Green Oasis

Finding the right restaurant when you’ve got dietary restrictions can prove challenging. Doing so when you’ve got two people—with different limitations—can get downright daunting. Occasionally, though, fortune’s smile drives away all clouds and serves up a delicious dinner where there had only been despair. Le Grenier de Notre Dame in Paris offered one such delight.

As I’ve mentioned before, my partner Melissa follows a vegan diet. No meat, no fish, no animal products of any kind—and, yes, that includes eggs, cheese, yogurt, and butter.[1] I avoid sugar so that means no alcohol, teriyaki sauce, chutney or 99% of desserts in the world. Given that we both do our best to stay away from white flour as well, we can make a tricky pair, especially if we want to be able to share our food. Ah, yes. We’d like the Caesar salad but without the anchovies or parmesan and can you bring some balsamic vinegar and olive oil rather than the dressing and then put the chicken in a side dish? I’m sure waiters love us.

We had scouted out a few possibilities for Paris ahead of time, pulling in friends’ recommendations and delving into some online research. We had even purchased a copy of  Vegan in Paris, an ebook that I could carry on the iPad I had borrowed. You know what they say about best-laid plans. Instead of a lush landscape of dietary options, we ran into the August holiday season where, it seems, 50% of Paris residents and 95% of veggie-friendly restaurateurs desert the city for more peaceful environs. Quite the culinary Sahara for our first night in the City of Light.

With our top three choices for dinner all shuttered up and our hunger growling ever louder, we plaintively turned to a city tourism office just before it closed. Sil vous plait, monsieur. Pouvez-vous nous aider pour manger? After finishing up his deserved chuckle at our halting French, the guide turned to his computer, opened up Google, put in “vegan restaurant” and delivered in perfect English: “It looks like there’s a decent restaurant just a few blocks away.”

We followed his directions and, after a short walk along the Seine, turned a couple corners to see a simple green sign lit up above a haven of greenery and small tables. We stepped into Le Grenier de Notre Dame, and right away, the place seemed plenty friendly. A thin spiral staircase led upstairs from the small bar into a loft surrounded by plants in quiet light.

Music played softly enough to preserve conversation but with volume enough to suggest a romantic vibe.[2] Tables sat close to each other and international couples leaned in for quiet words. We had gone down an alley to find a place right up our alley.

A quick glance at the menu confirmed our positive perception: they had a bounty of options for both of us. Over the course of our several courses, we enjoyed a range of flavors and some good conversation with neighbors from around Europe.

With one Dutch couple, we talked about proper protocol for tipping in France.[3] With another pair, he German and she French, we covered yoga retreats in Asheville and Wilmington, North Carolina. The place buzzed all night with a range of tongues, a watering hole for greenies around the globe.

It’s clear that there’s a market for oases like this. Le Grenier, The Loft,has been in business since 1978. Find a small niche, do it right, and serve well the people most drawn by what you offer. We could have gotten by with some other imperfect place. Melissa could have ordered another lifeless salad. I could have strayed from solidarity with her and grabbed another burger. But Le Grenier made it so we didn’t need to. Merci beaucoup for the tasty and healthy meal, mes amis. If we get to Paris again, we will surely return.