Cafe de Paris - Paris, France

If you're hungry and in a hurry in Paris...you should consider fasting. Learn to prioritize because the service is not swift, and you rarely get your food at a speed that Americans would consider acceptable. Food a source of pleasure in Paris, one to be enjoyed slowly during moments of leisure, not to be scarfed down on the fly. 

Few places in Paris provide the ultimate French cafe experience like Cafe de Paris. Cute little tables, all seats facing forward, side by side so you can alternate between conversing and people-watching without injuring your neck. 

If you're trying to eat slowly, start with the Burgundy Escargot. They take some serious skill with tiny forks to coax out of their shell. Once emerged, they're worth it. Not the slippery little suckers that Pretty Woman would imply, but soft, tender nib-lets soaked in parsley butter. 

The Carbonara is more substantial, a rich main of fresh pasta in a sauce of solid cream. The sauce is a lot eggier than I'm used to, and the extra sulfur is an elaboration on the noddles beneath. The pasta is cooked more done than al dente but in this dish, I think it's better that way.

The Caramelita Crepes can be a full sweet meal, and they double as dessert. The roasted apples are grains of sugar blanketed by a paper-thin pancake, soaking into an ice cream of caramel. 

A simple bistro, a generic name on a touristy street. But the food is exactly what Paris is all about, a killer cafe for sipping and nibbling and watching the world walk by. It won't be easy finding this place again, but I would definitely consider searching.