Paris restaurants

If you can’t make reservations online, I find it’s worth having the hotel receptionist calling ahead for you.  My never-fail happy places:

View from the Jules Verne restaurant. 
Note the observation deck below. 

• Do not miss getting the l'africain (hot chocolate) at La Maison Angelina, near the Louvre/Tuileries.
• Le Petit Zinc is a lovely Art Deco bistro in Saint-Germain-des-Prés with delicious food, including gorgeous fruits de mer platters.
• Bofinger Brasserie – reserve a table online and ask to sit under the dome, which is stained glass. At the Bastille end of the Marais.
• If you want to splurge, one of the best meals of my life was at the Jules Verne restaurant at the Eiffel Tower. The food, service, views – all amazing. After dining, you can skip the long lines and take the private stairs down to the observation deck, and then come back and take the private elevator down – or ride down on the public elevator. Fair warning: it’s super expensive, even for lunch – so check the menu/prices online before you go. I recommend lunch for the views, and (slightly) cheaper prices. You must reserve online in advance. 

 Casual dining in the Marais:

• Au Petit Fer au Cheval – it’s worth fighting for room at the zinc bar or a table out front, for a slice of Tarte Tatin and champagne, but if it’s too crowded, you can go next door to…
• Les Philosophes is next to Le Petit Fer au Cheval
• Le Bouledogue is a good neighborhood brasserie, with – you guessed it – a bulldog motif.
• Le Cavalier Bleu is a café overlooking the Pompidou Centre. They had an inexpensive but VERY good cheese and pate assortment worth asking for - the cheese plate, and the meat plate are listed clearly - but the combination "assortiment" is a little hidden on the back of the menu - or just ask: avez vous un assortiment du fromage et pate? They do. That and a glass of wine is a good way to unwind/people watch/fortify yourself for more.

At some point, somewhere, treat yourself to a street crepe. To me, crepe stands are the French equivalent of a hot dog stand - but way more delicious. Ham and cheese for a cheap lunch, or nutella for a snack - either way, it's the perfect pick me up when you're out and about. I like to grab one anywhere leaving the Latin Quarter, and park myself in the Notre Dame plaza and people watch.

Generally, it's cheaper to order food "à emporter" (to go) then to sit and eat it. But sometimes, the view makes it worth the premium. For example, when you visit Notre Dame, be sure to walk around the back of the exterior to see the famous flying buttresses, then cross over the bridge to Ile St Louis. When you get off the bridge, you'll see three cafes - the one to the right offers Berthillon ice cream to go for a couple of euros, but if you order the same ice cream from table service, you'll pay three times the price. However, this spot has such an incredible view of sunset over Notre Dame and the Seine, that a cup of coffee or glass of wine is an acceptably cheap and cheerful way to enjoy the view. If when you're done, you still want ice cream, get it around the corner at the original Berthillon shop, which offers more flavors.