Yves Camdeborde has embraced the casual style of eating seen in tapas bars through out Spain.  L'Avant Comptoir de La Terre is one of Camdeborde's three bistros in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés section of Paris.  Here you will find the Spanish classics like croquettas and jamon.  But if you are one of those travelers who refuse to eat anything but national food, de La Terre offers the stinky Camembert cheese, oysters and of course, French bread.

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Unfortunately people who have tasted authentic tapas may find that some of their dishes fall short from the real thing in Spain.  The croquettas are minimally stuffed with ham and cheese.  To our surprise, the white asparagus was very limp and oversaturated.  The server even admitted that many of the vegetables comes from cans.  Overall it's a decent place to have a snack or appetizer during happy hour.  But be warned, it gets very crowded in the evening, almost elbow-to-elbow packed.  Despite this and some of their mediocre dishes, they do have a great selection of wine.  Just make sure you hold on to your glass when it's busy.

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Pictured: L'oeuf et champignons 

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Notable Reviews

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Paris by Mouth: "Delicious and hearty bites like duck hearts, ham croquettes and boudin noir macarons are washed down with an impressive selection of wines sold by the bottle or the glass."

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CN Traveller: "The idea behind this quirky standing-room only joint is to load up on the first-class finger food."

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The New York Times: "Among the standouts are shots of crustacean bouillon with octopus, brandade de morue, deep-fried pigâlles-foot croquettes, chipolata confit in goose fat, oxtail canapes with horseradish cream, chicken hearts grilled with garlic and parsley, and salmon beignets with sauce gribiche."

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Bon Appetit: "GO HERE: for a stand-up snack from the chef who gave Paris bistronomy."

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