Where are the beautiful people going for lunch and dinner in Paris these days? To the freshly renovated Grand Palais’s Grand Café, a brasserie designed by star architect Joseph Dirand with lots of marble, velvet, and beveled mirrors, sky-high ceilings, and 300 seats inside and on a leafy terrace with views of the Petit Palais across the street. The place is objectively massive, which makes it easy to pack in the local fashion set and the corporate types in well-fitted suits at lunch. By night, the crowd skews toward local and foreign jet-setters who are thrilled to have an excuse to get dressed up.
The menu is unapologetically pricey and French, divided into classic brasserie categories like hors d’oeuvres, crudo, salads (generous enough to stand in for mains), fish, meats, and shellfish platters. Pescitarians with deep pockets should go for the catch of the day prepared tableside or the gargantuan oyster and crustacean platters that will be delivered theatrically by servers in crisp white vests and black ties. The flamboyant throwback continues with desserts worth the splurge, from a $20 banana split or the $65 red berry pavlova meant for sharing.
Dining and Cooking