Paul

Paul of Duty

A Very French Situation Downtown

None 9 Photos Paul
Comment allez-vous aujourd’hui?

That was French.

And this is Paul, a colossal house of French delights where you’ll come for the beignets and stay for the short ribs and stay longer for the outdoor terrace, opening Monday in Downtown Crossing. (Here’s a slideshow and a menu.)

This is the latest outpost from a 126-year-old French baking titan with locations around the globe (and one at Assembly Row). But this is the first US location that’s also a full-on servers-and-everything restaurant.

Inside, it’s all black-and-white tile floors, chandeliers and 16-foot ceilings. It’s not hard to imagine a lost Beauty and the Beast musical number going down in there. One in which chocolate beignets have a starring role.

Sure, you can still do your coffee-and-éclairs thing in the lounge up front. Though, you can also go to the dining room for charcuterie and 72-hour-braised short ribs. But either activity both can and should also be performed out on that terrace. You can’t get a beer there yet, but... liquor license soon.

Also: macaron frappes. That’s what we said. Take your pick from their enormous macarons (pistachio, chocolate, et al), and they’ll turn it into a frappe before your very eyes.

Wait. Did a macaron-based magic show just happen?

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