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Paris Affaire
Rating Details »
Categories: Women's Clothing, Coffee & Tea, Wine Bars
Neighborhoods: Nob Hill, Union Square540 Sutter St
(between Mason St & Powell St)
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 399-1839
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Best Nights:
- Tue, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
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15 reviews for Paris Affaire
Even though other yelpers have given this place less-than favorable reviews, I personally love this place.
Chantel was extremely sweet and very attentive. Right after I walked in, too the place started to get rather busy, but she still managed to keep our needs in focus and get us our food in good time.
And man, when it comes to the food ... The entree I shared between me and my boyfriend was exquisite. I'm not positive exactly what the name was ... Pan-seared chicken, or something like that, but it was delicious! We swore that we'd come back just for that.
Overall the service was awesome and so was the food. Some people might consider the decor weird, but I really adore the offbeat, ecletic atmosphere the mis-matched furniture, paintings, and designs provide. The decor of it as is what interested me in the restaurant/store in the first place.
I am for sure going back my next trip to San Francisco. Even though, yes, the place is a bit pricey food-wise (keep in mind this is coming from a broke soon-to-be college student), the quality and service is very much worth it.
There's little else in the pantheon of San Francisco restaurants that would remind one of the dining experience of Paris Affaire. In fact, I can't think of anything that even helps explain Paris Affaire.
If you're looking for a unique location for your next food experience, you've found it. I can say without the slightest hint of irony, to quote Prince, or even the artist formerly known as Prince, "Paris Affaire: nothing compares 2 U."
There are four of us for lunch on a Saturday. We can't stray far from an office building on Sutter since one of us will have to return to work shortly at an Orthodontist's office.
We make our way to what looks like a second hand furniture storefront that caters to Russian immigrants who are under the delusion that they are descended from members of the royal family that escaped the revolution. Huge, ornate overstuffed armchairs, marble tables, oil portraits, fabrics strung on the walls, thick carpeting on the floor, and gaudy baubles in every corner. None of it matching in any way shape or form except that every item of décor could have been in the lobby of a decrepit brothel in Prague.
It is, however, a restaurant called Paris Affaire and not a low-budget post-apocalyptic film set in East Berlin.
The menu posted outside the door is the only real indication that food is served inside or that, indeed, the place is actually open for business.
There is a Spinach Salad with "warm" dressing, a Marie Antoinette Fresh Fruit Salad with Champagne Sauce, Hot and Sour Soup, Caesar Salad with poached eggs and Stir Fried Seasonal Veggies with tofu. This is just a sampling of the lunch / breakfast hybrid menu which is simultaneously limited and absurdly eclectic.
The Orthodontist's office manager is determined to love Paris Affaire no matter how many warning signs erupt along what seems like a doomed road.
Yes, we could eat elsewhere but that's a a little expected. A little too safe and tame. Boringly free of the threat of salmonella or typhoid fever. Paris Affaire is the choice of adventurous souls who embrace danger and risk rather than timidly avoid it.
Whatever we saw from the outside, it could not prepare us for what waited inside.
Instantly, I am overcome by an odor that is a mix of elderly shut-in accented lightly by fecal matter covered by a thick floral perfume.
A small Asian woman, whom one of my companions swears reminds him of Meryl Streep, greets us and asks if we "are here just for drinking or to eat." I am too distracted by the leopard print carpeting and what appears to be an office on a balcony overlooking the front space to answer the question. Our hostess indicates that we should sit somewhere and we choose a large round marble table in the front window flanked by two enormous grey leather armchairs.
The foul odor gets a little stronger at the table. But who knows what is real and what isn't at this point? I get up to wash my hands and am directed to a long dark hallway into a world of ornate knick-knacks and random clothing hanging from racks.
I am thrilled to discover the strange back jungles of Paris Affaire. A clothing boutique, statues, strange art, and a cage with two birds happily chirping away crowd the otherwise large hallway that stretches past a patio windows to a dark room that might have easily been designed by David Lynch, which appears to serve as a dim, filthy banquet hall in the shadowy world of another dimension.
The bathroom is gleefully devoid of toilet paper and hand soap among other water closet luxuries. It's as if no one expected anyone to come into this restaurant. Ever.
I wonder now if I have left the illusion of reality as I knew it and now I'm eating lunch inside someone else's crumbling psychological nightmare.
I resign myself to getting what I so richly deserve, a bowl chock full of hepatitis. I'm already sick with a cold so why not grease the rails of my decline?
Then the food arrives. And here's the craziest thing of all. It's not that bad. Not spectacular or anything. But better than it has any right to be. The fact that it doesn't taste putrid is as surprising as anything else in Paris Affaire. The chunks of tuna are a little bit large for my taste but I don't throw up instantly so that's a plus.
While we are eating, several people walking by outside glance at the menu. Universally, they walk away confused and shocked, forced to re-evaluate everything they thought they knew.
We laugh at them, having already re-evaluated the entirety of our lives and emerged enlightened.
If you find yourself in the mood for something new, have an Affaire. Have two. Or three. Make it your new obsessive habit. Why not? But if you do, make sure to engage in the following activities:
1. Smell everything.
2. Wash your hands.
3. Try on one of the many dresses in the boutique. Insist on wearing it while you eat.
4. Look for Rutger Hauer doppelganger in the balcony. But don't stare directly into his eyes.
5. Buy a piece of art.
Since people are commenting on my review I feel the need to update my review as well.
I went to Paris Affaire back in December, have never returned, it's definitely not the type of place I would EVER want to spend my hard earned money on. And, I don't really care why the cobb salad is no longer on the menu, at the time, that is what I ordered.
It was my BEST FRIENDS BIRTHDAY. She arranged everything with the owner. Called her confirming 10 people, 3 days prior to arrival. Yet she was still unprepared and we still never received our meals.
What would be the point of writing a bad review for an establishment if such things were not true? Chelsea C and Ashley M are very close friends of mine and we all shared the same AWFUL experience. If you feel the need to comment on my review again, go ahead and do so, I will update mine....again.
And, I hate the Marina and would much rather frequent the Marina than ever returning to Paris Affaire.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/20/2009
So sad to say....everything Chelsea C. stated in her review is 100% accurate. Except she forgot to… Read more »
I wish i could give this place a negative 5... But lucky for this random place, yelps worse review is a 1 star.
I was being too nice earlier. My birthday dinner was ruined. Not only did it take the unorganized owner about 2 hours to try to make a pasta dish, it took her so called chef about 2 1/2 hours to secretly offer my table wild mushrooms in our food. The owner is lucky that my friends are hippies and wouldn't rat him out, nor complain to Food Services that her so called resturant is a shame... We turned down these natural hallucinigens in hope that our food would soon arrive.
The so-called cook felt bad about the horrible service and secretly brought out a huge bottle of vodka and poured it into all of our cups, when we asked for a chaser he had nothing to give us. It's supposed to be a cafe !!! But they did not even a chaser, they did not even have one soda to give us to drink with our un-paid for vodkas...
Yes, I know this would sound like a cool place to go ... but it's not. The owner can not multi task different parties. she spent her entire time pleasing the older group in the front of the shop, while we sat freezing our buts off in her out side patio area starving....(and I had made a reservation three days prior to my arrival)
The un-matching interior design is fun, for about 5 minutes then you get a headache and wish you were never even born.... so if you enjoy spending your time in horrific atmospheres please go to pairs cafe and try to order a drink... maybe she'll surprise you with hallucinigens.
This will be the last time I ever write an update for Paris Affaire. I think I've done a fine job of describing my experience and explaining, at least from my point of view, why my opinion is the way it is about this dining establishment. There is just one more thing I have to say, that I think all loyal Yelpers should know.
BEWARE: If you write a poor review for Paris Affaire expect to get a message from the owner Chantelle C. She will send you message ridiculing your opinion of her "restuarant". She'll make sure to let you know you dont get it and maybe shouldn't return. She accepts no blame, and I honestly wouldn't expect her to from the selfish undertones of her messages. Word of advice: learn to take criticism. You own a restaurant and should be fully aware that people have varying opinions when it comes to food. And you might not always come out on top. And if you can't take the heat then get your restaurant off Yelp.
2 more words of advice: grammar and spelling. Lets learn how to use them when we send people rebuttal messages. Otherwise you just look ridiculous.
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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4/20/2009
So my last review was short and not so sweet. And after receiving a message from who I believe to… Read more »
Owner also contacted me and said she was sorry that I found her restaurant as I did. Apparent message was that I just don't "get " it and that her dog is a "blind service dog that she had" and the health department says that's OK.
No offer to rectify the experience, just to make me feel guilty. Well, I don't, I don't want to hear animals or see animals in a place where I am eating.
Now I can't say anything because she had to bring up the disabled....
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/28/2009
kinda creepy.....is the only word I can muster for this place. So It is somewhat charming in the… Read more »
It's a wonderful little gem and a great addition to our neighborhood. I have been searching for a comfortable place to study since i have many distractions at home. The minute I walked in, I was welcomed warmly by the owner. I sat at one of the tables, ordered tea ($4) and stayed for the next 3 hours. She was very sweet, came by periodically to make sure i was comfortable but I never felt rushed. A lot of regulars came in and she greeted them by name or with a hug. She creates a very warm relaxing environment for people. I will definitely be back and try their lunch.
It's too bad that one group of (10)people had a bad experience, because this is a place that is beautiful, rare, and has a great atmosphere.
I've been to Paris Affaire about four times now and the owner, Chantelle, has always been a sweet heart.
Come to Paris Affaire with an open-mind and you'll see how charming and different the experience is from all the other restaurants in San Francisco. It's personal, intimate and relaxing.
The food is fresh and very tasty, try the french toast with orange marmalade, eggs benedict with salmon. I love the decor and ambiance, it's eclectic yet romantic. Because it's quite and never crowded, the space is great for private parties or an intimate date. It's not your typically American establishment where you get in, get out and move on with your day. It's an experience where you relax, enjoy your food and have long conversations. For brunch I typically spend 2-3 hours there on a Sunday afternoon. The first time I came here, I thought to myself "Gosh, I hope no one discovers this place be I love it like this." The concept is that it's supposed to be intimate and for private parties Chantelle will customize the menu for you, it's like having a personal chef.
If you're in a rush and don't enjoy long meals you might want to try another place.
Date & Time: Saturday December 13, 2008 @ 1pm
Company: Michael & Jack
Crowd: Well-Dressed Couple w/ Burberry Scarves
Ambience: Elegant & Charming
Decor: Ornate Table for Trois By The Window. Tightly-Packed Cream-Colored Plush Banquettes. Wine Bar & Patio in The Back
Service: Very Nice
Imbibe: Wine & Espresso
Devour: Lemon Cakes were all We Had this Visit, But We Will Definitly be Back to Sample The Breakfast Buffet
Total: $4
Hemingway was a chump! There's no need to go to Paris when you can conduct your Parisian adventures right here in San Francisco, why at Paris Affaire.
This place is certainly from another time and place, with furniture and artwork that make you feel like you're Jack Whitman in Hotel Chevalier (aka Part 1 of the Darjeeling Limited). Watch that posture, sit up straight, look slightly pained!
If you can get the window seat, do so, or opt for the outdoor private patio, where smoking Gitanes is almost encouraged.
While I might not do these things at Paris Affaire, I encourage you to consider them:
1) Try on a masquerade mask
2) Read a hardcover novel, or write one
3) Conduct an illicit tea party
4) Order French Toast for lunch
5) Consider purchasing a gown for the missus, or the mistress
6) Teach Tweety & Chirpy (the two parakeets) how to say something, in either French or English
7) Think about ordering the fried rice that's on the menu, but opt for the pate and brie instead (actually, that's what I did today)
8) Order a glass of red wine, wear your sun glasses indoors and stare blankly at passersby (I did that as well).
Joie de vivre, people!
Went here for a friend's b day. Amazing. Sushi was great, steak was just ccoked right, everything i ate was magical. The waiter remember all 15 of us names and kept the glasses full of wine all night. Great place. Cant wait to come back. Weird decor but what ever i go to places to eat not judge fashion sense. Yummy
We stopped in to try their brunch and found it to be a very pleasurable experience. We were able to sit in the little patio with the fountain. The homemade veggie soup was very good followed by a wonderful salad plus generous mimosas. One of our orders was smoked salmon with cream cheese and strawberries, which was a collage of flavors. I believe she makes everything fresh and cooks it herself, so the service takes a little longer than an "in / out" type restaurant, but that's part of the charm.
I went here for a friend's birthday dinner and thought the place was nice. overall, the food was good and the customer service was excellent. the choice in decor is questionable. there is a shabby chic feel but it fails due to the numerous concepts throughout the store- i guess you can call it "eclectic". to illustrate: they have a small cafe lounging area in front, then there is a garden next to a boutique "clothing" store, and then dining area is in back of the store. I feel that the concept of this place hasn't been fully thought out but the attempt is there. other than that slight negative point, I would definitely come back here for the food.
Very unique and one of a kind place- although it changed names quite frequently last year it has remained to be Paris Affaire for a while.
Chantelle, the owner/chef/waitress, has transformed this place from an all clothing shop to a clothing/coffee shop, and now it is a clothing/coffee/restaraunt.
If you get a chance to just look around the building it is amazing- perfect place to have a party! You can visualize events that have probably taken place there in the past.
There is a small courtyard in the center of the building with a small waterfall; very peaceful. Since Chantelle runs a small operation it is not noisy at all.
We came in for some celebratory champagne one early evening and she served us salmon pate, sushi and gyozas- all freshly made by her new sushi chef.
If you walk by and this place looks empty- beware that folks are hiding in the courtyard or towards the back (its very elegant).
It takes the right person to enjoy Paris Affaire as the service is slow because Chantelle runs everything herself, but there is something to be said about "personalized service"- so if you are in no hurry, and want to relax, give it a try.
An odd little cafe / tea-coffee house that serves homemade food. You feel like you're in the salon of something that may or may not be an old partly vacant hotel. A front room with overstuffed couches and chairs. Furniture, textiles, knickknacks stored here and there, a vast empty room in the back with a formal dining table, a sunny courtyard with people sipping tea at outdoor tables. It's a little too feminine for guys to meet and talk business, but if a girl invites you here you can sit and talk about life for a couple hours.
