I’m a little in love with Jamie and Marie.

Since 2004, this Franco-American couple has been raising some of the coolest restaurants (and children) in Paris. Outposts of their Pink Flamingo pizza empire open unerringly in the neighborhoods that need them most – places filled with broke hipsters, post-punk parents, and picnic lovers of every stripe.

However much I love a three course meal at bistros like Frenchie and Paul Bert, I am just as often looking for something cheap and fun. Pink Flamingo has filled that void, providing a brilliant option when there’s a large group (or one of indeterminate size), including people who are otherwise difficult to accommodate: parents with kids, vegetarians, friends with no money, and those who aren’t hungry but want to hang out. The vast majority of Paris restaurants require that we book a small table many days in advance and eat several courses for +30€. They don’t tolerate, for reasons that I understand, variations from this ideal. Pink Flamingo accommodates life.

Their latest offspring – the restaurant at 23 rue d’Aligre – was presented to the world at an opening party Monday night. Pouring free Champagne and passing out hot pizza to friends and neighborhood passersby, Jamie and Marie were the picture of generosity. We stopped by and nibbled a few slices of the Basquiat (gorgonzola, fig, jambon cru) and the Obama (grilled bacon with pineapple chutney) while balancing our wine on the hood of a parked car.

It was delicious, messy, and fun – just as I like it.

Pink Flamingo Paris

• 67 rue Bichat, 75010 (near the Canal Saint-Martin)
• 105 rue Vieille du Temple, 75003 (in the Marais)
• 23 rue d’Aligre, 75012 (near the Marché d’Aligre)

Pink Flamingo Berlin

• Eberswalderstr. 28 / 10437 (Prenzlauer Berg)

Additional links:

• My review of Pink Flamingo for Budget Travel
• The Frugal Traveler’s review of Pink Flamingo for the New York Times
• My profile of the Aligre neighborhood for Budget Travel
• Profiles of the ‘hood by David Lebovitz and Dorie Greenspan [Note: David was saddened to see, at PF's opening party, that Café Aouba (described in both these posts) has closed] Update: David has assured me (in the comments below) that his beloved Café Aouba is closed only temporarily for renovation. Hooray!
• Context Travel’s tasting tour around the Marché d’Aligre

The look on their faces: that’s the satisfaction that comes from getting what you want.  Which, in this case, was a good time with food and wine to follow a tasting at Spring Boutique. We hadn’t reserved, it was spur of the moment, and we were suffering from post-Bigarrade poverty disorder.

In Paris, no money + no reservation is usually a recipe for disaster. If something is cheap, it is often disgusting. Few options exist between the falafel and the €40 carte. The rare exceptions – restaurants that are both delicious and cheap – are always booked.

Photo: Hidden Kitchen/Flickr

Enter Bistrot Victoires, a bustling place three doors down from Les Fines Gueules and just off the place des Victoires. Two friends, who eat out more than anyone I know (save Mr. Talbott), had recommended it several times.

Photo: Hidden Kitchen/Flickr

We poked our heads in around 9:45 and were greeted with a smile. Our waiter arrived, wearing a cloud of herbal smoke and fresh from (we assumed) a joint  in the alley. It turns out that the smell was actually from a burning branch of thyme that topped the steak with hand-cut fries. It was an honest mistake – he was friendly… in France! Anyone would assume that he had to be high.

The food is fine. It’s not creative, not life-changing, not divine. But it really is quite fine and it costs almost nothing. We four girls each had a main (steak frites, duck confit, roasted chicken), split two desserts (apple tart, profiteroles), and shared two bottles of Morgon. With flattering globe lighting, nostaligic decor and friendly service, it was everything we needed.

And the price: €22 each. A victory indeed!

Bistrot Victoires
6 rue La Vrillière, 75001
01 42 61 43 78
Open every day

I  love bringing visitors to the Canal St.-Martin. This waterway in the 10th Arrondissement has in recent years become a magnet for hip and artsy Parisians. Good cafés and restaurants have been popping up around the water’s edge, and edgy boutiques for clothing and jewelry can be found not far away. After a morning spent exploring (one that’s usually fueled by pastry from Du Pain et Des Idées), I almost always stop in for lunch at Le Cantine de Quentin. This sweet little place is open only during the day and performs triple duty as a restaurant, cave à vins (wine shop) and épicerie.

The lunch menu is short and sweet, with about six choices for each category of entrée, plat and dessert. I habitually begin with one of their homemade veloutés, whose ingredients change with the seasons. A creamy pumpkin soup topped with grilled chestnuts was just perfect on a recent winter afternoon. Hearty starters like the country terrine and charcuterie plate are more sharable.

>>read the rest of this review at The Girls’ Guide to Paris

In a city with so many incredible restaurants to try, repeat visits are a sure sign of love. Until this week, I could count on one hand the places to which I’ve returned more than three times: Spring, Frenchie, L’Avant Comptoir, Le Baratin and the crêperie Josselin. Chez Michel, the Breton bistro near Gare du Nord, has just joined the ranks and forced me to open a second hand.

My fourth visit on a frozen December evening was nearly perfect. Having arrived early, I waited for my friend with a glass of Cerdon – a sparkling pink wine that’s rarely seen in restaurants (€6). The extra time was devoted to studying both the printed menu and the lengthy chalk-drawn list of specials.

Chez Michel is a single restaurant with many very different ways to dine. The foundation of any experience is the prix fixe menu with three courses for €32. It includes plenty of good pork and seafood options, with 8 starters, 6 mains and 7 desserts. You could stick to the plan and be very happy with a good fish soup, a stellar brandade de morue, plus the famous 36-hour Paris-Brest dessert. I don’t know anybody who does this.

Most people fall victim to the Board of Temptation – a dangerous chalkboard full of dishes that can be substituted for an additional price. Such supplements can be found on prix fixe menus all over town, but Chez Michel takes the concept to another level. Instead of offering one or two slightly special ingredients for a modest €4-5 euro supplement, Chez Michel has a board filled with 25 incredibly special dishes with supplements ranging from €5 to €120. The vast majority are dishes rarely seen anywhere else, which makes it very easy to stray from the prix fixe.

My meal was a fairly typical mix of moderation and splurge. I stuck to the menu for my starter and loved the aigre-doux de choux rouge au lard rôti – sweet and sour cabbage with a fat slice of smoky bacon. I struck out with the main and ordered sea scallops for a €10 supplement. Served in the shell with algae butter and a celery root puree, they were both comforting and refined. I also picked up an €8 surcharge for my dessert – a creamy vacherin du Mont d’Or cheese, sized for two and served warm inside its wooden box, to be eaten with a spoon. With the Cerdon, my half of one very reasonable bottle of wine (a Cheverny Villemade for €26) and un petit Calvados to finish (€3), my bill came to €64 – exactly double the price of prix fixe.

Now let’s talk about the guy next to me. A small-framed older gentleman, he arrived alone but was well-known to the staff. I almost gasped when his starter arrived – the tartine of foie gras topped with a mountain of shaved truffles was almost the size of my forearm (supplement €26). He polished it off quickly, washing down the luxury snack with sips of artisanal beer. What arrived next was something I’d read about but never seen – a bowl full of tiny and rare baby eels called civelles (supplement €60). He then went on to eat a mountain of biche (female deer, supplement €25) for his main dish, to be followed by dessert. It was one of the most impressive dining performances I’ve ever seen.

Like I said: a single restaurant but with many different ways to dine. A moderate eater can be perfectly happy with the standard three-course €32 menu. A gastronomic god disguised as a grandpa can splurge on rare and expensive treats and spend more than €160. Most people end up somewhere in the middle, and most everyone leaves happy. Those who are less pleased tend to be English-only tourists who don’t understand the concept (a €32 minimum with 3 obligatory courses) or become frustrated when the staff fail to properly translate the long list of changing and obscure ingredients. Those who are less fluent should bring a dictionary and a sense of adventure.

In a nutshell: Come to Chez Michel for classic Breton fare – heavy on both seafood and pork dishes – and well-sourced luxuries available as a supplement to the €32 menu. The long list of (25+) specials has plenty to tempt the adventurous foodie, including an excellent selection of wild game during the season. Grandmotherly decor with friendly service, steps away from Gare du Nord.

Chez Michel
10 Rue de Belzunce in the 10th arrondissement
Closed Saturday and Sunday
01 44 53 06 20

If you like the sound of Chez Michel but want to take your supplements further south:
La Régalade
14 avenue Jean Moulin in the 14th arrondissement
01 45 39 71 54

> Reprinted with permission from the Girls’ Guide to Paris

> Read other trusted reviews for Chez Michel at Paris by Mouth

That meal last winter was a revelation. I arrived at opening time (8:00) with two boys and ordered more food than is really polite. We shared and devoured nine plates – starting with some fat white beans and sliced gizzards and a pucker-making goat cheese with piquillos. We also nibbled bravely on the pig ear salad.

We smiled through a rascasse and some pleasing seared scallops, then came close to stabbing eachother with forks to get the last bite of the poitrine de porc. Served with a side of well-salted and crispy frites (magically refilled throughout the night), this belly was by far the winning dish of the night/week/season.

We finished with a slice of tarte, some sautéed peaches, and a bit of Basque brebis with black cherry preserves. We also consumed two liters of wine and a round of coffees. At the end of the night, we walked (ok, staggered) away having spent less than €40 each.

I returned last night with a girlfriend and the intention of restraint. I had the idea that one could eat well here for a mere €20. I still believe that this can be done. Just not by me.

To fight off a bitterly cold December night, we both started with soup (€6.50). As seems to be the trend these days, two bowls of garnish (toasted pine nuts and buttery crumbs) were served with a pitcher on the side. And by pitcher, I mean an enamel goddess that poured six bowls full of warm delicious.

Grilled razor clams (€8) arrived next and were a nice change after our creamy cauliflower bath. The bowl was overflowing, but we made quick work of the couteaux and cleared a path for the coming lomo (€14). This dry-cured pork loin was lovingly lathered by a sauce spiked with piment d’Espelette. To avoid the oncoming coma, we opted for salad instead of dessert. Of course it was topped with half a pound of creamy Roquefort (€7.50).

The meal was a delight – every bit as good as I remembered – and our €30 per person tally included an absurd amount of food and a liter of wine. The more reasonable man sitting next to us dined solo on oeufs mayonnaise (€4.50) and that delicious lomo, bringing his own bill under €20. I may not be able to hit that magic number myself, but I can attest that other, more moderate souls, have done it.

In a nutshell: La Cantine du Troquet is a generous table where you can eat and drink big for €30-35 and with restraint for around €20. Safe choices like roasted chicken and steak frites coexist with more adventurous nose-to-tail preparations. Informal and buzzing, with friendly service and a very local clientele.

La Cantine du Troquet
101 rue de l’Ouest in the 14th arrondissement
No phone and no reservations. Open from 8:00 p.m. on weeknights (closed Saturday and Sunday).
Arrive at opening time for your best chance of being seated.

If you like the sound of la Cantine but want to spend more and have a proper reservation:
Le Troquet (the mothership)
15 Rue François Bonvin in the 15th arrondissement
01 45 66 89 00

Reprinted with permission from the Girls’ Guide to Paris

My experience began when I first learned about Tartes Kluger from Le Fooding, a primary source of continuing education for our local bobo community. While watching the website’s video cooking series on my laptop (from a café equipped with Illy beans and Wi-Fi), I was seduced by the simplicity of Kluger’s carrot and coriander tarte.

The day of my visit happened to coincide with a hopping brocante (flea market) on and around the rue de Forez. The Bugaboo strollers were backed up for blocks behind stands selling vintage “decorative tools.” I escaped into the loft-like space to find two old friends waiting for me:

Two American food mags touting the simple pleasures of (local, sustainable, seasonal) eating. I mean, seriously – how bobo is that? I ordered my tarte and began to flip through the pages while my neighbors discussed the upcoming ventes privées (private sales). When lunch arrived – an individual tarte with salad in a gleaming metal bowl – I ate carefully to avoid dribbling on the final issue of Gourmet. The tarte – an incredibly simple combination of crust and eggy filling – was one of the best I’d ever had. Of course, the full-size version is something that any French woman could assemble for less than €5. But who has time to cook? Modern bobos are more than willing to pay €9 for a small bite, and €25 for a party-sized tarte. Madame Kluger and her minions will even deliver.

I capped my experience with a visit to the art gallery next door, but others might prefer a trip to the design bookshop on rue Dupetit Thouars. Either way, it’s a perfectly bobo afternoon in the beating heart of bobodom.

In a nutshell: Tartes Kluger produces delicious tartes for takeaway and delivery. They also serve a great and girly lunch with a side dish of cooking magazines.

Tartes Kluger
6 Rue du Forez, 3rd arrondissement
01 53 01 53 53
Open Monday to Saturday from 10am-8pm, and Sunday from 11am-4pm

If you like the sound of Kluger but want more quirk:
Le Loir dans la Théière
3 rue des Rosiers, 4th arrondissement
01 42 72 90 61

> Read other trusted reviews on Tartes Kluger at Paris by Mouth

“For sushi?” I replied, with a skeptical eye directed down at her belly.

I’d been hearing a lot about Rice & Fish in recent months, but it wasn’t until my pal admitted to putting her fetus in danger that I decided to make the trip. Anything that could cause an expectant mother to throw caution to the wind must be awfully delicious.

I arrived at this Sentier spot and immediately liked the space. Bright colors on the wall and a long window seat looking out at the neighborhood scene. On the menu: a long list of interesting maki, including lots of vegetarian options. I guess the pregnant friend isn’t so reckless after all…

I started with Le Krunchy, a roll that normally combines avocado, secret sauce, and tempura shrimp. They substituted scallops on this particular day, much to my delight. The first roll looked enticing, tasted exciting, and was even fun to say.

More spectacular was the Sumo roll – an unlikely combination of tempura pumpkin, pumpkin seeds, violet potato, miso and fennel. It packed such a technicolor punch that Futo maki which followed (tofu, avodado, radish, cucumber) seemed wan by comparison. Next time – and there will be a next time – I’ll be sure to begin with the delicate flavors and finish with over-the-top tastes like the b4 (tempura fish with piment d’espelette) or la Chenille (marinated eel and avacado shaped in the form of a caterpiller).

In a nutshell: Hit Rice & Fish when you need to take a break from French food. The bright and clean flavors will hit the reset button on your over-bistro’d palate. Your wallet, too, will feel the relief – a full meal will run you less than €20.

Rice & Fish
22, rue Greneta, 2nd arrondissement
01 73 70 46 09
Lunch Monday to Saturday from 12-6pm
Dinner Thursday to Saturday from 7:30-11pm

If you like the sound of Rice & Fish but want less CAL and more JPN:
Kaiseki
7 rue André Lefebvre, 15th arrondissement
01 45 54 48 60

Reprinted with permission from the Girls’ Guide to Paris

Despite all this, I don’t often recommend crêperies for traveling foodies. These places, at least the traditional ones, are tricked out in lace and dark wood paneling. They feel like Grandma’s house, especially if your grand-mère is a sturdy Breton lass with loads of butter at the ready. Crêperies are comforting and cute, but they are most certainly not cool.

At least, that used to be the case. The landscape shifted recently when West Country Girl arrived on the east side of Paris. I suggested the new crêperie for a lunch with Catherine Sanderson of Petite Anglaise, and was relieved to see that the early reviews were right: this place is refreshingly cool. Stylishly retro, the banana yellow bar and cherry laminate tables are balanced by muted decorative painting from Olivia Marie-Debackere. There’s a revolver mounted over the stereo, which is piping a mix of Beirut and other indie darlings. Nick Cave, whose song inspired the restaurant name, is undoubtedly in the mix.

A friendly German hipster-waitress helps Catherine and me sort through the menu options. We both go for the lunch special, at 12.50 euros, which includes a complète, a dessert crêpe and a healthy dose of artisanal cider. The first crêpe arrives and is exactly as it should be: thin, dark and crusty on the outside (a lot like Nick Cave) with oozing (organic) ingredients inside. The subsequent dessert crêpe is slicked with caramel beurre salé—the salted butter caramel that makes everything right in the world. We finish with Illy coffee while debating whether the cute boys next to us are in a band or not.

In a nutshell: Hit West Country Girl for carefully made crêpes with a side order of indie cool. The retro-styled space is just around the corner from the bars of Oberkampf, making WCG an affordable launching pad for a night of east-side debauchery. Either that, or a hangover lunch.

West Country Girl
6, passage St.-Ambroise, 75011
Tel: 01 47 00 72 54.
Open for lunch and dinner Wed–Sat. Tues: lunch only. Closed Sun–Mon.

And if you like the sound of West Country Girl, you’ll also love:

Breizh Café
109, rue Vieille du Temple, 75003
Tel: 01 42 72 13 77
Closed Mon–Tues.

Reprinted with permission from the Girls’ Guide to Paris