Great Pair

One of the best trends in Paris right now is the renewal of the neighborhood restaurant, with the opening of a handful of small, friendly, casual and affordable places that make it very easy for hardworking local residents to become regulars. Two of the best:

La Laiterie Sainte Clotilde, furnished with 1970s-vintage flea market finds, pulls in a chic local crowd with its stylish, nonchalant hospitality. The satisfying blackboard menu changes regularly but sticks to appealing French comfort food made from good quality seasonal produce-oeufs meurette (poached eggs in red wine sauce), pâté de campagne or marinated leeks to start, followed by steaks and homey main courses like beef shoulder braised with cinnamon and blanquette de veau.

Le Cul de Poule in the hip Rue des Martyrs is the latest address of clever restaurateur Yannig Sammot, who also has La Famille and Chéri Bibi in Montmartre and Le Réfectoire near the Bastille. It’s comfort food here too, some of it pedigreed (vegetables from the gardens of three-star chef Alain Passard, Ospital charcuterie), including heirloom tomatoes with buffalo mozzarella to start and main courses like griddled squid with pesto sauce, steak tartare, and an Ibaiona pork chop with sweet-potato-and-turnip purée and homemade mango pineapple chutney. Great wines by the glass mean that it’s easy to have a satisfying meal in both of these places for less than €30.

La Laiterie, 64 rue de Bellechasse, 7th, 01.45.51.74.61.

Le Cul de Poule, 53 rue des Martyrs,9th, 01.53.16.13.07.