Axuria

It’s well worth a trip deep into the quiet residential 15th arrondissement for the very good food and service at chef Olivier Amestoy’s shopfront restaurant, especially on a Sunday night, when Paris offers slim pickings. Don’t wait for a Sunday, though, to discover this friendly, well-run good-value restaurant where both chef and staff take real pride in serving very good contemporary French food and making all comers happy. Since friends live across the street, I’ve been here many times now, and can attest to the unfailing quality of the cooking. A recent dinner began with excellent fish soup, grilled shrimp on quinoa, and seared foie gras on artichokes à la barigoule and continued with two fine steaks, swordfish in a citrus sauce with Creole rice, and a delicate fillet of sea bass stuffed with Swiss chard and wrapped in pastry. Wines are reasonably priced, and desserts are terrific, including the house classic, a flawless Grand Marnier soufflé.

54 ave Felix Faure, 15th, Métro: Boucicaut. 01.45.54.13.91. Two-course lunch menu €22, two-course dinner menu €26 ; à la carte €40.

Prices are approximate, per person without wine.

Originally published in the June 2012 issue of France Today

Alexander Lobrano’s book Hungry for Paris is published by Random House.www.hungryforparis.com. Find Hungry for Paris and more in the France Today Bookstore.