Just when you think Paris has lost its edge, the NY Times proclaims a new ‘it’ neighborhood.  The latest is on the city’s fringes, like Belleville and the former red-light district of Pigalle.  A pop-up restaurant, a taxidermy-stuffed speakeasy.

http://www.lefooding.com/restaurant/

Our friend Juliette and Sean, my husband and I had a perfect, end of summer meal at a gem of a find, Restaurant l’Agrume. The menu degustation, at 37 Euros is a bargain, considering that it is like two full meals. The sweet host warned us that the menu consisted of small portions. Perhaps it is managing expectations but we were so full, by the time the plat arrived, half of us could only finish half. Even with my husband’s seafood allergies, the chef accommodated so that we can all enjoy the menu. Five lovely courses, with a memorable risotto with truffles, and a white fish with anchovy oil… delicious. A definite gem.

15, rue des Fossés Saint-Marcel, Paris 75005 01 43 31 86 48

From the New York Times…

Newly launched, The Paris Supper Club promises to replace both outdated guidebooks and raves from nostalgic friends when it comes to searching out some of the best and truest places to eat in the French capital.

The club is a project of former Gourmet European correspondent Alexander Lobrano, author of a book and blog called “Hungry for Paris” (hungryforparis.com), and Wendy Lyn, a “culinary concierge” whose blog, “The Paris Kitchen” (thepariskitchen.com), vows to have you eating and drinking like a local, not a tourist.

These all-inclusive, prix-fixe dinners are limited to eight guests, with Lyn and Lobrano acting as hosts. As Lyn puts it on her Web site, it’s about “sharing a meal and a conversation — where guests can ask us everything from the best restaurants, cafes, shops, markets, bakeries to living in Paris.”

Average cost is 100 euros (about $135) per person and includes a starter, main course, dessert and wine. Guests also will be sent a list of the duo’s six favorite bistros and restaurants before their visit. theparissupperclub@gmail.com

I remember a Sunday afternoon meal at this wonderful bistro with my darling husband and my kids a year ago. Most incredible vegetables and wonderful service. No wonder Michael R. Bloomberg, the thrice re-elected mayor of NY also prefers it….

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/19/nyregion/19paris.html

Okay, I feel ashamed I don’t even know this one, but I guess now we’ll have to try it, seeing as it is supposedly just a few feet from chez nous. Actually, on the map, numéro 8 is down a bit, just a few meters short of the 5th, where the rue de Vaugirard gets lively near the Boul’ Mich.

La Ferrandaise—located near the Sorbonne and frequented by scholarly types, this neighborhood bistro has a charming, effortless appeal. Wonderful, if a little robust, cuisine. I had a pate, boeuf bourguignon, and a chestnut soufflé and could not eat again that day. La Ferrandaise, 8, rue de Vaugirard

[From Family of One: Family of One Dines in Paris 2010]

A pithy review by John Talbott on a restaurant that sounds a lot closer than it is. We’ll still call it “in the neighborhood,” since it’s about 4 métro stops away.

Le Marcab in the 15th; still very nice.

Le Marcab, 225, rue de Vaugirard in the 15th, 01.43.06.51.66, open 7/7, has a set of menus for 16, 25 and 35 €, plus a la carte items. We have friends who live a short walk from it and invited them to joing us today.

Three of them had the 4 course forced choice “menu” for 25 E which is a real bargain and I had the 35 E 3-course one.

[From John Talbott's Paris: Le Marcab in the 15th; still very nice.]

We’ve also had a very good meal at the Maison du Jardin. This is an adult neighborhood restaurant, which is really a bit too quiet to take kids, which we did. The staff though, was very friendly and the food very good.

This lovely little restaurant is a gem in Paris. It has delicious food, not a thing we ordered was anything worse than outstanding. Our hotel recommended this restaurant after the concierge had personally eaten there. He was not wrong. Very nice wine list, even if it is rather limited. The duck was amazing, but so was the “plat du jour” venison. The pumpkin soup was divine. The rabbit terrine was superb. The cheeses are sourced form a local shop called Rouge Creme and were all delicious. The service is impeccable. All in all, a real delight and highly recommended.

[From What a joy! - Review of La Maison du Jardin, Paris, France - TripAdvisor]

Oh, c’mon.

Tokyo is the gourmet capital of the world. So say the revered gastronomes at the Michelin Guide, who have awarded three stars to 11 restaurants in the Japanese capital, one more than in Paris.

Yesterday’s announcement, made days before the launch of the Michelin Guide Tokyo 2010, cements the city’s deserved reputation as a spectacular place to dine.

“Tokyo has become the world culinary capital, ahead of Paris,” gushed Jean-Luc Naret, the guide’s director general.

[From Tokyo is the new Paris, say Michelin | Life and style | guardian.co.uk]

But, I guess if they are giving the title of Paris to the city with the most 3-star restaurants, it might as well be Tokyo. For many years, people would always tease me that “actually, London now has better food than Paris.”

“Yeah, I said, and you can keep it.” I still would rather live, eat, and breathe in Paris for everyday eating than anywhere else in the world, even Northern California, where we live.