Chez McDonald’s or Chez Maxim’s

A new McDonald’s will open soon at the Louvre.

Of course the great food writer A.J. Liebling thought Parisian restaurants were past their prime before 1948, the year Julia arrived.

Les “Mac Doe’s” do serve an important purpose though (a free alternative to the usual admission price of public WCs). The one at the corner of the Boulevard Hausmann and rue Drouot is especially convenient.

I don’t hold with Liebling’s assessment, but it’s true that the kind of restaurant he appreciated is in very short supply now. La Cuisine Bourgeoise, abundant and hearty, is no longer a la mode.

I’m often asked where to go for a traditional meal in Paris and, given the sad state of the dollar-euro exchange, a traditional price to go with it.

Luckily, a friend of mine serves on a volunteer committee to find precisely these kinds of places for foreign diplomats serving in Paris. She and her compatriots also teach traditional French cooking in their homes for the spouses of these displaced diplomats.

I can reliably recommend two of her finds, both in working neighborhoods near La Bastille:

Au P’tit Panisse at 35 rue de Montreuil.

L’Ebauchoir at 45 rue de Citeaux.

The food is excellent and the price is “correct.”

However, if you prefer upscale, I suggest taking a look at my collection of menus from Maxim’s, ca. 1950.

Even Liebling would approve.