Gourmet Bistros and Restaurants of Paris [Hardcover]

Pierre Rival (Author), Christian Sarramon (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 9, 2006

Paris claims to have invented the restaurant with the opening of Beauvilliers in 1784, and here are over 100 dining places that keep the city at the crossroads of culinary tradition and innovation. Rival indulges the reader with a discerning selection of splendid historic restaurants, notorious brasseries, down-to-earth bistros, and contemporary hot spots. Each is described in delectable detail. From the glittering decadence of Michelin 3-star chef Guy Martin's Le Grand Véfour, to Jacques Garcia's trendy Hôtel Costes, and from Philippe Starck's Bacarrat wonderland to the student haven at Polidor, the restaurants presented here are tried and true; they define the delights of dining à la française.An indispensable black book provides the reader with contact information for the featured restaurants as well as other exceptional eateries in the food capital of the world. Rival covers all the notable addresses in a volume that serves as both a practical reference as well as an exquisite visual feast for the armchair traveler.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Despite an introduction touting Parisian gastronomy and its two defining styles (cuisine savante and cuisine bourgeoise), there's little evidence of such fare in these pages. Rather, the authors of this illustrated volume dote on décor, which is, admittedly, magnificent in most cases. Examples of art nouveau and art deco mingle with illustrations of contemporary design and a "post-historic" style that mixes old and new, as Rival and Sarramon, who coauthored the more scintillating Gourmet Shops of Paris, showcase more than 100 dining establishments in the City of Lights. The scenes are no doubt beautiful: a glimmering chandelier with several hundred glass drops illuminates a room at the restaurant at the Plaza Athénée; the quintessentially French bistro L'Ami Louis looks like a set straight out of Gigi; art deco fabulousness infuses La Coupole, with the work of Fernand Léger and others decorating the pillars in the dining room. Yet for all the photographs' attractiveness, they feel oddly hollow: patrons are scant, bustling waiters nonexistent. Ample text accompanies the images, giving a crash course in Parisian history seen through its restaurants. Design aficionados will eat this up; foodies, meanwhile, will require more sustenance. 180 color photos. (May)
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About the Author

Pierre Rival is the food and wine critic for the fashion magazine Citizen K and contributes to the French newspaper Les Echos. He is the author of Gourmet Shops of Paris (Flammarion, 2005).Christian Sarramon, a photographer who specializes in lifestyle topics, contributes regularly to many prominent European magazines, including Gourmet Shops of Paris (2005), Living in Paris (1997), Living in Normandy (2005), Provence Style (2002), and Living in Provence (2003), all published by Flammarion.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 168 pages
• Publisher: Flammarion; Revised edition (May 9, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 2080305085
• ISBN-13: 978-2080305084
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 1 x 11.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,124,300 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Book..., July 22, 2006

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This review is from: Gourmet Bistros and Restaurants of Paris (Hardcover)

If you have dined at any of the restaurants listed in this book, you'll want it (Le Grand Véfour, Jules Verne, Taillevant...) The photography is stunning, and it is an historical view of the greatest restaurants in the world. There is something magical about looking at the pages and saying "Wow! I sat right there... and enjoyed one of the most memorable meals of my life!"

If you have never dined at any of these restaurants, you may wish to buy it- just so you can plan a trip there......