Cuisine:

• French

Aux Charpentiers Description:
There's a casual, cheerful feel to this well-established old bistro in the Marché Saint-Germain area near St-Sulpice church. The snugly spaced tables, archive photography, zinc bar and red velvet curtains give the place a pleasant, well-worn feel, and a more spacious and sedate dining room, filled with antiques, is hidden downstairs. After enjoying buttery foie gras worthy of a pricier establishment or anchovies fanned over warm potatoes, guests happily move on to comforting old favorites like a creamy boudin noir (served in giant proportions and with a hint of sweetness that makes it addictive), crispy duck confit, or an inexpensive cut of steak dressed up in a pleasant Roquefort sauce. For dessert, consider baba au rhum or excellent pear tart.