John Donohue - A Table in Paris: The Cafés, Bistros, and Brasseries of the World’s Most Romantic City

T O S ARAH , A URORA, AND I SIS
MON SOLEIL, MON AIR, ET MON EAU

*It takes a special magic to run a successful restaurant. Under the best of circumstances that spell only lasts so long. Given the changes in the world since my visit in 2019, a few of these places may have closed, but they will forever remain enchanting.

Nowadays, when dining out in a major metropolitan area, its easy to find everything from Albanian to Zambian cuisine, but for generations, eating in a restaurant meant having French food. This is because the concept of paying to enjoy a prepared meal at a table while being served arose in eighteenth-century Paris, following the upheaval of the French Revolution. The ensuing decades saw the introduction of bistros, bouillons, and brasseries, and by 1903, Auguste Escoffier had put it all into writing. His Le Guide Culinairehas been a standard-bearer on how to run a kitchen ever since. The word restaurantitself even comes from the French restaurer, which means to restore. I love to eat, and drawing restores my sense of calmthe act of putting pen to paper brings me the same sense of wellbeing as a good meal brings most everyone else. For years now, I have made it my project to sketch restaurants in my own home city of New York and beyond. It was only natural that I should head to Paris, long the culinary capital of the world.

I took two trips there in the summer of 2019, walking about the city and drawing, as well as cooling out during 107-degree days at the Monoprix (a sort of French Target and rare place with air-conditioning) and weaving between the lingering Yellow Vest protests. Looking back now, I count myself lucky that I arrived before the coronavirus precipitated a public-health crisis and caused many restaurants around the world to close their doors. When I was there, the dining scene was in full, glorious bloom.

I work in ink, from life, without corrections (later adding the color at home). It takes me about twenty minutes to do a drawing, so in a way, my drawings represent a brief moment of lost time. My spare and loose style captures something essential and ineffable about a place, letting the viewers mind fill in the details from a memorable trip or, perhaps, whetting an appetite for a future feast.

When I planned my Paris sojourns, I reached out to people who know and love the city, including chefs, restaurant owners, food writers, journalists who live there, and world travelers. While many excellent guides to Paris exist, I have found that personal recommendations can unearth unexpected jewels. One of the best meals I ate on my trip was at a small place, Quinsou, that has yet to really register on travel websites or make its way into guidebooks. I learned about it from the waitstaff at two well-respected and delicious restaurantsClown Bar and Verjus.

W HEN DINING IN P ARIS, THERE ARE A FEW THINGS THAT ARE HELPFUL TO KNOW :

Reservations are a must.I learned this the hard way by wandering in solo to many an empty restaurant without prior arrangement and being told that, despite the vacant tables, they were all booked.

Dining hours are generally noon to 2 P.M. for lunch and 8 to 10 for dinner.If you want to save money but eat very well, make lunch your big meal out. The most expensive places are comparable bargains this way.

Your presentation matters.This is the way it is in Paris. Dress well to get treated well.

Language: For all practical purposes, it is quite possible to get by without speaking any French, but as with the point above, if you can make a little effort, it will go a long way.

Entresare appetizers and platsare main courses. Dessert