Depends on who you ask though. You have the equivalent of Applebee’s lovers in every country who will tell to go there. You also need to ask them some foodie shibboleths or you’re going to have a bad time.

Do you have recommendations for foodie shibboleths? The only one I can think of off the top of my head would be how they order their steak.

Steer clear of the fashionable, and pick their brains about simple foods.

How carefully do they cook their pasta? what is their favorite family of cheeses? brand of tahini? etc.

In my experience, when one obsesses about food, one sweats the small things that make a difference, and delights in them. Terroir, in other words.

Another easy one is asking about their favorite wine/beer, seeing if they seem interested in it's similarities and differences to other styles, and can reasonably defend why this is their choice. I usually feel like people who can talk about these things 1. In relation to food/flavor and 2. In relation to setting/mood have at least a reasonable amount of interest.

Three trips so far mostly relying on Messy Nessy's recommendations and have not gone wrong once. Most memorable experience so far was Chez Louisette in the flea market, but not for the food, which was fine.

I only have the barest minimum of French, but I can read a menu, and that is generally enough to figure out whether the house is phoning it in or not. I.e., if onion soup or coq a vin figure prominently, next!

The deal with Paris is to GTFO of the tourist areas. Go walk around Belleville, upper Canal St. Martin and neighborhoods like that. Level of civilization (and corner bistros) goes way up.

Yo natives: I'm marking your suggestions on my map, thanks!

Tangentially related: I spent a week and a ton of research in Paris looking for a truly good bowl of onion soup and it just doesn’t seem to exist. No one takes the (large) amount of time needed to properly caramelize the onions and the balance of flavor always skewed way too sweet. I gave up and just made my own using a classic French recipe when I returned from the trip. Light years better.

Yeah well Julia will not lead you astray nor will the early versions of the Joy of Cooking. There is no evading the time required to caramelize the onions. This adds cost and makes it non-profitable to serve to gullible tourists.

Oddly enough you can now get decent Pho (noodles not entirely correct) and Szichuan hot pot (also noodles sorta not correct, but fire, finally!!) and even a Japanese (not entirely sushi) joint, pretty good. Not quite up to California standards (sadly my apex referent).

I love Paris.

Yup, like this one: Cafe Francoeur 129 Rue Caulaincourt, 75018 Paris, France +33 1 53 28 00 15 https://maps.app.goo.gl/2fNrkVXVvvNFaCyZ9

Mind recently blown here:

https://www.lesresistants.fr

http://lesenfantsdumarche.fr (check L’Instagram)

Adding another recommendation, speaking of cuisine lyonnaise: Auberge Pyrénées Cévennes, 106 Rue de la Folie Méricourt, 75011 Paris, France [1].

[1] They even have a website in English! https://www.auberge-pyrenees-cevennes.fr/en/.