My friends got married 25 years ago and spent their honeymoon in Paris. I didn't know them then. So when the subject of the 25th anniversary came up this year, la voila!...Let's celebrate in Paris! New friends from California, we were coincidentally going to be in Paris anyway. So knowing about "Fish" -- Fish la Boissonnerie on the Rue de Seine in the 6th -- made me very popular. Everyone wants to say we have a neighborhood favorite that we keep returning to in Paris. For me, Fish is the resto for all occasions.
No need to put on your fancy pants. Fish, though not created by locals, is the most local of Paris restos. The owners -- from the US and New Zealand -- lived out the dreams we all have to reinvent ourselves in Paris. The building on the stylishly bohemian Left Bank is old and quaint. Good solid antique stones and half-timbered construction. Sort of a "cave" look, but authentic. An intimate bar (and a no pressure environment place for solo women). A small and cozy dining area. Solid wood tables, benches and chairs, no white table cloths. Welcoming and friendly in a generously multilingual way. English, French, Spanish, locals, tourists, whoever -- we're all treated the same. No pretense, no drama. Upon choosing Fish, we all immediately belong.
I happened upon Fish three years ago, so upon returning twice this year, I tried Fish again each time. It's a Patricia Wells favorite, and as an respected expert on Parisian cuisine, she counts for a lot. And clearly I'm hooked. Why -- because of the thousands of blinding choices in Paris, I know what I'm getting. It's excellent, and it's easy. Delicious, careful preparation, inventive yet simple, affordable and comfortable. Carefully chosen and featured wines, with an extensive selection, from around the world. The Fish-related wine shop, La Derniere Gout, is five minutes away. We hung out for three-plus hours and had no clue of the time. Back home in California, 10 minutes apart, we keep wondering for our next get-together, when can we rendezvous at Fish?
Email for reservations at laboissonnerie@wandaoo.fr. You'll hear right back.
