cons: Dreadful music; distressed furniture; bad wine; slow/nonexistent service, etc. What is it about the French and ethnic food? Why can’t … Read More
La Boulangerie
High-quality food, wine and service in an agreeable setting. Pros: Great buzz; comfortable noise levels; pleasant bistro décor (note the tiled floor); great service, discreetly delivered; good food; special wines. Cons: None worth mentioning Another unexpected find, La Boulangerie, … Read More
KGB (Kitchen Galerie Bis)
Chef William Ledeuil has opened a baby-sister bistro to his much-loved Ze Kitchen Galerie. Back in Paris after two weeks of almost uninterrupted glorious sunshine in La Rochelle. Talk about a reality check: two weeks of people being nice to … Read More
Le Hide/Koba’s Bistro
A typical French bistro with a Japanese chef and an adorable staff. Traditional French cuisine with a Japanese twist? That’s what you might expect if you knew that the chef beavering away in his tiny kitchen was Japanese. If you … Read More
Nomiya/ArtHome
Waiting for lunch at Nomiya. A couple of years back, I saw a news item about two Belgian entrepreneurs, David Ghysels and Stefan Kerkhofs, who had come up with the idea of using a giant crane to hoist … Favorite