Clotilde Dusoulier: First, I might note that it is fine for a woman to eat on her own in Paris: no one will raise an eyebrow or get the wrong idea. That said, it is a lot more frequent to see people eating solo at lunchtime than at dinnertime, when eating out is seen more as a social occasion, but that doesn't mean you can't do it.

The area where you will be staying has plenty of good restaurant options if you just want to walk home afterwards, and I recommend in particular l'Ami Jean (27 rue Malar in the 7th; +33 1 47 05 86 89), la Fontaine de Mars (129 r St Dominique in the 7th; +33 1 47 05 46 44), Caf? Constant (39 r St Dominique in the 7th;+33 1 47 53 73 34) and, slightly more upscale but excellent value, Le Clos des Gourmets (16 av Rapp in the 7th, +33 1 45 51 75 61).

_______________________

Westport, CT: We will be in Paris in October, and are "foodies." This is a two parter. Do you have a few favorite small bistros not known to every tour book? We will be in the 7th arrondisement. Also, I'm interested in a half day cooking class. Do you recommend one? Thanks.

Clotilde Dusoulier: For restaurants in the 7th, you can refer to the recommendations I made above to the reader from Andover, NH, but here are two other favorites on the road less traveled: Le Réveil du Xè (33 rue du Château d'Eau in the 10th; +33 1 42 41 77 59) and Le Mesturet (77 rue de Richelieu in the 2nd; +33 1 42 97 40 68).

As for cooking classes, you can look into L'Atelier des Chefs (atelierdeschefs.com), L'Ecole de Cuisine d'Alain Ducasse (atelier-gastronomique.com), or Le Pavillon Lenôtre (lenotre.fr/fr/cours_de_cuisine.php).

_______________________

San Juan, Puerto Rico: I'm currently planning my fourth trip to Paris. During my second trip I ran into a very good sushi rest. on 8th arrondisement. It was a small establishment (about 5 tables) but the service and quality was excellent.

For this trip I would like to explore new sushi venues in the city. Any suggestions?

Clotilde Dusoulier: A good place to start is the Parisian Japantown, located on and around rue Saint-Anne in the 2nd arrondissement, where you'll find many authentic and reasonably priced Japanese restaurants. My favorite sushi bar there is Korin, 58bis rue Sainte-Anne in the 2nd (+33 1 40 20 49 93). A bit more upscale is Isami, 4 Quai d'Orléans in the 4th (+33 1 40 46 06 97).

_______________________

Kansas City, Missouri: My friends and I will be in Paris 9/9/07 for 6 days. We are staying in the Latin Quarter. Any favorite restaurants in that area that locals favor? We don't need fancy, just good. Thanks, Kathi

Clotilde Dusoulier: In that area, I recommend Les Papilles (30 rue Gay-Lussac in the 5th; 01 43 25 20 79), Le Pré Verre (8 rue Thénard in the 5th; +33 1 43 54 59 47), and Ribouldingue (10 rue Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre in the 5th; +33 1 46 33 98 80)--the latter serves great offal dishes, if you're into that sort of thing.

_______________________