Here are 3 restaurants worth trying from The Traveling Professor:
Brasserie Lipp. 151, boulevard Saint Germain, 6th arrondissement. Métro: St Germain des-Prés.
I had my first meal ever in Paris here. I like to go for the generous choucroute garnie (sauerkraut with various meats) but sometimes the smell of fresh local seafood dishes (the cod, in particular) can change my mind. The menu (except for the prices) has not changed in 75 years. Try Chartier for something on the same style, but less expensive. Reservations a day or two before dining are recommended. Ask to be seated on the main floor. Dinner for two is about 125-150 euros or so. Website: www.ila-chateau.com/lipp.
A La Petite Chaise. 36 rue de Grenelle, 7th arrondissement. Métro: Rue du Bac.
Pay no attention to the claim of Le Procope as being the oldest restaurant in Paris – A La Petite Chaise rules. The dour-faced wait staff is all business while serving up fresh French classics like foie gras, real onion soup capped with sharp gruyère cheese. Seafood plates are super-fresh but the pasta and meat dishes deserve merit too. You know it’s authentically French when upon noticing wealthy older French gentlemen accompanied by their considerably younger “nieces”. The prix fixe menu is a good value. Website: www.alapetitechaise.fr.
Chez Michel. 10, rue de Belzunce, 10th arrondissement. Métro: Gare du Nord or Poissonnière.
Expect to find few tourists at this plain small bistro serving a variety of authentic dishes of the French seacoast like mussels, kig ha farz (Normandy stew of various meats), roast suckling pig, wild pigeon, boar, and beef cheeks. Well, if you wanted to eat at Applebee’s, you should have stayed home. Chez Michel is not all that easy to find, but your taste buds will be rewarded for the effort. Try your best to keep the bill under €100 for two. I would reserve a day or two in advance, although I walked in with no problem. Ask to be seated on the main floor for a more intimate experience, downstairs for a communal environment. No air conditioning. Chez Michel is one of my top choices. Website: www.restaurant-chez-michel.com.