Restaurant Jules Verne - Middle of Tower, Middling Food (Paris Restaurant Review No. 4)

We couldn't wait to try Restaurant Jules Verne, which is in the Eiffel Tower and was reputed to have an extraordinary view. The view was in fact great, but our suggestion is skip this overpriced and mean spirited dining experience and just get your view from the top of the tower.

We started with a bottle of quite expensive wine, a Domaine D'Eglise Pomerol. However, Steve apparently committed a faux pas akin to killing the sommelier's dog, when he folded back the page of the wine list containing our choice. The reaction was so stereotypical of Parisien hautiness (which we didn't experience anywhere else the whole time we were in Paris, where in fact everyone was really nice) that Lisa couldn't stop chuckling. Steve normally might have been a bit sheepish, but the overreaction obliterated that instinct. Anyway, the wine itself was excellent even though the sommelier wouldn't even look at us as he poured.

The lobster appetizer we started with was good, but not nearly as good as others we had in Paris. For entrees, Steve had the ubiquitous lamb, which this time didn't come with brains like at Pre Catelan, but which also wasn't as good as the lamb at that establishment. Lisa had her usual Paris choice of langoustine, which she thought was subpar.

The cheese course was pretty good. We both liked the goat and bleu cheeses, we didn't like one of the other cheeses and we split on the camembert. For dessert, Lisa had the poached pear, which she thought ok but not great. Steve had some sort of orange creation which he liked.

The bathrooms were clean enough but there was only one stall and paper was strewn about. It certainly could have been better at a place like this.

Dinner for two with a bottle of relatively expensive wine was 600 Euros, and would have been about 500 Euros with wine by the glass. Truly, there are any number of better places to spend that kind of money in Paris. Moreover, even though our hotel concierge thought that by going to this restaurant we could get an express trip to the top of the tower, that was not the case (or the nasty restauranteurs were not copping to it).

Our ratings for Restaurant Jules Verne, Eiffel Tower, Paris:

5.5 of 10 Berets (with a downward bullet for overall snootiness); 1.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes