After arriving at my hotel in mid afternoon, I decided to check out Le Cimetière du Perè Lachaise while there was still daylight. It was just a short metro ride from my hotel, and uncertain how much was left in my gas tank after the long flight, it seemed like a logical choice.
After a brisk walk through the cemetary in fading daylight, I headed out onto Boulevard de Ménilmontant. I almost headed down the metro steps, but the restaurant across the street caught my eye. It was getting dark, but at 5:45 or so it was still pretty early. I made a dash across the rush hour traffic to take a look at the menu posted adjacent to the door. With my limited French I was able to make out an entree that was clearly a grilled pork medallion with bernaise sauce and french fries, which actually sounded quite good at the time, so in I went, brimming with anticipation of my first meal in Paris.
After being seated and taking a closer look at the menu, I went ahead and ordered the pork medallion. It was grilled to perfection, exactly as I'd ordered it (medium rare). The fries were the most delicious I've ever had. I'm not sure what they do to them to make them taste so much better than they do here in the States. It must be something about the oil they're fried in. They were bright yellow, almost as if saffron was somewhere in the equation.
My dinner included bread and a small salad, the entree, creme brulée for dessert, a 1/4 carafe of wine, and tip, all for 100Fr (about $13). The service was cordial and efficient, but bring a French phrasebook with a menu decoder if you think you'll need it; very little English is spoken here. What an incredible bargain Brasserie du Perè Lachaise is. This was as good as any meal I had in France and was among the most reasonably priced as well.
When I return to Paris, this just might be the first restaurant I eat at again.
My 1-10 ratings:
Food - 9; Service - 8; Atmosphere - 6
Arrondissement: 11
Metro: Perè Lachaise (M2, M3)