The Great Parisian Plate Debate

137 rue Crimée Paris
75019 Paris, France

Tucked away on a quiet street in the 19^th stands Kim’s Lounge. The establishment experienced a serendipitous moment when it was chosen, almost by default, during our search for the prestigious first of the Drink portion of the Great Parisian Plate Debate Challenge. It was the moment that I’m sure Kim herself was waiting for when she first opened those doors for business. We had been loathe to waste the honor of our presence on one of the typical Tabac bars that line the Parisian streets, and had spent close to an hour searching for perfection. It may have been the allure of the dirty orange awning that drew us in, but it is just as likely that we were growing tired of talking to one another while under the influence of sobriety. What we wanted (besides a bottle of wine) was pizzazz, a bar that would beat you in the face with how awesome it was. What we got was Kim’s Lounge.

Please do not interpret this as an unabashed verbal attack on Kim’s. The bar has an unpretentious neighborhood vibe, as evidenced by the friendly bartenders and the Arabic music they were rocking out to while pouring pints of Carlsberg and Record beer (Record beer? Yes, Record beer!). Sitting upstairs in the simple one room that comprised the main drinking area we quickly polished off the requisite bottle and moved on to several rounds of pints. I am pleased to announce that we were consistently supplied with a never-ending parade of free chips and peanuts, an event which must always be considered a victory worthy of celebration no matter where you happen to be. That we were mildly berated for heaving the shells upon the floor is inconsequential.

It was as I ventured downstairs in search of a bathroom that I found myself thinking how unsurprising it would be if I were mugged for my few precious euros in such a basement. My advice is to snag a drink at Kim’s Bar if you happen to be in the mood for a low key beer or if you want to beat box to the latest Top 40 Egyptian hits. But I wouldn’t recommend taking your girlfriend’s parents here for a nice bottle.

Dan: I like dive bars.  To me, there’s nothing more thirst inducing than seeing someone slouched in the corner, head propped up with one hand, pint in the other, just knowing that they’ve been in that same stool for the last decade or two.  That being said, Kim definitely has herself a dive bar, and I didn’t particularly like it.  At least it was better than freaking Lou Pascalou.