From La Nuit Blanche to Les Journées du Patrimoine or La Nuit des Musées and La Fête du Cinéma, I typically find myself wishing that my adopted city of Washington D.C. would take a few cultural cues from my hometown of Paris. And at time it does… La Fête de la Musique is mildly celebrated here, granted mainly by French hotels, restaurants and other strong-holds of French culture like L’Alliance Française. At other times, Paris finds itself following trends as well. Take the case of restaurant week. Following on the footsteps of New York or London (and DC too) Paris launched its first ever Restaurant Week! Labelled Tous au Restaurant (that would literally be French for everybody in the restaurant), this fête finally celebrates the best of French culture: its gastronomie.
The economic crisis has hit France as much as any other place and has been hurt the restaurant industry. To encourage parisiens and tourists alike to get out of their apartments and into restaurants and bistros, Alain Ducasse decided to take a cue from New York’s restaurant week and launch Tous Au Restaurant. The Gallic’s version of Restaurant Week will take place from June 7th to June 13th and offer deals at more than 700 participating restaurants throughout France (and Monaco). Participating restaurants may not include Michelin-starred restaurants but the award-winning chefs’ bistros are on the list including Alain Ducasse’s Spoon, Guy Savoy’s Atelier Maitre Albert or Joel Robuchon‘s La Table. All are offering 3 course menu for €20 (lunch) or €35 (dinner). Take me to le restaurant please!!
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