Café les Deux Gares

Off the beaten (train) track, a modern bistro near Gare de l'Est

More than a decade ago, the New York Times writer Mark Bittman came to town and reviewed some Paris restaurants. The resulting article, Four Paris Restaurants Worth a Metro Ride, was aimed at an audience of travelers who, he presumed, had to be coaxed out of Saint-Germain. He wrote about a trip to the popular Canal area as if it were a no-go zone, reass…