THE WORLD CAPITAL OF FOOD - CultureShock! A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette - page 208

French restaurant tucked behind a small specialty shop.
Confit , cassoulet and other excellent duck dishes. Closed
on Sundays.
9 e : J'Go; 4 rue Drouot; tel: [phone]. A play on the
word gigot (roasted leg of lamb), this excellent restaurant
specialises in lamb dishes from Quercy. Order chops for
the individual diner or roasts for the entire group. Closed
on Sundays.
12 e : Le Baron Rouge;1 rue Théophile Roussel;
tel: [phone]. Ordinarily a wine bar adjacent to the
lively Marché Aligre, the street is closed on Sundays and
transformed into an oyster party. Bundle up in winter and
be prepared to stand outside and eat dozens of oysters (or
cold cuts) shoulder to shoulder with the crowd, downing
your meal with glasses of crisp white wine.
Cafés and Bars
The café is an all-purpose eating establishment: you may
linger over a breakfast croissant and coffee, dash in for a light
lunch, stop for a cup of tea and a snack in the afternoon, or
enjoy a drink in the evening. Ranging from the famous and
expensive, to those catering to regulars from the quartier ,
cafés generally do not bother much about decor. Many
have outdoor tables and are busy late into the night. Some
cafés also double up as bar / tabacs , where you can buy items
such as cigarettes, stamps, lottery tickets and telephone
cards. Most importantly, some cafés are the community
gathering places for friends. Each neighbourhood café has
its own personality and loyal habitués (regulars), and can
be a lot of fun.
Cafés are open all day and well into the night. Most
neighbourhood cafés close around 10:00 pm; those in
touristy areas stay open later. If a table at a café has a
placemat and a table setting at mealtimes, it is reserved for
those who come to eat; find a bare table if you just want
to have a cup of coffee. For a quick coffee or a mineral
water, stand at the comptoir (counter), where the prices
are cheaper.
A bar has more to do with atmosphere than with