Trip Coach: June 5, 2007

Clotilde Dusoulier: Welcome everyone! Thanks for joining me in this discussion about food and Paris, and thank you for all your questions -- I'll try to get to as many as I can.

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Portland, OR: My husband and I are going to Paris for 6 days on our first trip to Europe in August. We would love to experience as much of the Paris food and wine world as possible, but also need to save money where we can. Can you please recommend some good "cheap" places to dine as well as a few places that we should splurge on? We will be staying in the New Orient Hotel located on rue Constantinople near the Arc de Triomphe, so restaurants that are closer by would be even better. Thanks!

Clotilde Dusoulier: One of the best budget tips when eating out in Paris is to make lunch your main meal of the day, because most restaurants offer lunch formulas that are great bargains: a restaurant like Le Bélisaire (2 rue Marmontel in the 15th; +33 1 48 28 62 24) has an outstanding 3-course lunch menu that only costs 20 euros.

And in the evening, you can opt for a more simple meal at a wine bar, where you'll have drinks and a few nibbles of cured meat and cheese--try Le garde-Robe, for instance (41 rue de l'Arbre Sec in the 1st; +33 1 49 26 90 60).

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Milwaukee, WI: Clotilde

We have been to Paris several times enjoy trying all of the food there, but where can we find the best and cheapest steak and frites? Thanks! Mary

Clotilde Dusoulier: Hello Mary! First of all, keep in mind that the best of anything is rarely the cheapest, especially when it comes to meat: high-quality meat and fresh, made-to-order fries have a price.

That said, I really like the steak-frites that's served at Le Sévéro (8 rue des Plantes in the 14th; +33 1 45 40 40 91) or its sister restaurant, Le Bis du Sévéro (16 rue des Plantes in the 14th; +33 1 40 44 73 09), where the owner ages his own meat. And although it comes with garlic potatoes rather than fries, I highly recommend the entrecôte (rib steak) at Corneil (18 rue Condorcet in the 9th; +33 1 49 95 92 25).

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Los Angeles, CA: Hello,

Since we generally know that those restaurants that have menus printed in eight different languages probably aren't our best bet for a night of fine dining, what is the best way to approach a restaurant if you don't speak French?

Do you politely ask the host/hostess if they speak English, etc.?