5 (food) 7 (view, prices and service) Le Ciel de Paris, 56th floor of the Montparnasse Tower, 33, ave du Maine in the 15th, 01.40.64.77.64, open 7/7 (Metro: Montparnasse) reopened this summer after being shuttered for a while. I hadn't been in at least 20 years and thought it was worth a shot. The joke since it was built is that the Tower is the best place to view Paris from because it's the one place where you cannot see it itself.
![July-aug 2012 189 July-aug 2012 189](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/30/302171/le-ciel-de-paris-spectacular-view-great-price-L-ghmTBc.jpeg)
![July-aug 2012 190 July-aug 2012 190](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/30/302171/le-ciel-de-paris-spectacular-view-great-price-L-BCfsss.jpeg)
On the left above is today's menu with 3 dishes at 38 E and 2 at 29 but on the right is the a la carte menu which is just as well you cannot see since it runs one 75-100 E. But the "menu" has great choices 3/3/3 with specials for each category as well.
![July-aug 2012 192 July-aug 2012 192](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/30/302171/le-ciel-de-paris-spectacular-view-great-price-L-CLSebI.jpeg)
![July-aug 2012 193 July-aug 2012 193](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/30/302171/le-ciel-de-paris-spectacular-view-great-price-L-SAu9NG.jpeg)
Two of us had the rose shrimp and greens which were terrific with quinoa which I can take or leave and J. had the Ciel Salad with smoked magret, egg, chicken tenders and salad which he liked a lot.
![July-aug 2012 195 July-aug 2012 195](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/30/302171/le-ciel-de-paris-spectacular-view-great-price-L-QjBe1r.jpeg)
![July-aug 2012 194 July-aug 2012 194](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/30/302171/le-ciel-de-paris-spectacular-view-great-price-L-I2IlGI.jpeg)
Then came what should have been the high but was the low point in the meal - the meat. Madame and my rabbit wrapped in crisp bacon was way overcooked and M.'s gigot d'agneau was so well-done (ordered rare mind you) it curled up on itself approximating a merlan en colere. Now one could say, "oh the poor kitchen has hundreds of covers to push dishes out to every hour" but hey, no excuses for this.
![July-aug 2012 196 July-aug 2012 196](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/30/302171/le-ciel-de-paris-spectacular-view-great-price-L-UUQPWD.jpeg)
![July-aug 2012 197 July-aug 2012 197](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/30/302171/le-ciel-de-paris-spectacular-view-great-price-L-aq5l3X.jpeg)
Finally, M. and I had the min-Paris-Brests which were pretty good and Madame the Bayadere with vanillized raspberries which she thought quite good.
![July-aug 2012 191 July-aug 2012 191](http://m5.paperblog.com/i/30/302171/le-ciel-de-paris-spectacular-view-great-price-L-EiIG7C.jpeg)
Go? This is a tough one - if a visitor is a first-timer to Paris and it's a nice day, which it was today, and you can sit by the window (which we did), it's maybe worth it, but otherwise I'd say "nah" unless I hear they have a new sous-chef at the meat station.