I have no idea how many restaurants/ bistros/ brasseries/ cafes there are in all of Paris, but it’s a hell of a lot. I think it’s pretty easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choice, which also makes it easy to end up inadvertently choosing poorly and ending up at some over-priced tourist trap. Then again, I’m no expert—I suppose one man’s tourist trap is another’s memorable find.

D and I tend to return to a few favourite places because we are creatures of habit, and because we fear bad restaurants (we’ve had it all—from food poisoning, to terrible service, to unintentional chicken sushi). This last week, we re-visited Philou, Le Chant des Oliviers, and La Cerisaie, all of which are consistently packed with locals. The food, as always, was exceptional at all three places. At one of them, the server (who has been there the last several years), recognized us and asked if we were on back on vacation again, welcoming us and chatting with us as though we were locals. When we left, we thanked her again, told her we hoped to be back in a few months, and -be still my heart- she gave me bizous! Real double-cheek kisses from a real Parisienne! Isn’t that the first step in the process for French citizenship?

At one of the other restaurants, we were the last customers to leave, so we had a chance to speak at length with the server who co-owned the place with her husband, the chef. Their restaurant is tiny, seating only about 25 people in a space about 1/4 the size of a typical Subway sandwich shop–so yes, you often share a table with another couple, and you have to move tables out of the way just so you can get out. The actual kitchen is also very small (we had a look when we went to say good-bye to Chef), and yet the food that comes out of it is so spectacularly delicious that it’s almost unbelievable. Suddenly I feel a bit silly that I complain about my lack of kitchen space as though it was my job.

In chatting with this lovely couple, I realized that they were a very modest, family-oriented pair who made some trade-offs that maybe were not easy, but which allowed them to practice the work/ métier that they loved while making some time for other, equally important parts of their lives. I hope they never close their unpretentious restaurant (which is in the Guide Michelin 2014!).

P.S. Some of the pictures above are of chocolate.