Cool Paris

Most of the megachefs in Paris nowadays have little brasseries apart from their expensive restaurant, so also Alain Dutournier of Carré des Feuillants. His is on a nearby street. 

Within Pinxo a good-looking waitstaff encourages clients to share their starters and platters with their tablemates. This becomes relatively easy because anytime something appears on a plate, it’s replicated, sometimes with variations, three times.

The setting manages to elevate kitchen drudgery to a high and high-tech art form. 

Expect a wooden floor, white walls and views that extend directly into an all-black open kitchen-cum-theater. Most foods here are grilled or at least prepared with heart-healthy cooking oils.

Pinxo ( in the Plaza-Paris-Vendôme Hotel) 9 Rue d’ Algier, 75001 Paris, tel 01 40 20 72 00, M° Tuileries