If you missed your train from Gare Montparnasse (English: Montparnasse train station). Spend the night in Montparnasse. That is what we did.
We were flying back from Cyprus to Bordeaux, France, to attend the CAFA Wine School. (see my post, “Wine School in Bordeaux: Firsthand Advice“). It was delayed by 90 minutes. So, we missed our train from Gare Montparnasse to Bordeaux by just five minutes.
I managed to book a room at the Hôtel de Paris Montparnasse through Booking.com. It’s a decent three-star hotel for a one-night stopover. The room was small but recently renovated, featuring hardwood floors, a decent-sized bathroom, a large new TV, air conditioning, and a big window with a view of the city. The staff was helpful and accommodating. The best part is that you can walk out the door, cross the street, and find yourself at Gare Montparnasse (Montparnasse train station).
Fortunately, this allowed us to spend the night in the Montparnasse area of Paris, which is our favorite district. We enjoyed drinks at an outdoor café. I especially like the square around the Edgar Quinet subway station because it is bustling with cafés, making it an excellent spot for people-watching since the subway entrance and exit are located in the square.
Generally, we “café” at “Café de la Place,” but there were no good seating options, so we walked across the street to La Liberté, located at 11 Boulevard Edgar Quinet, 75014 Paris. It turned out to be a fantastic choice. The wine-by-the-glass selection was more extensive than our usual haunt, the service was exceptional, and the fries were as they should be, pictured below.
While I was “cafing” (sitting at the café), I asked the waiter the best place to have dinner. The week before, on our way to Cyprus, we stopped in Montparnasse for the night. We had dinner at “Le Dôme Café,” where I enjoyed the sole meunière, a classic French fish dish made with floured, fried sole, served with hot melted butter, lemon juice, and parsley, pictured below.
This time, I was craving steak. The waiter wasn’t very helpful, but a fellow diner sitting next to me at the café recommended “Les Grillades de Buenos Aires.” He claimed it was the best place to get steak in Paris.
To say the least, I was a bit skeptical, but my entenas were up, so I checked Google Maps, saw that it was 3 minutes away, called, and made a reservation. My wife thought I was nuts. But I reminded her that you never know where or by whom you might find a good idea, and since he was so adamant and didn’t seem insane, his claim warranted further investigation.
“Les Grillades de Buenos Aires” is located across the square from La Liberté, hidden away in plain sight, on “Rue du Montparnasse,” a street littered with crêperies that serve crêpes and galettes. Crêpes are a traditional dish throughout most regions of France, while Galettes are specifically from Brittany (French: Bretagne), and made with buckwheat flour. I walked down this street many times and never noticed “Les Grillades de Buenos Aires.” It is easy to miss.
The door opened at 7:30 PM, and people started to flow in—a promising sign, I thought. Once inside, you are transported to Buenos Aires, surrounded by rustic decor featuring gaucho motifs, pictured below. We managed to get a table for two right by the window.
My wife ordered a salad, while I opted for the “Bife Ancho,” or Entrecôte beef. I requested my steak to be cooked very rare; I prefer it to be still “mooing” when it arrives at the table—fries, a salad, and Chimichurri sauce accompany the steak.
While we were waiting for the meal to arrive, I saw what looked like a “Chorizo Criollo” (grilled sausage) fly past me on the way to another table. So, we ordered one to try, and it was excellent; pictured below.
My platter arrived. The steak was perfectly cooked, the fries were just right, and the salad was appropriately dressed. It appeared I had made a good choice as I looked around the now-full restaurant and noticed that everyone else had ordered the same dish, pictured below.
For dessert, we ordered the “Banana con Dulce De Leche” (Banana with milk jam). Dulce De Leche. Dulce de leche, commonly known as caramelized milk or milk jam, is a sweet treat made by slowly heating sugar and milk together for several hours. It is the most popular dessert in Argentina. In this case, the Dulce de leche was wrapped around a banana. It was delicious, as pictured below.
We paid and returned to the hotel, channeling my inner “Carrie Bradshaw.” I asked myself, “Did I just eat the best steak in Paris?” I thought, maybe.