I posted my trip report earlier this week, but I also had a couple of questions for next time:
1. What exactly is a %26quot;formule%26quot; ?
At a place we stopped for lunch, this was on the chalkboard menu under a few selections for entrees and main dishes -- but there was no description of what the %26quot;formule%26quot; was, so I interpreted this to mean that we could choose one from each of the sections.
Our waitress did not speak any english and while my french is limited, I thought I was able to confirm this. Needless to say, my boyfriend and I got an appetizer and (much later) sandwiches, that were charged at the regular price on the menu.
No big deal, but I would like to know for next time!!
2. Cafe Creme%26#39;s
Is it just me or is 2.50 euros an awful lot for a cup of coffee? My last 4-5 trips overseas have been to Italy, where a cappucino never seemed to be over 2 euros....
3. Crowded cafes with all the little chairs/tables out front
Are you supposed to just take a seat or ask to be seated? It looked like a lot of fun, but I wasn%26#39;t sure how to join in (correctly).
Thanks -- I am definitely looking forward to my next trip to Paris.
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1. formule is like a menu, i mean for ex you have a formule which will be entree + main or another one main + dessert, and normally its cheaper than if you take the main and dessert separately. often you have to choose with what they propose in the formule, or sometimes you can choose from the whole menu.
2. dont know hate cafe ;)
3. you can seat by yourself in cafes, but it doesnt cost anything to ask, but in restaurant you can%26#39;t you have to wait to be seated.
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There must have been either an error or a miscommunication. a %26#39;..formule..%26#39; is usually a limited, prix fixe menu.....but in most instances, there are no deviations from this %26#39;..formule..%26#39; or %26#39;..substitutions..%26#39;.
The price of a cup of coffee at a Parisian café will vary significantly from one café to another....and where you sit (an outside table will cost more than standing at the bar inside). You will pay more at %26#39;..grand cafés..%26#39; and cafés in prime locations, than you will at the local café on the corner. As an example, a café crème outside at Café Les Deux Magots will be 5 €....while the same café créme at the Café Mondrian, a couple of blocks away at rue de Seine will be 3,50€....and might be 2,50€ at a little local café tucked away on a side street....or 2 € at a local tobac. It%26#39;s not what you%26#39;re drinking....but rather where you drink it...that determines price.
At most cafés you may seat yourself at an unoccupied table outrside....UNLESS....the tables at %26#39;..set..%26#39; for service. In this case, %26#39;..set..%26#39; tables (linens, silver/glassware) will be for those ordering food, so you wait to be seated at these.....un-%26#39;..set..%26#39; tables will be simply for bar service; so you can usually just take one that is vacant. But as previously noted, it%26#39;s never a bad idea to wait to be seated....or ask.
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Alex%26#39;s explanation on the %26quot;formule%26quot; is right but could get confusing because she uses two English words with a French meaning:
- She writes %26quot;menu%26quot; (for an American what the French would call %26quot;la carte%26quot;) when an American would have written %26quot;prix fixe%26quot; (even though such a phrase has never been pronounced in a French restaurant since the Fourth Republic!, but that%26#39;s the niceties of cross-cultural misunderstandings)
- and of course the textbook example: %26quot;entrée%26quot;, in the French meaning of appetizer, not the American acception of %26quot;main course%26quot;.
As for café crème... how much does your Starbuck charge for a %26quot;latte%26quot;, which would be the closest equivalent, tax included? And, as many posters have stressed it, you are not paying for a certain quantity of coffee poured into a styrofoam to be consumed hastily, probably somewhere else: you are renting 1 square meter of Parisian real estate for as long as you want to watch the world go by.
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kdksail, no there is no error from me thanks. i know what a formule means, and it is not always a limited menu! its prix fixe like you say it (but like bob said no french would use this word), but in lots of restaurants (maybe you havent been to those but well..there are thousands of restaurants in paris you know), you can choose from ALL the menu, the card, whatever you call it.
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A %26quot;Formule%26quot; is a set price meal, of two or three courses that may even include drinks. There is either no choice or limited choice for each course. So you will see, for example, %26quot;Plat du jour + Dessert du jour + 1/4 vin 12€%26quot;.
Many restaurants also offer Menus at various prices - these will offer some choices for each of the three courses.
Ordering %26quot;A la carte%26quot; means that each dish is individually priced.
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%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; There is either no choice or limited choice for each course. %26lt;%26lt;%26lt;
Bob_S and Alex have already pointed out that the choice on a %26quot;formule%26quot; is not necessarily restricted. There are plenty of places where you can choose your entrée, your plat and/or your dessert from any item on the relevant section of the menu.
As for the price of a cup of coffee, you will find exactly the same thing in Italy. A cappucino at the terrace of the Caffè Rivoire on the Piazza della Signoria in Florence for example will cost you a lot more than 2€. I%26#39;m not even sure that 5€ would cover it...
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I was charged 2- 2,50 Euros for coffee in France and I think that is a pretty good price for most places there.
I think %26quot; MikyD%26quot; was cheaper.
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My latte this morning cost $3.40. About the sameprice as a cafe creme, but nowhere near as good!
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%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;kdksail, no there is no error from me thanks. i know what a formule means, and it is not always a limited menu! its prix fixe like you say it %26lt;%26lt;%26lt;
If you return to the original text of my response, %26quot;...There must have been either an error or a miscommunication...%26quot; clearly refered to the original question...and neither you nor your response was cited or eevn referenced (as is my usual practice) The intent of the comment was that an %26quot;..error or miscommunication..%26quot; probably occured between the patron (the original poster) and the server (the restaurant). Frankly, until you drew my attention to it, I don%26#39;t think that I even read your response....responding instead directly to the original question(s).
Though one might quibble about semantics, I%26#39;m not sure that there is any substantive difference in content or in the %26#39;..intent..%26#39; of either description---
alexth82----%26quot;....often you have to choose with what they propose in the formule, or sometimes you can choose from the whole menu...%26quot;
KDKSAIL---%26quot;...a %26#39;..formule..%26#39; is usually a limited, prix fixe menu.....but in most instances, there are no deviations from this %26#39;..formule..%26#39; or %26#39;..substitutions..%26#39;...%26quot;.
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