FRANCE - Best of Europe 2014 - page 375

reputation (€60-80 menus , daily, reservations essential, 135 Rue St. Dominique, tel. 01 45
55 15 05).
$$LesCocottes isatrendy,bar-stool-onlyplaceservingsimpledishesinsmallironpots
to yuppie Parisians (daily, no reservations taken, 135 Rue St. Dominique).
$$ Café Constant is a cool, two-level place that feels more like a small bistro-wine bar
thanacafé.Deliciousandfairlypriceddishesareservedinafunsettingtoadedicatedclien-
tele. Arrive early to get a table (downstairs seating is better); the friendly staff speak English
(€11 entrées, €16 plats , €7 desserts, closed Sun-Mon, no reservations taken, corner of Rue
Augereau and Rue St. Dominique, next to recommended Hôtel Londres Eiffel, tel. 01 47 53
73 34).
Picnicking near Rue Cler
(See “Rue Cler Restaurants” map, here . )
Rue Cler is a festival of food. The street is lined with businesses run by people whose lives
seem to be devoted to their specialty: polished produce, rotisserie chicken, freshly made
crêpes, or deliciously stinky cheese.
For a magical picnic dinner at the Eiffel Tower, assemble it in no fewer than five shops
onRueCler.ThenloungeonthebestgrassinParis,withthedogs,Frisbees,afloodlittower,
and a cool breeze in the Champ de Mars park (picnics are allowed off to the sides, but not in
the central area, which is off-limits).
Asian delis (generically called traiteurs asiatique ) provide low-stress, low-price take-
out treats (€8 dinner plates; the one on Rue Cler near Rue du Champ de Mars has tables).
Crêperie Ulysée en Gaule, the Greek restaurant on Rue Cler across from Grand Hôtel
Lévêque, sells take-away crêpes (see here ) . For the cheapest, easiest meals, consider getting
sandwiches or kebabs, just beyond the cute zone a few steps past the Ecole Militaire Métro
stop on Avenue de Tourville.
Small, late-night groceries are at 197 Rue de Grenelle (open daily until midnight), as
well as where Rues Cler and Grenelle cross.
Breakfast on Rue Cler
(See “Rue Cler Restaurants” map, here . )
Hotel breakfasts, though convenient, are generally not a good value. For a great Rue Cler
start to your day, drop by Brasserie Aux PTT, where Rick Steves readers are promised a
deux pour douze breakfast special (two “American” breakfasts—juice, a big coffee, crois-
sant, bread, ham, and eggs—for €12; closed Sun, 53 Rue Cler). For a continental breakfast
for about €6, try nearby Café le Bosquet (closed Sun, 46 Avenue Bosquet).