Well, one of my resolutions for this year was to eat at a different, and new-to-me, restaurant in Paris once a week. But like most humans, I’m also only human, and a creature of habit. And we tend to go to the same places over and over again. Sometimes new places that get a lot of press, and have people posting on social media about them, have dynamic press agents, so they pop up a lot. Often, however, they’re not very good. Last year, everyone was raving online about a new place that opened in Paris, anointing it as “The place to be.” We had a less-than-stellar meal there, which made me wonder about all that positive press, until a reviewer from a major newspaper wrote about it, who had the same experience, and meal, that we had. I’ve been invited to places too, but whether I’m paying (I pay 98% of the time) or not, my barometer for sharing is whether I liked it. So here are some places that I think might resonate with you…  Le CornichonLe Cornichon is an old PMU, a corner café you’ll find in almost every city, town, and village in France, with its signature green sign, where they sell cards to bet on PMU races, and men who don’t have a lot else to do sit around the TV, glued to the screen to see if the horse they bet on wins. PMUs are often worn down by time, neglect, and disinterest by the owners, but they’re institutions in France, not known for their great food or wine lists, but rather for their cheap draft beer, rank coffee, and access to cigarettes since they’re often Tabacs — stores that can legally sell cigarettes as well as timbres fiscaux (tax stamps) that you can buy to pay parking tickets, visa fees, and other fines. (For some reason, they also sell poppers.) The physical stamps are being replaced by electronic “stamps,” but as long as people smoke, the tabacs aren’t going anywhere. Even during our strict pandemic lockdowns, tabacs were allowed to stay open, considered “essential businesses.” The owners of Le Cornichon took on an old PMU, polishing it up, gently rehabbed it into a café and restaurant that’s a lot of fun, and serving good food... Continue reading this post for free in the Substack app
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Sunday, June 22, 2025
Paris Dining and Eating
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