À La Biche au Bois

It is an outstanding place in a discreet location with french food out of the ordinary and the cherry on top is the friendliness of the staff.

I had booked a table for nine o'clock but we missed our train from Avignon. When we eventually arrived closer to ten my wife told me she wasn't so hungry any more but she still ordered the coq au vin which arrived in it's cooking pot. I looked at her and although she made a valiant attempt, her appetite had gone. We both had the poached eggs for starters which were yummy. I had beef fillet with cepes sauce and a large plate of frites arrived with it. I think the waiter was a bit baffled as to my wife leaving so much of her food in the pot but we told him she had passed the hungry stage. She had sorbet which was light for dessert and I had cherry clafoutis served with crème anglaise or custard to us Scots. Service was very friendly.

I've debated reviewing this restaurant because it's so special to us that I wanted to keep it "our little secret". But really, how often do we get to Paris? So here it is. Our favorite place in the whole city with truly amazing, abundant French food at crazy reasonable prices! You must make a reservation because the place is tiny, and they don't rush you. We were seated at a table for 2, next to a local gentleman dining alone who turned out to be a diplomat from one of the local embassies. He eats here every night while in Paris! He went through the whole menu with us, making recommendations. He was spot on. We had duck, pork, and fish. The owner came by several times to see how we liked our food, and to have us taste new things he was trying. We were the only non-locals in the place, which says a lot. The desserts were spectacular and change frequently. The soups were fantastic as well. I think we ended up staying 3 hours, chatting with our new friend, as well as the owner. It looked as if it is the "special place" for many couples - very romantic!

We have been looking for a nice restaurant in paris to enjoy a lovely meal but these were hard to find. Untill we found this place where we enjoyed one of the little good dinners during our stay in Paris. The staff was very helpfull and enthousiastic. The dinner was good for a reasonable price, although we found the fries to be a bit soft to our liking. When we ordered a medium steak it first came back a bit on the rare side. This was immediately noticed by our waiter who suggested to send it back to the kitchen to cook it a little bit further. The dessert was also tasty. We also enjoyed a free glass of wine as suggested by our waiter.

It is quite possible to become a victim of media like TripAdvisor or Eater. This is, no doubt, a temple of simple but delicious French traditional food; the coq au vin, the andouillettes, escargots..., I could go on. And it's thoroughly good at À la Biche. But with international fame come the challenges: "all the world" want to experience the genuine French food and the atmosphere of the place. And suddenly, the servers find themselves explaining the most obvious facts to a clientele who don't know what an "andouillette" is, ("you problably won't like it"), "gesiers", "ile flottante"... I could go on. There's nothing wrong with that. But even the most patient staff will eventually be influenced by having the role of an "instructor". The result? The rhythm and speed of the meal increase, you feel rushed when you should feel relaxed, and the dishes are served as speedily as possible ( perhaps to clear your table for the next guests?) These are the consequences of becoming a part of the tourist industry. Lovely coq au vin, and very nice staff, but when I wanted to finish my red wine before ordering the dessert, I was asked three times by three different servers if I was ready to order. So I ordered my ile flottante, ate it, paid and cleared the table. I believe it's the curse of TripAdvisor and others. A pity, for it is a nice place, you know.