Paris: Local Must Eats

The laminated butter pastry is the standard of a Paris breakfast. Dozens of thin dough layers folded with butter bake into a crisp shell and airy centre. Look for the label 'croissant au beurre' for the all-butter version. Bakeries across the city compete each year for the title of best croissant.

A Burgundy beef stew braised slowly in red wine with mushrooms, onions and lardons. The dish is a benchmark of French home cooking and a bistro fixture. Long cooking tenderises the beef and reduces the sauce. It usually arrives with potatoes or bread to soak up the wine gravy.

Caramelised onions in beef broth, topped with toasted bread and melted gruyère. Long a late-night dish of the old Les Halles market, it remains a brasserie standard. The cheese forms a browned crust over the bowl. It is most welcome in the colder months.

A seared steak served with thin fries, the everyday centrepiece of the Paris brasserie. Cuts such as entrecôte or onglet are common, often with a pepper or herb-butter sauce. Some rooms serve it as a single fixed dish. Doneness leans rarer than many visitors expect.

Burgundy snails baked in shells with garlic-parsley butter. Served by the half or full dozen with a special fork and tongs, they are a classic French starter. The butter, more than the snail, carries the flavour. Bread is essential for the leftover garlic butter.

A duck leg salt-cured then cooked slowly in its own fat until tender, with crisp skin. A speciality of France's southwest, it is common on Paris bistro menus. It usually comes with sautéed potatoes cooked in duck fat. The meat pulls easily from the bone.

A grilled ham and cheese sandwich topped with béchamel and more cheese, then baked. Add a fried egg and it becomes a croque-madame. It is a café and brasserie staple served all day. The béchamel and grilled top set it apart from a plain toastie.

Chicken braised in red wine with mushrooms, onions and bacon, a country classic linked to Burgundy. Slow cooking gives a deep, wine-rich sauce. It is served with potatoes, pasta or bread. The dish shares its roots and technique with boeuf bourguignon.

A rich preparation of fattened duck or goose liver, served as a terrine, seared escalope or in a pâté. It is a French festive speciality, often eaten with toasted brioche and a sweet wine. Terrine is served chilled; the seared version arrives hot. Portions are small and rich.

Raw beef, hand-cut or minced, seasoned with capers, onion, egg yolk and condiments. A brasserie classic, it is often prepared or finished tableside. It comes with fries and salad. Quality of the beef is central, so it suits trusted kitchens.