[Andrew le Gourmand]

I'm planing ahead.

In 9 months or so I will be visiting France with my wife & (3 year old) daughter.

I have Provence down pat, I spent more time wandering about in Provence & the Languedoc when I was at Uni than a Business major has any right to do but... What can I say? It's a special place.

We will spend a week or so in Paris and I want to take my wife, and daughter, for a romantic evening on our last night in town.

I'm looking for the unusual, the unexpected and the romantic. Oh & it absolutely has to be French.

If our host has the time to offer a suggestion, I will be truely grateful.

Thank you all in advance,

Andrew

[Andrew le Gourmand]

Having failed to find the article I was looking for for ages I now find it when I am looking for something else.

The resto that I have at the top of my list (in fact it is the list) is a place called Aux Lyonnais, you may recal that Clotilde took Maxence there for his 25th birthday & she still likes it enough to include it in my fave guide to the restos and eating places of Paris (I mean, of course, Clotilde's Edible Adventures in Paris).

[simona]

Are you sure you want to take a 3-4 year old child to a ROMANTIC DINNER ?
I'm not even sure some of the restaurants allow small children in the evening.
A good and reliable baby sitter for this evening would be a first step towards the wonderful dinner you have in mind.
As for the Aux Lyonnais: it's a good restaurant (bistro), but tables are very very close to each other, something not really enhacing a romantic dinner. The choice of the restaurant depends of course also on your budget.
Wish you a wonderful evening


No more war, more tete-a-tete romantic dinners in PAris for all lovers

[gingerpale]

Simona, as always, a no-nonsense & practical opinion!
Leaving a 3 year old with a stranger (to her) might not work out, like it would with an infant, or older child who'd understand the concept of being "babysat". It would all depend on the kind of kid you've got there!

Married with children is a different sort of romance. Maybe a picnic with over-the-top French foods/wine in a beautiful Parisian park? No--you said this is 9 months from now--maybe March is not so good for a picnic.
(Andrew I've been no help at all! Have a wonderful time anyway!)

[simona]

Hi GP , long time no hear!
Indeed , a strange baby-sitter might be a problem, but I know form friends it can be done, it depends of course also on the Hotel. Friends maybe?
Yes, I though also of an outdoor romantic lunch ( kids sleep at dinner time) and realized March is not a very kind month weather-wise.
I have an idea of an alternative romantic dinner ( child included):
A good bottle of wine(or Champage) , goose liver pate, smoked salmon, good cheese, a fresh baguette , patisseries from Laduree or Pierre Herme , one or two candles and there you have a romantic in-room dinner, while the kid is sleeping peacefully! And you don't have to travel back (March is cold..)to the hotel to continue the romantic evening....

No more war , candle- light room dining can be very romantic.

PS . There are many restaurants who prepare oyster plates ( and other fruits de mer) to take away, ice, bread and butter included.

[Andrew le Gourmand]

You are all geniuses but I am comitted to the idea of a sit-down meal out (resto, bistro, brasserie, it's all better than a Mc Don't).

The timetable is vague, somewhere between march and October avoiding July & August... (My boss wolud say Q2 or Q3).

The Pique-nique Romantique is, however, a must, probably for lunch.

I am relying on Isabel, my little angel, sleeping through dinner (I know it should be spelled Isabelle, but what can I say? I chose the name, the memsahib insisted on the spelling). A strange babysitter could be hell or, worse yet, Isabel might have a great time & not miss her mom: That would be a disaster.

I know the romantic evening meal is not impossible, I have done it in Montreal (if you are ever there Le Jolifou on rue Beaubien is a winner) in Calgary & in Edmonton, if I can't do it in Paris I will throw myself off a bridge.

Keep them coming.

Mille mercis,

Andrew

[georgia]

Andrew, there are a gazillion definitions of "romantic" -- not the least of which is a meal (any meal) with the woman you love and the child you have together. Breakfast, lunch, dinner; Paris, Patagonia, Pittsburgh (no offense to Pgh-ers...it's my hometown...)...that threesome is pretty romantic to me. A loaf of bread, a jug of wine...you know the tune...if she sleeps, all the better, but not a necessity...

I don't have any recommendations for you. I just wanted to tell you that I like your style...

[Andrew le Gourmand]

[David]

Oh Andrew! Didn't realize this was Mrs. Andrew's first trip to Paris. Wow, makes it even more exciting------and romantic1 She'll love it!
_________________
Vivant Linguae Mortuae!!

[Rachel]

Andrew, I've got one idea for you - capitalising on the fact that you mentioned you were looking for something 'unusual'. There's a restaurant in Montmartre that I quite like called La Famille (you can read up on it both on C&Z - Clotilde reviewed it some years back - and no doubt in Clotilde's Edible Adventures), whose particular quirk is that it serves deconstructed or otherwise slightly wacky (yet not overdone) dishes. It's a trendy place, but with none of the attitude the word implies; the staff are friendly and relaxed, and I would imagine they'd have no problem accommodating a well-behaved (or sleeping) child. And afterwards you could take a romantic stroll through Montmartre, gazing at night-time Paris spread out below...

For the picnic, why not go to the Parc des Buttes Chaumont? The street leading up to it is lined with greengrocers, boulangeries, fromageries etc so you can put together the picnic on the way, and the park itself is gorgeous - and perfect for an active child as there's not a single Pelouse Interdite sign in sight! Better than the Jardin de Luxembourg anyday, in my humble opinion.

Sharing Paris with someone you love is indeed special. I hope your trip is all you hope for!

[Andrew le Gourmand]

Rachel,

Sounds truly excellent.

I have to confess, despite my Parisien friends' scorn, they tell me it's "just for tourists", I have a soft spot for the old dix huitième. And, however much I try to pretend otherwise, I am a tourist.

La Famille sounds perfect & the Parc des Buttes Chaumont for the picnic... I confess that I don't know it (or don't know that I know it) so, sounds like a winner.

Thanks,

Andrew.
_________________
"In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines
Lived twelve little girls in two straight lines."

[Rachel]

Buttes-Chaumont is one of Paris's hidden treasures (it probably helps that it's in the 19th). It looks like something out of a fairytale - it was built in a disused quarry in the 1860s, and it has hills, waterfalls, and a 'mountain' in the middle of a lake topped by a little Corinthian temple that can only be reached by suspension bridge. There are several metro stations nearby but if you want to avail yourselves of the shops in avenue Secretan that I mentioned above, the one you want is Jaures.

I too have a big soft spot for Montmartre, not least because I lived there for a few months - 3 doors down from La Famille, incidentally! (And really, the only part of Montmartre that's 'just for tourists', in my book, is the place du Tertre and its surroundings, and it's very easily avoided...)

[chochotte]

I hope you have a wonderful time!

I heartily recommend 'Racines' in the gorgeous atmospheric covered arcade that is the Passage des Panoramas in the very north of the 2nd.

It's a wine bar-slash-restaurant, beautifully decorated with flea-market antique finds, tiny tiny (30 covers or so), absolutely dripping with atmosphere, and not at all stuffy or pretentious, which I find really offputting when I'm trying to have a romantic meal: I don't want to worry about eating my pommes frites with my hands, or using the wrong knife.

The food is organic, the patron is hugely passionate about his food and wine, and he speaks excellent English. He'll be thrilled to describe all the dishes and wines you could pair in excited detail.

And the food and wine are, of course, beautiful. Proper French cooking, using the best ingredients available. 3-4 options for each course is all you get, but it's still hard to choose!

http://www.wineterroirs.com/2008/04/racines.html

Now APPARENTLY the owner takes weekends off, to spend with his family. Can't remember where I read that. But if you asked him especially to check, I think a child might well be welcomed at Racines. It's not the kind of fancy, posh place to ban children.

Prices? Reckon €8 for a starter, €20 for a main course and €8 for a dessert. Wine served by the bottle and by the glass starting at €4 a glass and going up to God knows what!

[cigalechanta]

I admire you Andrew, your child was born of romance and now you will be teaching her romance
Le Beauvilliers in Montmartre,
Le Closerie des Lilas in the 6th
Le Coupe Chou in the 5th,
outside on the terrace of Le Pré Catalan in the Bois
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Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly
..................................MFK Fisher

[Andrew le Gourmand]

Now I really am blushing.

I also have a lot of choices of places to go.

Even a stuffy reserved Englishman can be a romantic in Paris, it's hard not to be.

Thank you all

J'ai hâte d'y aille.

Mille mercis mes amis,

Andrew.
_________________
"In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines
Lived twelve little girls in two straight lines."