Customer Reviews

The Historic Restaurants of Paris: A Guide to Century-Old Cafes, Bistros, and Gourmet Food Shops

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

My recent trip to Paris wouldn't have been half as much fun without this beautiful guide. It took me to restaurants and shops I never would have found on my own. I can't wait to go back -- with this book, of course.

I read Ellen Williams's book about the Impressionists, and her charming prose and wealth of historical anecdotes made 19th-century Paris come alive in a way I've never before encountered in a travel guide. This book is great, too. I took it with me on a recent trip to Europe, and had a chance to sample several of the food shops she mentions. What a pleasure to learn all about them beforehand--it made the experience so much more authentic!

This book is a wealth of information about some lovely places in Paris. We did visit a few of the places recommended (the book small enough to carry around)on the spur of the moment while we were in Paris and we were not disappointed. I plan to take the book with me if I ever visit Paris again.

If you're sitting someplace that isn't Paris and trying to get a sense for the élan of cafés, bistros, and restaurants in the City of Light, there are many other books I'd recommend ahead of this one. Without photos or other illustrations, maps, or what you might call atmospheric descriptions, "The Historic Restaurants of Paris" is not a book I'd suggest sitting down with and reading through from cover to cover. I know because I tried.

But if you are in Paris, or planning a Parisian trip where you have a pretty good idea of where you'll be spending time ... that's when this book would be, not only useful, but I think almost invaluable. The brief profiles of dozens of bistros, cafés, and food shops put each in a bit of historic and neighborhood context and would be helpful, I think, for deciding where to have lunch that day. The book's small size, though somewhat bulky, fits well into a travel jacket or bag. I'd imagine this volume would get a lot of use on your trip, even if it didn't come off the shelves much once you got home.

What a great little book this is. If you want to learn something really interesting about one of the food capitals of the world, there's no better way than to visit its historic restaurants and food imporia. "The Historic Restaurants of Paris" provides a district by district inventory of the city's eateries that have figured, one way or the other, in its social, political and cultural history. Each listing includes samples of the bills of fare as well as addresses and Metro stops.

As many (there are some notable exceptions) of the restaurants included in the book offer old-fashioned country style or bourgeois cooking in unpretentious surroundings, prices are often reasonable and the rubbing of elbows with French locals is inevitable and usually very congenial. Up market restaurants like Le Tour d'Argent, Le Grand Vefour and a few others are also included and are certainly historic in the own wright.

For what it's worth, my favorites from the book are: Aux Charpentiers (kid-friendly); Cafe Grand Colbert (go for the afternoon chocolate sessions); Polidor (fun and reasonable); La Fontaine de Mars (the Obamas have tried it; and Le Train Bleu (awesome throwback to the Belle Epoque).

The author has helpfully included a special section at the end of the book that cross-indexes the entries by price, cafe vs. restaurant vs. tea salon vs. brasseries , gift shops, places open Sundays (important in Paris) and her own favorites.

This little book provides interesting information on many historic restaurants/shops in Paris. It is enjoyable reading - and I plan to use it extensively in a couple of weeks when I visit Paris! I'll let you know then how relative the information still is...

If you are hoping for photos. There's not one. If you are already familiar with Paris, there's nothing here that's eye-opening. Considering only 30-40 lines in this very tiny book is devoted to each restaurant/bakery/shop, nothing much is said. The large number of spelling mistakes in French could have used a good spell-checker. If you are new to Paris and just need some names, this could be of some use but make sure you do research on the internet to find out more about the restaurant before you go. Poujauran was sold years ago and the bakery that's there now, although good, is not of the same caliber. If I could return the book, I would.