la fontaine de mars

Going to Paris? Want to experience Julia Child’s first meal (Sole Meunière)? One of the best places to go (in my opinion) is La Fontaine de Mars in Paris’ 7th arrondisement. As this was Kathi’s first trip to France, I wanted her to enjoy the same dinner that so captivated Julia Child. We were wandering around the 7th (along Rue Cler) and stopped at a local fish shop to inquire about the best place to get Sole Meunière – the two fishmongers and one fishmongeress all agreed La Fontaine de Mars was the best choice.

We walked over around 7pm to find the staff busily preparing for the night’s service. After ascertaining we did not have a reservation, the maitre d’ asked us to wait a few minutes while he determined what he could do. We stood there and watched them consult the reservation book, look around, then consult the book again. I was sure they were going to turn us down but, amazingly, they brought us to a very nice table in the center of the room. We split the entree (note that the fish in the photo is a half portion) and ordered a side of pommes frites. We asked for a wine suggestion and our lovely waiter recommended a white burgundy. It turned out to be a perfect compliment to the crispy, lemony fish. Kathi surprised me when she suggested we order dessert, she had totally embraced the spirit of Paris – eating well!

We had great fun over dinner, then took a taxi back to the apartment rather than walk (too far and too dark). On the way, our taxi driver asked about our evening. When we told him where we’d dined, he immediately said, “Mais, President Obama a juste mangé là!” (Apparently, President and Mrs. Obama had dined at La Fontaine de Mars during their recent visit to Paris). Funny, huh?

La Fontaine de Mars
129 Rue Saint-Dominique
75007 Paris, France
01 47 05 46 44

Subway: École Militaire