Emily In France Exclusive 🇫🇷 My 25 Bites to Try in Paris... Part 5: Dinner Again

Plats de résistance.

A few weeks ago, a New York Times story began making the rounds of Paris foodie Instagram: a collection of the 25 essential dishes in Paris, curated by some of the best palates in the city. I read it with interest, bookmarking more than a couple for later visits, and then, Sara Lieberman, one of the journalists who contributed to the original (and the author, among other things, of the newsletter Overthinking It...) released her own list of the 25 essential dishes to try in Paris, as far as she and a handful of her nearest and dearest were concerned. I think you know where this is going.

While I had initially set my heart on rounding up my top 25 places in one big email, I realized it might be more palatable (and easier to digest) if I broke things into meals. First, I addressed breakfast, which, as I explained, is a far smaller affair in France than it is in the Anglo world. Next, lunch was the star. I then explored the delights of snacks both sweet and savory, followed by my first installment about dinner.

Obviously I couldn’t contain myself to just five spots, so here’s dinner… round 2.

1. Entrecôte-Frites from Relais de l’Entrecôte

I get a lot of questions (and OK, a few complaints) about the texture of French steaks. Specifically, Americans accustomed to grain-fed beef tend to get a bit pernickety about the fact that our grass-fed beef can be on the tougher side. But frankly, French cuisine is designed to account for this: Steaks here tend to be cut thinner and cooked rarer than their American counterparts, and they're frequently served with a sauce, be it bearnaise, blue cheese, or au poivre.

In the case of Relais de l’Entrecôte, that sauce is a unique creation frequently imitated but rarely truly reproduced. Some cite chicken livers as the secret; others tarragon or fresh thyme. Regardless of how it’s made, however, I maintain that even if I could make it at home, I would far prefer enjoying it in the restaurant steps from the Champs-Elysées where it generously adorns slices of the titular entrecote steak and piles of crispy fries.

Here, the steak-frites is the only thing on the menu, preceded by a frisée salad with walnuts (of which I always get two portions, when visiting with my brother) and followed by a dessert smorgasbord. The efficient waitresses who take your order ask merely how you'd like your steak cooked (and whether you'd like wine) before bringing around platters of both steak and fries and serving you right at the table.

And if, like my brother, you devour the first morsels too quickly, rest assured: Seconds are offered (and encouraged).

Le Relais de l’Entrecôte (15 rue Marbeuf, 8th)

2. Beef Bourguignon from Café des Musées

Great classic bistros are unfortunately a bit thin on the ground in Paris these days, but one of the places I can (finally) count on is Café des Musées.