Paris Lunch near Gare St. Lazare Train Station

When it comes to lunch, the traditional Tabac/Bar/Brasserie is a pretty sure thing for a substantial lunch. The kind of place to look for is the Tabac/Brasserie that advertises its 'plat du jour' on a chalkboard in front of the restaurant.

We stopped in at the Tabac/Brasserie called Le Liege at 45, rue d'Amsterdam. Metro: Liege
Liege is the Metro stop just after St. Lazare on the #13 line. It's much easier to negotiate than the crowded St. Lazare exit, far fewer steps and confusing passageways. All you have to do is walk down Rue Amsterdam toward the train station, but have your lunch at the Liege brasserie first, before you catch your train.

I tried the plate of the day - magret de canard served with a light sauce and au gratin potatoes for 11 Euros. We shared the chef's dessert - chocolate mousse surrounding a pear. It was perfect. The entire bill with two main courses, a glass of wine and beer plus a dessert was 33 Euros and change. Not a bad price for lunch in Paris these days. The preferred music station is jazz so we were able to listen to a great rendition of the Marseillaise played on jazz violin. The waiter doesn't remember the name of the musician but he'll remember the next time we're back.
(It may well have been Stephane Grappelli!)


What's less brilliant is my ignorance when it comes to using my Bouygues cell phone. I haven't mastered being able to dig out the phone from the depths of my handbag before the caller signs off and then I manage somehow to press the mute key which makes it impossible to reconnect. Does anybody ever bother reading instruction manuels - who has the time? I keep forgetting that a cell phone has calculators, calendars - the time, alarms, all the conveniences. But with all these conveniences, we managed to miss meeting up with friends before they caught their train back to Caen. Perhaps it's better not to let meetings depend solely on the ability to connect with cell phones - the old fashioned way of arranging meeting points in advance has its merit. So if you want to meet, meet us at the Liege brasserie.