Three-star dining remains quite expensive, with appetizers sometimes priced at $50 and dinners easily costing from $200 per person in the top dining rooms of celebrated chefs. But you can get around that high price tag in many places by dining at lunch (when prices are always cheaper) or ordering a prix-fixe meal at lunch or dinner.

The prix-fixe (fixed-price) menu or le menu is a set meal that the chef prepares that day. It is most often fresh and promptly served and represents a greater bargain than dining a la carte. Of course, it's limited, so you'll have to like the choices provided. Sometimes there are one to three menus, beginning with the less expensive and going up for a more elaborate meal. A lot depends on your pocketbook and appetite.

In France, lunch (as well as dinner) tends to be a full-course meal with meat, vegetables, salad, bread, cheese, dessert, wine, and coffee. It may be difficult to find a restaurant that serves the type of light lunch North Americans usually eat. Cafes, however, offer sandwiches, soup, and salads in a relaxed setting.

Average visitors head for the old-fashioned family-run bistro, and we've ferreted out the best ones. In today's Paris, tradition and nostalgia, along with affordable prices, make these bistros busier than ever, especially because so many are being forced out of existence due to rising rents.

Coffee in France is served after the meal and carries an extra charge. The French consider it barbaric to drink coffee during the meal and, unless you order it with milk (au lait), it'll be served black. In more conscientious places, it's prepared as the traditional café filtre, a slow but rewarding java draw.

In years gone by, no man would consider dining out, even at the neighborhood bistro, without a suit and tie, and no woman would be seen without a smart dress or suit. That dress code is more relaxed now, except in first-class and luxe establishments. Relaxed doesn't mean sloppy jeans and jogging attire, however. Parisians still value style, even when dressing informally.

Sometimes service is added to your tab -- usually 12% to 15%. If not, look for the words service non compris on your bill. That means that the cost of service was not added, and you'll be expected to leave a tip.