I am a dedicated foodie, and a serious part of each of my four trips to Paris has been the search for the ultimate French meal. Our latest discovery -- Bistro 17 -- has been the best yet. Five star food and five star service are delivered at prices even starving backpackers can afford. €33 gets you a glass of sparkling rosé on arrival, an entrée, main, dessert, coffee, and a bottle of wine between two. We arrived with three people, and they rounded it up to two bottles, much to our delight! Somewhere in the region of seven to ten options are available for each course, and over three visits we sampled 21 separate dishes. Of these, only the oysters were not quite up to scratch -- or perhaps we simply don't appreciate oysters the way we should.
The dishes we did love are too numerous to mention, but in this "best meal" acceptance speech, special mention must go to the foie gras, the pan-seared scallops with penne (pictured below) and the melt-in-your-mouth smoked salmon (also pictured). If you're thinking of trying out escargot, this is the place to do it -- drowned in garlic, these snails went out just the way I'd like to one day. We must not forget the dreamy strawberry concoction I sampled for dessert (name forgotten, pictures provided) and the outstanding house white (to which credit must be given for the fact that we were locked out of our hotel for late arrival home).
If you're looking for somewhere to splash out on a special meal while you're in the city of love, don't go past Bistro 17. You won't regret it.
Logistics: Bistro 17 is inevitably packed, and bookings are recommended. Staff usually speak English, or will fetch somebody who can, so don't hesitate to call. Menus are in English as well as French. If you don't like cigarette smoke, be sur to request non-smoking seating, as the French will definitely light up. The nearest metro station is Pereire.
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