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La Bélière combines Jazz and Good Food in Paris

Published
by
Ted
on July 17, 2009
in 14th Arrindissement, French cuisine, Meat Eating Friends, Mediteranean, popular, restaurant and wheelchair friendly
. 1 Comment

I’ve written about my favorite chef in Paris, Jacques BROSSE, before. He’s prone to moving around, which means I’ve been able to enjoy his cooking in a variety of restaurants. His latest restaurant is La Bélière Welcome, a hopping joint with a long history of its own.
Jazz dinner in Paris
La Bélière sits on rue Daguerre in the Montparnasse area. It’s a comfortable restaurant with a steady diet of Jazz and friendly service. Unlike many restaurants that mix music with food, La Bélière truly delivers on the cuisine. Visitors for many years have noted the quality food and Jacques’ entrance makes this a certainty.

Jazz Music

This are two face to La Bélière. The first is for dinner, where food takes the attention and music provides the backdrop. However, the focus shifts in the late hours as the kitchen shuts down and it becomes a vibrant Jazz bar. The owner’s been known to keep the place open and hopping until the sun rises. So plan on taking your time and possibly staying much later than you expected.

The Menu

Unfortunately there are not a lot of options on the menu for vegetarians. However, don’t let that stop you. Ask for the plate des legumes. This is a selection of vegetables being served with the various dinner plates. Jacques is a master at blending traditional French cuisine with Asian and Mediterranean dishes. You’ll be surprised by the variety. This is usually a good option for vegans as well.

There’s also a tomato/mozzarella mille-feuille salad that is amazing. It comes with ham but simply ask for it “sans jambon”. This is a full meal in itself.

The menu at this restaurant hasn’t changed much over the years; so keep an eye out for the daily specials. This is where Jacques has more room to stretch his culinary muscles. You may also want to make reservations several days in advance and ask for vegetarian options. Jacques speaks English fluently, so you can say hello while you are dining. Actually, everyone that works there seems to speak excellent English.

Dinner should cost between 15-30 euros, depending on your desire for dessert and/or drinks. The meals are large so plan on sharing an appetizer and watch out for the mother of all profiteroles for dessert. She’s a whopper!

La Beliere
74 rue Daguerre (14°)
Metro: Denfert Rochereau
01 40 47 52 66
Wheelchair Friendly: seating and entrance is easy. Bathrooms are in the basement.
  • Overall: 4/5
  • Value: 4/5
  • Location: 4/5
  • Taste: 5/5
  • Ambiance: 5/5
  • Vegetarian Options: 2.5/5
  • Vegan Options: 2/5

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Le Bistro du Peintre in Paris

Published
by
Ted
on June 21, 2009
in 11th Arrindissement, bistro, French cuisine, Meat Eating Friends, popular and restaurant
. 0 Comments

Eggplant lasagna at le Bistro du PeintreBehind the Bastille is an area that is a little rough around the edges. It’s filled with restaurants, bars, and late-night activity. Le Bistro du Peintre sits on the edge of this section.

I stopped here during a chilly, rainy summer evening. The outdoor seating has a nice heater and lighting for a comfortable place to enjoy a meal and a book. Luckily they also had a couple vegetarian options.

While I was in the mood for a salad, their eggplant lasagna sounded like a better choice. The lasagna comes in a small terrine with layers of eggplant and sauce. It’s not your traditional lasagna with gobs of sauce and cheese. This is a lighter version with a slightly spicy sauce.

This also came with a mozzarella and tomato salad and rustic bread. The salad was nice, but had some crunchy bits that made me wonder if the lettuce was washed completely. It had a healthy portion of fresh mozzarella and a sampling of tapenade for flavor.

Comfort + Food

le Bistro du Peintre in ParisAs I mentioned earlier, their outdoor seating area was quite comfortable. I pulled out my French history book and enjoyed reading for over an hour while watching the rain come down in heavy sheets. Evenings are special in Paris during the summer. A hearty meal, a good book, and a comfortable chair are what Paris memories are made of.

Your Meat Eating Friends will be Happy

Le Bistro du Peintre also has a good reputation for the standard meat-based bistro dishes, such as tartar, duck confit, and marrow bones. So this is also a good choice if you are dining with a bunch of meat eating friends.

Le Bistro du Peintre
16, av Ledru-Rollin (11°)
Metro: Ledru-Rollin, Bastille
01 47 00 34 39
  • Overall: 3/5
  • Taste: 4/5
  • Vegetarian Options: 3/5
  • Vegan Options: 1/5
  • Meat Eating Friends: 5/5
  • Value: 4/5
  • Location: 3.5/5

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The Best Miso Soup in Paris

Published
by
Ted
on June 6, 2009
in 2nd Arrindissement, Asian, Ethnic, organic, popular, restaurant, salad, soup, Vegan Friendly and vegetarian-friendly
. 2 Comments

Miso soup restaurant in ParisYou’ll find a small collection of Asian restaurants between the Opera and the Tuilleries. Centered around rue Sainte-Anne, the neighborhood has become a magnet for Asian tourists. You’ll find pho, sushi, noodles, and soup restaurants that range from the quick and cheap to trendy and bustling.

Taisho Ken – Miso Soup Bar

In the center is a small Japanese miso soup restaurant that I’ve been finding myself eating at more and more. It’s a simple place with an open kitchen, large pots of boiling miso broth, and a friendly, bustling atmosphere. This is a simple place that may remind you more of a roadside diner than a French bistro.

Miso soup normally brings to mind a small bowl of broth with a few small chunks of tofu floating amongst green herbs. I was greatly surprised when I ordered the vegetarian soup bowl and was presented with a Texas sized spoon and a big bowl of broth with fresh vegetables and noodles. This is a meal by itself, you won’t need any rice or dumplings.

Miso soupParis is a great place to have a big lunch with friends and a simple dinner of soup or salad. I’ve added this place to my list of regular stops. It’s especially nice on a cold rainy night when the windows fog up and you are surrounded by the smell of the broth.

Taisho Ken
40 rue Sainte-Anne (2°)
Metro: Pyramides, Opera
01 42 61 11 59
Wheelchair Friendly: It’s a small, tight restaurant with a small step to enter
  • Overall: 4/5
  • Vegetarian Options: 3/5
  • Vegan Options: 3/5
  • Value: 4/5
  • Location: 3.5/5

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La Chope Champerret brasserie

Published
by
Ted
on March 18, 2009
in 17th Arrindissement, brasserie, Meat Eating Friends, popular, restaurant, salad and wheelchair friendly
. 1 Comment

What do you get when you cross a traditional French brasserie with excessive American portions? You’d get La Chope Champerret, a restaurant in the 17th arrindissement.

It was shocking to see these huge salads for the first time. Not that it stopped me from ordering them, mind you. There’s enough cheese on them to sink a battle ship! And my gut is a combination of a frigate and a destroyer!
Chevre salad in Paris
But this is France and food is about quality over quantity. So I’m happy to report the salads are just as tasty as they are huge. I’ve had the Sequine with a poached egg and chevre tartines, as well as the Parisienne (without the ham). The Parisienne’s cheese count was downright obscene and I loved every minute of it.

I’m still on a damn diet so I haven’t tried the crème brûlée, but I’ve been told it is to die for. I’ve also seen someone with the cafe gourmande that looked decadent.

La Chope Champerret is right next to the Porte de Champerret metro exit (line 3). It has patio seating and only a small step to enter. I don’t know what the bathroom situation is like, but it seems pretty wheelchair friendly.

La Chope Champerret
143, Avenue de Villiers (17°)
01 43 80 80 64
Metro: Porte de Champerret
Brasserie
  • Overall: 4/5
  • Location: 4/5
  • Taste: 4.5/5
  • Service: 4/5
  • Vegetarian Friendly: 4/5
  • Vegan Friendly: 3/5
  • M.E.F. Friendly: 5/5

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Enjoy a stress-free dinner at the No Stress Cafe

Published
by
Ted
on January 31, 2009
in 9th Arrindissemont, Asian, cafe, French cuisine, Mediteranean, popular, restaurant, salad, soup, Vegan Friendly and vegetarian-friendly
. 5 Comments

No Stress Cafe in ParisThe No Stress Cafe received international attention for combining fortune telling, massages, and food in a simple Paris cafe. It sits down the hill from the sin-soaked Pigalle area facing a pleasant terrasse fronted by restaurants.

The cafe has matured over the years. The massage chairs have been replaced with more dining tables and an increased attention towards dining instead of dozing. However you can still get your fortune told and enjoy a no stress dinner.

Chef Dean to the Rescue

No Stress Cafe in Paris
I’ve mentioned my favorite chef in Paris, Jacques. What I may not have mentioned enough was his partner and sous chef Dean. The two of them created a menu that kept the No Stress Cafe from becoming a one line joke, “hey did you hear about the cafe with back rubs near Pigalle…”. Jacques has moved on to other restaurants and Dean is now the chef of the No Stress Cafe.

I can tell you from experience that Dean is a masterful chef. He has an international approach from his Asian heritage and years of cooking in Paris. His menu at No Stress is a fusion of Mediterranean, French, and Asian recipes.

Vegetarian Options

The standard menu features several vegetarian and vegan options.
Vegetarian Tapas at No Stress Cafe in Paris

However, you can also request the Tapas menu to be vegetarian. This is what I had the other night and it was excellent! Dean gave me a bit extra but you can expect an assortment of tempura, pickled vegetables, lasagna, and other seasonal vegetables.

Dean also makes a killer bowl of vegetarian french onion soup. He uses white wine instead of stock and it blows away the french onion soup at Potager du Marais. It’s not on the menu, but he’ll make it the soup of the day if you make your reservation a few days in advance. Tell them Ted sent you.

Eating at No Stress cafe reminded me of sharing a dinner at chez Jacques and Dean. Ample portions of food from around the globe served family style with great affection.

No Stress Cafe
24 rue Clauzel (9°)
01 48 78 00 27
Metro: Pigalle, St. Georges
Cafe
  • Overall: 4.5/5
  • Location: 3/5
  • Taste: 5/5
  • Service: 5/5
  • Vegetarian Friendly: 5/5
  • Vegan Friendly: 4/5
  • M.E.F. Friendly: 5/5

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