Zagat Paris Restaurants (Zagat Survey: Paris Restaurants) [Paperback]

Alexander Lobrano (Editor), Mary Deschamps (Editor), Troy Segal (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Zagat Survey: Paris Restaurants | Publication Date: April 4, 2005

The surveyors are 36 per cent women and 64 per cent men. 30 per cent are in their 20s and 30s and 70 per cent are 40 and over. No matter the economic climate, Paris' appetite for lively dining destinations continues unabated, inspiring ever bolder ventures. For every notable closing, there's another restaurateur waiting in the wings, often joined by an expensive team of architects and designers and ZAGATSURVEY is always there to note the changes. So whether you are looking for the hippest restaurant, where to dine with celebs or find a Paris lunch bargain, the new ZAGATSURVEY 2005 Paris Restaurant guide rates and reviews 1,000 of the city's best restaurants. The newest guide delivers ZAGAT'S signature comprehensive coverage, rating each restaurant on appeal, decor, service and cost.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Zagat Survey; Revised edition (April 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570067082
• ISBN-13: 978-1570067082
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 3.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,776,432 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Tres Mal. Better off with a TIME OUT food guide., September 15, 2005

By 

T. Zuckerman "weepopstar" (NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Zagat Paris Restaurants (Zagat Survey: Paris Restaurants) (Paperback)

I'm going to Paris. As a kosher vegetarian eating will be a bit difficult. So I thought a Zagat's guide would come in really handy. Right before packing it I decided to do a flip-through (I have the English edition btw). In short, tomorrow I will be running to return it (and do an exchange for a TIME OUT Paris Food Guide) to the bookstore before catching my flight...

SUMMARY

The guide has the following sections of importance:

Top Ratings:
(broken up as:) FOOD (Cuisines, Features, Arrondissements), DECOR (Outdoors, Romance, Rooms, Views), SERVICE and BEST BUYS.


Then the RESTAURANT DIRECTORY

Then, INDEXES by Cuisines and Locations.

Next, there is a list of special features (about 70 pages) that include; Child-Friendly, Jacket required, Romantic Places, Singles Scene, Celebrity Chefs, Teen Appeal, Trendy, Tasting Menu, etc.

And last, a wine chart.

The whole review is 268 pages (from foreleaf to index).

PROS:

It's by ZAGAT. It's known, it's considered pretty good. Organization is great and listings are clear. It's also updated, so generally the restaurants included will usually be open (with addresses/phone numbers included).

CONS:

Apparently, if you are not a "steak and potatoes" kind of eater - why bother with this "steak and potatoes" guide? There is a cuisines section, however lets take a quick look at the two cuisines i'mi interested in: Kosher and Vegetarian (since i am also kosher i will only go to restaurants that are strictly vegetarian, i'm not interested, neither are most vegetarians with restaurants that will provide a plate of vegetables or the like. Or, having the off chance that their salad is spread peppered with anchovies, or their vegetable soup made with chicken stock. When we see vegetarian restaurant's that refers to VEGETARIAN RESTAURANTS). Apparently Zagat is unclear on this concept. Under Vegetarian, ZAGAT lists Maceo Restaurant, a meat restaurant that happens to have a side menu for veggies. It IS NOT a veggie restaurant. The second listing, could be veggie, hard to tell, since the website it refers you to is completely wrong (it refers you to a design firm). As for the kosher restaurants, it lists ONLY two. Meanwhile, a "Kosher in France" website lists 147 Kosher restaurants in Paris (just for the record, there are about 20 strictly veggie restaurants in Paris as well).

So back to the bookstore I go. I reserved this book at Borders through the Amazon site and just bought it at the store without looking. I did however leaf through a Time Out Paris Food guide, that while a little more pricey ($2-5 depending on where you go) definitely lists more cuisines than this. I got more information from a perfunctory google search than i have in the ten minutes i've spent with this ZAGAT's guide.