France - Top Notch Restaurant recommendation

Can someone recommend me a restaurant for my wife birthday, we will be eating at night with the kids but i want to take her to a very good culinary experience. Thanks

How old are your children? I highly recommend Lassere, however, it's not a place to take young children to. L'astrance is a wonderful bistrot in the 1st that may be more accomodating to younger folks but still has wonderful food for adults.

2 and a half and a baby... I'm moving with a double stroller...

Without children, Sur Mesure at the Mandarin Oriental is one of the city's hottest tables. With children, Le Cinq at the Four Seasons George V may be a good option.

I recommend Benoit. It's an Alain Ducasse restaurant, but not one of the super over the top ones. So you get excellent food and service without the exorbitant bill. And I'm sure you will be fine with kids, but let them know you want a downstairs table when you make the reservation so you don't have to carry your stroller upstairs.

http://www.benoit-paris.com/

Note that if you decide to go to a starred Michelin restaurant, you generally need 3 hours to complete the meal. Which isn't fun with kids.

There are literally hundreds of great restaurants in Paris. Could you kindly state some criteria by which t narrow down the choices a bit;e.g., neighborhod, cuisine, ambience, price, etc.

Is the OP even confined to Paris? There are many fabulous destination restaurants in the French countryside as well.

I'm partial to La Cote St. Jacques in Joigny

Without children, Sur Mesure at the Mandarin Oriental is one of the city's hottest tables.

I had dinner two weeks ago (EUR 180 degustation menu), and it was a huge disappointment

I would heavily suggest Saturne (17 Rue Notre-Dame des Victoires) by Sven Chartier

Really creative food in a Noma Copenhagen way

Elegant and warm contemporary design
Professional but still laid back atmosphere

Excellent value EUR 60 menu for dinner (without wine)
Just note that some food is raw

As per one of the previous posters, without some guidelines, "a good resto in Paris area" is almost impossible to answer. Paris is huge, and chock full of places to eat, any number of them 'great', ranging from the setting, to the food, to the service.

I spend about 1/2 my time in Paris, and eat out very frequently.
If you post with a bit more of a filter to what you're looking for, happy to help.

do you have a lot of confidence that your children will stay quiet during a full 3 hr meal? with minimum mommy attention? the a lot of the people next to you spending $200 a head will not tolerate a screaming brat. it is not done in exclusive resturants in france. i have demanded to be moved(usually to the kitchen) on a number of occasions when the kids (some as old as 8-9) have not been controlled.

well behaved pets are allowed, however