Café des Ministères is a medium-sized place with about 50 seats.  The small bare wood tables are set closely to allow the maximum number of guests.  Rustic embroidered towels serve as napkins, the wine glasses have the restaurant’s name on them and the first course’s flatware is a spork – all carefully designed to have the feel of a cozy, casual Paris bistro serving fine French cuisine.   The menu is in a small wood frame that is brought to your table when you are ready to order.   Bench seating is along the perifery and lots of windows bring the feel of the street inside.  There are tables out there if weather is agreeable.   Empty wine bottles serve as decorations and they had a counter but I only saw one seat.  The place covers 2 rooms and it was packed with a happy, casual crowd of all ages.  Seating is close enough you might even start a conversation with your neighbor, although mostly I heard French being spoken.  The food is served in a timely, friendly fashion with large portions and wonderful flavors.  If I lived in Paris I’d eat here often, however reservations are a must due to the popularity.  Hope you’ll try it and let me know what you think. Continue reading →