5.6 Valois 1868, 1 place de Rio De Janeiro in the 8th, 01.42.25.03.85, open 7/7 (Metro: Monceau) re-opened last year after almost a year's renovation and rethinking by a team who included the famous or infamous Frédérik-Ernestine Grasser-Hermé and it is dazzling. Right across from the Parc Monceau, where at least one American Dad was tossing footballs to his two adolescents and there's a Dim Sum food truck, this brasserie has stacks of bread (Poujauran), squeeze-bottles of Heinz catsup and French's mustard, wines from Auge, cheese from Quatrehomme - well you get the picture. Today, being Sunday lunch, there were French and American families with members from 6 months to 80 years old.
The menu stretches from brunch-type eggs through what one critic called the deli stuff you might get at Katz's or the Carnegie to classic French brasserie items.
I went French - with a half-dozen Utah Beach's at 3.90 E each, their "famous" chicken with cream sauce and (hard to find) morrel bits, served with superb bread and butter and pathetic butterless mashed potatoes, and crepes Suzette, advertised to be made at the table (not) which had a sauce that truly tasted like maple syrup (d'erable) not Grand Marnier or orange Curaçao liqueur, not bad, but not expected either.
My bill, because of the most expensive oysters on the carte was more elevaqted than one would expect eating bivalveless, for me with a half bottle of wine, no bottled water or coffee was 69.00 E but I can see exiting for 100 E a couple.
Go? Ironically, as I was putting on my coat to leave home, an old French pal who now works in the Midi, emailed to ask where he should go for (today's) Sunday lunch. I told him he could meet me or go to Axuria near his Paris flat. He chose the latter.