World ? Europe ? France

France: Tips On Dining

  • Most restaurants serve lunch between noon and 2:30pm and dinner from 7 to 10pm. In a cafe, you can get reduced prices on drinks, coffee, and sandwiches if you eat at the stand-up bar rather than a table.

  • French cookery reaches perfection when accompanied by wine. The general label on bottles of national wine is known as Appellation d'Origine ContrɄllȳe (abbreviated AOC). Wine labels are narrowed down to a particular vine-growing region. Of course, labels are only part of the story: It's the vintage that counts. Some of the most satisfying wines come from unlabeled house bottles or carafes, called vin de la maison. They're also the cheapest wines served. Some restaurants include a beverage in their fixed-price menu (boisson compris). French beers are cheaper than imported beers. One of the best French beers is Kronenbourg, bottled in Alsace.

  • Three-star dining remains quite expensive, with appetizers sometimes priced at 58€ ($75) and dinners easily costing 185€ to 250€ ($241-$325) per person in the top dining rooms. But you can get around that high price tag in many places by dining at lunch (when prices are always cheaper) or ordering a prix-fixe meal.

  • In France, lunch (as well as dinner) tends to be a full-course meal with meat, vegetables, salad, bread, cheese, dessert, wine, and coffee. It may be difficult to find a restaurant that serves the type of light lunch North Americans usually eat. Cafes, however, offer sandwiches, soup, and salads in a relaxed setting.

  • Coffee in France is served after the meal and carries an extra charge. The French consider it barbaric to drink coffee during the meal and, unless you order it with milk (au lait), it'll be served black. In more conscientious places, it's prepared as the traditional cafȳ filtre, a slow but rewarding java draw.

  • Today's dining dress code is more relaxed than in the past, except in first-class and luxe establishments. Relaxed doesn't mean sloppy jeans and jogging attire, however. Parisians still value style, even when dressing informally.

  • Sometimes service is added to your tab -- usually 12% to 15%. If not, look for the words service non compris on your bill. That means that the cost of service was not added, and you'll be expected to leave a tip.

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