Petit St Benoit

We walked from our hotel up the Blvd St. Germaine until the Cafe Flore and turned left down the little street known as St Benoit.  At the foot of the street is an historic little eatery, Le Petit St Benoit.  It has been there, serving up stews and simple fare since 1901.  Any restaurant that can last 111 years in Paris must be pretty good. The first time I ate there was in 1969.  Clyde Foreman and I were staying in a one star hotel on the Blvd Edgar Quinet.  It cost $2.00 per night for lodging so we had $3.00 to spend on food each day.  the only place we ever found that could provide food for that price was Le Petit St Benoit.  We ate there a lot.
Gail and I have been there many times since.  The food is always good and the prices still about half when you would pay one block away at the Cafe Flore, or the Brasserie Lipp or the Deux Maggots.  Last night the proprietor came out and I told him we have been coming back to his little restaurant for over 43 years.  He beamed with pride, thanked us and asked if we could write something nice about the restaurant on Trip Advisor.  We had the same request from the owner of Te Amo Lucy's in Mazatlan last time there.  Of course we did in Mazatlan, and will now in Paris.  The BB (boeuf bourguinon) was good and the fish cassoulet even better.  The Camembert was spectacular.  But the best part of the meal was the country pate and crispy bread.  Wine from Chinon and smiles all around the place. We sat next to a couple from San Francisco who just flew in, they have been married 44 years, and they too like to come back to this place.  There are some nice aspects to growing old.  Refreshing sweet memories with someone you love is one. Dinner cost $50 but the evening was priceless. Dale