Finishing up our lunch at Le Charolais I said I'd wait outside while my dining partner used the…read morerestroom. Emerging minutes later he couldn't wait to show me what the restroom looked like. All these years and this is the first time he's felt compelled to snap an image of a... well, what is it? Whatever it is (a hole in the ground is what I'd say) it affirmed a remark I'd thrown out over lunch: "This is a restaurant for men". Squeezed into a small table I'd noticed, amongst all the sporting paraphanelia, that I was the sole female in the place. Later, a woman sat outside and came into Le Charolais to order a drink but sit inside? She did not. Le Charolais' interior features lots of sporting equipment in an intimate space. This is an authentically French bistro right down to the fact that the server/barman spoke only French. Sitting just outside the edge of Marche de' Aligres (farmer's market), the place seems popular amongst neighborhood workers and sports fans. At lunchtime it was basically full. Over a 2-course daily special (a chewy meat, his meal, which he liked) and some French onion soup (my order, which I also enjoyed) I saw enough to render an opinion even before I saw the restroom photo. Things here were good, but I'd personally avoid ordering an entree featuring beef. Le Charolais seems to have a solid fan base of locals and perhaps the most French men of anyplace I visited during my stay. That in itself can be appealing but, as a female, I'd recommend leaving before you need to use a restroom.

Wow, we sure finished off our trip to France with a fizzle. A late train ride in to Paris and a lot…read moreof errands to run before our flight the next morning led us to this establishment. Someone recommended it for good, traditional French cuisine. Well, this place confirmed that yes, there is bad food in France. We literally had begun to wonder if all meals in France were delicious but, no. Bad food and bad taste can be found anywhere. I would say that if you want to watch a rugby or soccer game and have a drink this is a fine place. To eat edible food- no this is not the place for that (filet de herring and quiche with leaks for starters, and a green lentil / sausage dish and a fish with meunière sauce were our choices). Holy crap- I have to just laugh but after so many wonderful meals in this country I guess we were due for a dud. Oh, it came with a side of horrible service as well! And we speak passable but admittedly weak French that normally has gotten us by everywhere else except here.