PARIS – Cote de boeuf, foie gras, escargot. French cuisine is hardly the stuff of vegetarians’ dreams.

In Paris restaurants, vegetarians often are met with looks of pity, headshaking incomprehension, even snorts of disgust. Eating out can mean endless “salades au chevre chaud,” the warm goat cheese salads that are the only reliable meat-free menu item.

Tasty meatless dining is possible here, where choices include a Michelin-starred establishment renowned for garden-fresh vegetable dishes, tiny tofu joints and restaurants dedicated exclusively to all things cheese.

Eating meatless in the city of lights

At L’Arpege, vegetables are the centerpiece – literally. All the tables in this chic restaurant are adorned not with a tasteful floral arrangement but with ripe vegetables, like artfully sculpted crookneck squash or bouquets of asparagus stalks.

One of just 26 restaurants in France with a top, three-star rating by the Michelin Guide – the country’s culinary bible – L’Arpege is the only one dedicated to vegetables.

Its most celebrated dishes include “tomate confite aux douze saveurs,” a stuffed, preserved tomato, and “l’oeuf fermier de la Bigottiere en chaud et froid,” a concoction of egg yolk, whipped cream and maple syrup served in the eggshell as an appetizer.

Long a bastion of slow-grilled meats, L’Arpege sent shockwaves through France’s gourmet circles by announcing it was going – more or less – veggie in 2001. The restaurant still serves some meat, such as free-range chicken and mutton as well as seafood, but vegetables are the uncontested stars.

L’Arpege’s celebrated chef, Alain Passard, said his decision was not motivated by ethical or health concerns, but rather by a quest for a new challenge.

“One day, I woke up and asked myself, ‘What have I done with a leek, with a carrot? Nothing, or maybe just 10 percent of what can be done with a carrot,”‘ said Passard

All the vegetables served at the restaurant – some 40 tons annually – come from its three organic gardens in the Sarthe, Eure and Manche regions of northern France.

And the menus reflect what’s in season: mostly tubers and leafy greens in the winter and a strange and copious variety, including blue kohlrabi, globe turnips and purple asparagus in the summer months.

But don’t expect veggie fare to be easier on the wallet. Even if L’Arpege serves up more spinach than lobster, its prices remain in line with those of other three-star restaurants. At lunch, its eight-course tasting menu runs $170. At dinner, the 10-course menu costs $450, not including wine.

“We want to create a ‘grand cru’ from vegetables,” said Passard. “I talk about carrots the way others talk about Chardonnay or Sauvignon.”

Taste luxury veggies in their natural environment – or as close to it as you can in Paris – try La Cour Jardin, the Plaza Athenee Hotel’s terrace restaurant, where the tables are interspersed with tomato plants.

The restaurant – which operates under the supervision of French chef celebre Alain Ducasse – changed its menu earlier this year to emphasize vegetable dishes.

Highlights include the “cocotte de quinori et legumes croquants,” a crispy vegetable casserole, and the “fenouil confit au safran,” light puffs of saffron-dusted fennel.

The dessert menu is heavy on fresh fruits – raspberries, wild strawberries and, intriguingly, a “lemon in acid and bitter declension.”

At an estimated $120 per-person for lunch or dinner, drinks not included, La Cour is pricey. But the verdant terrace, which rings with the call of birds at play among the vegetables – not to mention the food – make it well worth it.

Vegetarians who do dairy can sample some of France’s reputed 365 varieties of cheese (estimates vary widely from this legendary figure), from international blockbusters like brie and camembert to rare goat’s and sheep’s cheeses.

The restaurant Pain, vin et fromages (Bread, wine and cheese) is a fine place to start. Tucked into a building with a 17th century stone basement near the Pompidou Center modern art museum, the restaurant serves up raclette, fondue and cheese platters, with each hunk adorned with a little flag rating its pungency on a scale of 1 to 10.

For quick, cheap lunches on the go, try Les Deux Abeilles (Two Bees): The bees in question are the mother-daughter duo who in 1985 founded this charming teahouse, across the street from the Quai Branly art museum. They serve up a vast menu of mostly vegetarian dishes, including a savory flan with tomato sauce, mille-feuilles filled with goat or Roquefort cheese and a lentil salad. The desserts – including a sumptuous lemon meringue and seasonal fruit pies – are to die for, so keep that in mind when ordering.

– Le Bar a Soupes (Soup Bar): A minuscule restaurant that offers a selection of freshly made soups, many of them meat-free. The menu changes daily, but those lucky enough to hit a day when they’re serving the tomato feta would be well-advised to order a large bowl.