Paris_ The Collected Traveler - Barrie Kerper [132]
Other guides I frequently consult include:
Authentic Bistros of Paris, François Thomazeau and Sylvain Ageorges (Little Bookroom, 2005). The authors quote some lyrics from the song “Le Bistro” by Georges Brassens: “On a run-down old square / In a poor part of Paris / Some angel took this dive / And made it / A palace.” Each of the fifty-one bistros profiled in this handy little book (about the size of an old Baedeker’s guide) is indeed a palace of sorts. Though it’s true that Parisian bistros are facing possible extinction, there are enough of them left to warm the hearts of locals and visitors alike. The authors’ criteria in making their selections included testing the classic ham sandwich, le jambon-beurre. “It was an arbitrary decision,” they note, “but it turned out to be revelatory. Good bars make a good jambon-beurre. That’s just the way it is. And their beers are the right temperature. And the espresso is neither too hot nor too cold, no matter what time you order it. And the house red is never harsh.” Interestingly, they also discovered that a large number of the establishments featured are or were owned by natives of the Auvergne region. Only a few of these favorite bistros appear in other books, and I had the opportunity a few autumns ago to discover some new places, including the bar in the film Amélie and the Charbon Escalier, the last café-charbon of Paris (charbon is French for coal and signifies that a café is heated by a coal stove and not gas or electricity).
Clotilde’s Edible Adventures in Paris, Clotilde Dusoulier (Broadway, 2008). I echo Nach Waxman and Matt Sartwell’s enthusiasm for this book (see this page), and I will add something else that’s appealing about Clotilde: she is a self-described “enthusiastic list-maker” and keeps lists of books she wants to read, places she wants to visit, stories to write, and projects to tackle. This great read is a window onto Clotilde’s Paris that can be yours, too.
The Food Lover’s Guide to the Gourmet Secrets of Paris, Kate Whiteman (Universe, 2006). Organized by neighborhood in nine chapters, this fully illustrated volume is not only lovely to look at but is great for planning neighborhood itineraries that are filled with lots of culinary stops (plus there are forty recipes). Restaurants, cafés, markets, and specialty shops are noted side by side with each quartier’s landmarks, museums, and sights, making this a great planning guide and souvenir.
Gourmet Paris: What You Want to Eat, Where, Dish by Dish, Emmanuel Rubin (Flammarion, 2002, revised edition). Here’s a guide “for dipping into, buffet style” and it’s quite unlike any other: it’s organized by type of food—andouillette, crème brûlée, foie gras, fondues, game, potatoes, rum baba, snails, and tajines, for example—and offers readers a selection of good places to find these specific foods. Additionally, there are recommendations for places in museums, along the Seine, with a view, or with terraces, as well as good bets for dining solo, in a large group, or with children.
Gourmet Shops of Paris: An Epicurean Tour, Pierre Rival with photographs by Christian Sarramon (Flammarion, 2005). I love this book because it’s organized by chapters entitled “Sweet Paris,” “Savory Paris,” “Paris in a Glass,” and “Paris on the Go,” with both longtime well-known addresses and trendy, but worthwhile, new ones. The photographs are enticing and the six-page “Gourmet’s Notebook”—covering confectionery and chocolates, cakes large and small, ice cream and sorbet, bread and cheese, fine food stores, wine shops (and one for whiskey), and cafés and sandwich shops—is an estimable epicurean guide.
The Historic Restaurants of Paris: A Guide to Century-Old Cafés, Bistros and Gourmet Food