During a two-week research trip in Paris we thought it would be fun—and useful—to describe some of our meals and point out some useful information about French food.

Please note that we are not saying these are the best restaurants in Paris. We're simply sharing some of our experiences to give you some information and help you realize the character and types of restaurants available.

We started with a typical French breakfast, a café crème (café au lait, with milk) and a croissant at a small café near the church of Saint-Sulpice. Welcome to Paris! We knew we were really here.

Lunch was at Coté Bergamote, a small restaurant near St-Sulpice Church that prides itself on its use of fresh herbs.

For dinner we decided to walk up toward the church of Saint-Germain des Prés and the busy heart of the 6th arrondissement. Wanting to continue to savor the lovely warm evening, we opted to sit outside at La Brasserie Saint Benoit on the street of the same name.

After dinner we strolled across the Pont des Arts, the lovely wooden footbridge with great views of the Eiffel Tower and the Île de la Cité. There we found many people taking a different approach to dinner, with picnics of all types across the length of the bridge.

Opting for a light lunch the next day, we bought some sandwiches and Orangina from a small shop, Brioche Dorée. Good sized sandwiches on great bread were about 5€ each.

Our lighter lunch balanced out with huge American-size portions at dinner at the Bistrot de la Grille Saint Germain. near the Marché Saint Germain in the 6th.

As we continued our research, I found myself near the Bois de Boulogne after visiting the wonderful Marmottan Monet Museum. I decided to walk over to the Bois, and on impulse went to the Châlet des Îles for a delicious lunch in a lovely setting.

One of the advantages of renting an apartment is that we could buy food at local markets and eat at home when we felt like it. We found that a big salad, bread, cheeses, and wonderful French country ham made a great meal on several evenings when we didn't want to go out.

Lots of Paris museums also have good restaurants. I lunched in the restaurant at the Musée Guimet after visiting that fabulous museum of Asian art.

Another option would have been to buy something at the Wednesday market on Avenue Wilson. Paris markets often have food ready to eat.

The next day found us having a light lunch in the Tuileries Gardens after visiting the Orangerie. There are several Tuileries restaurants to choose from.

For dinner we tried a local restaurant, near St. Sulpice Church. Le Bon Saint-Pourçain offers simple meals with some unusual offerings such as head cheese.

Friday we spent the day visiting Chartres, an amazing place. We had lunch at Le Pichet, a restaurant about two minutes away from the Cathédrale.

Saturday found us at a crêperie on the rue du Montparnasse, a small street with at least a dozen crêperies.

Sunday I got to fulfill my craving for couscous at Chez Bebert, a very popular spot near Gare Montparnasse. Paris used to have lots of couscous restaurants, but there don't seem to be as many as there were before, and we were glad to find this one.

A great place for a special lunch is, believe it or not, the Brasserie Printemps under the dome at the Printemps department store near the Opéra Garnier. It's worth it just to see the great dome, but the food is also excellent.

The next night was rainy, so we opted for the restaurant closest to our apartment, Lou Pescadou on the Rue Mabillon. This tiny, friendly place had great food!

A day trip to Versailles allowed us to see the fabulous market there, and we had lunch at one of the many restaurants around the market square. Le Boeuf à la Mode is a charming old restaurant with a very nice lunch menu.

Another day trip took me to Monet's gorgeous gardens in Giverny. I had moules frites for lunch at the Terra Café in the Musée des Impressionismes there.

In the evening we opted for a light supper at the Café de la Mairie, just down the street from our apartment and across from the Église St-Sulpice.

On our last day in Paris for this trip, we enjoyed a lunch of soupe à l'oignon in our old stomping grounds of the Marais.

Dining out in Paris is one of life's great pleasures. There are so many restaurants to choose from, and part of the fun is walking around different restaurant areas looking at menus and seeing what appeals. That's how we found most of these restaurants, and how we'll continue to add to our list of favorites.

Bon Appétit!

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