The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1897-05-13
PARIS RESTAURANTS.
INFORMATION FOR THOSE WHO IN
TEND VISITING THE GAY CITY.

The "swelI" Eating Places and Samples
Of Their Charges Prices That some-
times Astonish Even High Rolling
Americans.
Those Americans who think that New
York is an expensive place ought to go
20 Paris. There is no doubt that the
prices Of New York at first class places
are high, but the New York restaur-
ants have not reached such expertness
In making out bills as they have in
Paris. Therefore it is not at all uncom-
mon to notice an American with his
wife going over his bill with the hair
slowly rising upon his head.
There are plenty Of places in Paris
where you can get dinner cheaper
the bouillons Duval, for example. These
restaurants are sprinkled all over Paris,
and they give you plain food very we'll
cooked at reasonable figure. But the
average American generally goes to the
swell places, which are about 12 in
number. There is the Cafe de Paris,
Cubat's, Chevillard's, Durand's, Jo-
seph's, the Restaurant Larue, the Tour
d'Argent, Maire's, Paillard's, the Mai
son Doree, the Cafe Voisin and the Res
taurant Lucas, together with the Cafe
Anglais, the Lion dor, Foyot's and
Marquery's, II you choose to include
them. The Cafe Anglais is no longer
first class, the Lion Or has been closed,
Foyot's is in the Latin quarter and
MarqueIy's is only middle class. The
highest priced places are Durand's s, Pail
lard's and the Cafe Voisin, and these
are the most frequented. Each year the
restaurant frequented by the "swells"
changes Two years ago IL was Du-
rand's, last year it was Paillard's and
this year it is Voisins.
Americans are generally disappointed
in the appearance Of these places be-
cause they are frequently small and by
no means gorgeous in their equipments.
They are all arranged in about the same
way-a row Of cushioned seats or di-
vans running around the wall, with ia
bles placed next to them. The guests
nearly always ensconce themselves on
tho seats next to the wall and are served
from the other side Of the tables by the
walters. Occasionally, when the place
is crowded, people will seat themselves
on the outside, but ordinarily they are
found on only one side Of the table. AS
for the table linen, the china, the knives
and forks, they are by no means as fine
| as we find in many of the American
hotels and restaurants. The cooking,
however, is hard to excel. The reason
that the Paris restaurants obtain such
| hinl f,rirno io pNtrinrs fp thpir
of getting what they call primeurs.
Their Paris epicurean guests seem to
want to eat things out of season. For
example, they are fond of serving you
peas in January. Then, they will give
you pheasants and birdnest soup and
other exotic dishes.
Here is sample dinner and very
plain one for two at Paris restaurant.
They charge you, by the way, 90 CEN
times, or 10 cents to sit down. There
fore for the two places. or converts, put
down franc; an aperitif, the substi-
tute for our American cocktail, another
franc; bottle of ordinary white wine,
8 francs; bottle of ordinary burgundy,
francs tureen of bouillon, another
franc; q sole with normandy sauce, 8
francs; a duckling with turnips and
cream, 10 francs; asparagus with de-
licate sauce, IL francs; ice cream tart,
francs; coffee, half france; liqueurs,
franc; tip, half franc; total, about
60 francs, or about Sl2.
The French have many ways of cook
ing eggs most deliciously. For exam
pie, eggs with shrimps, scrambled eggs
with chicken gravy, and scrambled eggs
with almost everything, much better,
you find, than in America, They also,
cook many things IN covered saucepans
which are most appetizing. Their sauce
pans are earthenware, OF the kind call
ed casseroles, and by keeping them COW
cred they can cook chicken en- casse-
role which will make your mouth wa
ter. The average American chicken is
baked i'll an oven-although the cook
thinks she is roasting it when she is
only baking it-and, as a rule, it is dry
and tasteless and unfit to eat.
You can get a lunch, or what the
French call breakfast, at any Of these
restaurants, including bottle of ordi-
nary wine, butter, shrimps, eggs and
mushrooms, chicken with artichoke
hearts, strawberry tart, coffee and
cheese for about 25 francs, say So. But
all of these bills that am giving you
are the dinners and breakfasts ordered
by people who are careful. The average
American is apt to take things which
are suggested to him by the waiter, and
when he has eaten with his table COM
panion say four dishes and finds that it
costs SIC apiece it makes him very tired.
If you will notice, have put ON the
bills of fare above only ordinary wines
If you place yourself in the hands of
the sommeiller, or wine steward, and
tell him you want something very good,
he will bring you up an old cobwebby
bottle of burgundy without any tag ON
it and will tell you that it is good So
it is. 1t will generally cost you more
than champagne, and by the same token
it is better than champagne. Americans
soon find out the places where they have
good burgundy and bordeaux, but they
have to pay for them. would advise
these Americans always to trust in tho
sommeiller rather than attempt to find
things themselves from the wine list,
because the wine list is meaningless.
All it can tell you is vintage and prices,
and sometimes not even that. Paris
Cor. San Francisco Argonaut.