Lasserre 17, avenue Franklin-Rooscvclt (8e) Elysée 53-43
It is encouraging to see an entirely new restaurant take its place among the best in Paris. This debonair establishment, which faces the Grand Palais, was set up after the war by a young and most imaginative ' estaurateur. For a time it languished under its bower of trees, but soon word of Monsieur Perrot's cooking got around, and it is now one of the most recherché places in the capital. A friendly spot, modern, well-lighted, and handsomely appointed, it has the personal touch of its brilliant young owner, who comes from a long established family of hôteliers in the Pyrenees. Its atmosphere and cooking arc sure to please fastidious Americans. Closed on Sunday and for the first two weeks in August.
Joseph 56, rue Pierre-Cbarron (8e) Elysée 63-25
If your wife has just gone overboard and bought a creation by Christian Dior, Jacques Fath, or Pierre Balmain (just around the corner), you might just as well celebrate the occasion by a good dinner in the neighborhood of la haute couture and hang the expense. The place to go is Joseph, an old and famous temple of gastronomy which has undergone a recent change in ownership without any change in its impeccable standards. It is a most relaxing place, discreetly lighted and unhurried. It is the only major Paris restaurant which has trained a majestic grapevine across its entire facade. The grapes are abundant at the time of venditnge, too. A wine cellar rich in the finest Burgundies and Bordeaux would naturally go with such a setting, and Joseph has it. This is one place which includes service and tax on your bill. Don't forget that wistful sommelicr!
Fouquet's 99, avenue des Champs-Elysées (8e) Balzat 59-54
The Champs-Elysées a few decades back was a discreel, stalely avenue with hardly a suspicion of commercialism. Now it glitters almost as much as Pig Alley. Studded with enormous sidewalk cafes and overlighted restaurants, the avenue may prove a puzzle to the inquiring gourmet. He will do well to choose Fouquct's in preference to other beckoning spots, and hang the slight extra expense. It is the earliest of the Champs-Elysées cafés, the most epicurean and expensive, and its bar, where the cocktails are very good, is truly fabulous. All sorts of extraordinary people congregate here: luminaries from the race track, the movie industry, 'he competitive world of fashion, and the merely filthy rich. Fouquct's is large, gay, gregarious, but careful attention is paid to the food. You can be assured of an excellent dinner here, and as late as two in the morning.
Chez Taillevent 15, the Lamennais (8e) Elysée 39-94
The first French cookbook was supposedly written in the fourteenth century by Taillevent, the chef of Charles V, and he has obligingly lent his name to the praiseworthy restaurant whose destinies are guided by a gracious lady, Madame Tournier. The establishment made its reputation on the rue Saint-Georges and recently moved to this more accessible setting on a little side street near the Etoile. My French friends were insistent upon the lofty quality of this cuisine, and I think you'll agree with them.
Chatard 22, rue Duret (16e) Passy 24-61
I have a well-rounded New York friend who threatened to throttle me if I disclosed the name of his favorite restaurant, run by the plump and genial maître-cuisinitr Monsieur Chatard. But this small place is listed in every guidebook by now, and I hope he will forgive me if I divulge the name of this “Petile Maison—Grande Cuisine.” The rue Durct is a narrow one, running off the patrician avenue Foch. Most of its buildings are conventional gray apartments, but somehow a few picturesque survivors of the eighteenth century remain, They are quaint two-storied affairs with shuttered windows, and the Restaurant Chatard has been established in one of them for nearly a quarter of a century. Due to the gifted touch of the patron, his one-time bistro has developed gradually into a discreet corner for well-informed gastronomes. They like the personal touch of a patron-cbef presiding in the kitchen and then joining his guests for a petit verte after dinner. There is no pretence about Chatard, but the specialties belong to la grande cuisine all right, especially the tournedos maison and the gratin de queues de langoustines.
Androuet 41, rue d'Amsterdam (8e) Trinité 26-90
From this point on, we begin to jump around the Right Bank in a rather spotty fashion. Androuët is the famous cheese merchant installed behind the Gare Saint-Lowe whose career filled F.D.R. with a desire to do likewise in his days of retirement. Not only does Androuët have the finest Camembert in the world, but be stocks the best of all the others, including rare ones from the French provinces and from all European countries this side of the Iron Curtain. It is an amusing experience to dine here, and well worth the price, which is, shall we say. medium. They specialize in cheese dishes, naturally enough—onion soup flavored with a spot of cognac and finished off with a crust of Gruyète, fondues, and soufflés. Its wine cellar is absolutely grand, as it should be, for of course there are no better companions than cheese and wine. However, if you don't want a full meal. you can still buy a delicious hot cheese tart at Androuët's front window for the equivalent of a dime—something that other Paris restaurants don't offer by any means!
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