Cafe de L’Empire: A Parisian Gem

When eating in a city like Paris, it's helpful to know a local. Barring that, a friend with an uncanny ability to ferret through restaurant reviews and pick an outstanding dinner venue works wonders. Luckily, we had the latter.

Cafe de L'Empire is a small restaurant just a few blocks from the Musee d'Orsay, which is how we found it in the first place. It's convenient for tourists, but without being an overpriced tourist trap. The value and quality of food are phenomenal, and the duck confit was far and away the winning entree. We came back a second time just for that duck. The house red wine, while nothing out of the ordinary, is solid and reasonably priced.

Café gourmand

For dessert, the cafe gourmand is a must. An assortment of small treats served with an espresso is the perfect finish. Trust me, you'll make room.

The restaurant is cute and cozy, perfect for a cloudy fall day in Paris, but lovely anytime. The next time we visited Paris, we stopped here yet again - it's the kind of restaurant that's worth a repeat trip.