When I look at my monthly budget, over 50% of my finances go toward dining out. Blame the plethora of food options in Paris or my depleted inspiration in the kitchen, restaurant hopping has become a regular part of my urban lifestyle. Given that frequency, I confer with friends and café owners whose opinions I value for personal recommendations – as much as I try to stay abreast of new openings, there are  many under the radar, less publicized spots that I miss.

Two of the movers and shakers whose tastes I trust are Nicolas Clerc and David Flynn of Télescope, my favorite and regular coffee shop (get the lowdown on them in my post HERE). They are part of an army of talented baristas who have helped to perfect the palates of a new breed of coffee connoisseur and have subsequently found themselves elevated to near celebrity status. And if their filtered coffee and flat whites are any indication, they know what’s good in and out of a coffee cup. In fact, it’s not unusual for Clerc and Flynn to serve up pitch-perfect restaurant recommendations to regulars and occasional out-of-towners.

But where, precisely, would they go for a bite on those rare occasions they’re not busy coffee brewing, torrefying or tasting? For my new story for the NYT T Magazine, I find out! Their picks are spot on and perfect to get a wide range of the Paris culinary flavor.

And those gorgeous photos above? They were shot by friend and photographer Ashley Ludaescher (also a former Franco File!) and we had an absolute blast running around the city taking photos for the piece. A few other photos on her site HERE.

Check out the article and let me know what under the radar spots you’ve enjoyed in Paris!