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I pass this café often when strolling up the rue de Chemin Vert, in the 11th arrondissement. Someday I’ll stop in at the bar for a café express since I’ve always loved the lettering out front.
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My local La Poste, a streamlined Art Deco masterpiece built in 1935, meant to suggest the speed and futuristic-optimism of the industrial revolution. Some would argue La Poste is anything but speedy and optimistic, but I’ve found the French postal system generally dependable and remarkably efficient. Located at 35, rue de Castex, in the lower Marais.
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Paris is full of small, cozy neighborhood restaurants that serve very decent food at reasonable prices, usually enjoyed with a hearty carafe of vin rouge maison. They’re not meant to ‘wow’ you will culinary feats; thankfully you’ll find no dried porcini powder rimming your plate or desserts scented with basil.

The welcoming façade of Aux Pyrénées at 25, rue Beautrellis, certainly is inviting and has plenty of charm.

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6 comments

    • Melissa

    Great cyber-sidebar!
    I’m sure YOU don’t need a time of year for a hot chocolate, but it is getting to be that time of year here in Paris! Lots of places to try!
    Thanks!

    • Richard AB

    Thanks for the short tour of your neighborhood. It is exciting me because I am 45 days from my vacation in your neighborhood. I rented an apartment on the rue Rivoli right across from the metro station and the supermarket (supermarche?). Which supermarket is that , was it a G40 or Franprix?I recognized “La Poste” because I once stayed at a hotel on rue Castex and did business in that very office.

    Right acroos from the post office is a small restaurant called “Cafe del la Poste” which I often see with good reviews. Here is one I found from the Washington Post…

    • Cafe de la Poste, 13 Rue Castex, 4th arrondissement. Nearest Metro: Bastille. Average price: $18.

    On a quiet side street near the Place de la Bastille’s overpriced tourist zone is this unassuming little place, where a cheap and pleasing meal can be enjoyed in a casual atmosphere, amid tiny tables, tile floor and funky art. The house terrine (like pâté) with pickles is a good starter, or perhaps the cream-marinated anchovies. As with most small, independent joints, the menu evolves with the seasons, but expect main dishes like broiled salmon, steak and fries, duck breast salad and confit du canard, as well as predictable but well-executed desserts like fruit tarts.

    Will you try it for me and report back?

    My favorite local bistro in the Marais is L’Endroit. I think that L’Endroit means something like “no where in particular”. Well the place is great. This was my written review from my visit last year…

    http://richardab.typepad.com/iheartparis/2004/11/lendroit.html

    FYI, this is the report from the Washington Post on 10 cheap classic bistros…

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A54189-2002Nov29&notFound=true

    I can’t wait to eat!

    • laura @ cucina testa rossa

    what’s wrong with basil desserts? ;-)

    • Judith in Umbria

    Ha! Laura beat me to it!
    Basil is a type of mint, ergo; fine for desserts.
    Eurochocolate is just a few days away.

    • David

    And eggplant is a fruit. Anyone up for Warm Eggplant Pie for dessert with a big scoop of basil ice cream?

    (Laura and I are waging a private war about the appropriateness of basil in dessert. I think I’m winning, although she posted a perhaps convincing arguement on her site for basil ice cream. So all we need is an eggplant pie recipe to decide the outcome!)

    • Gideon

    I’ve actually been to that express bar the coffee is the same as it is everywhere else in Paris. They do a happy hour I believe though I haven’t been back.

A

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