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(More customer reviews)Dollar skidding, plane fare soaring --- it's not likely I'll be having dinner in Paris any time soon.
But that doesn't mean I can't eat in Paris by proxy. Naturally, the lucky stiff who's having the meals I'm missing is an American --- someone with an expatriate's appreciation of culinary greatness. This person can write as well as he/she can enjoy the handiwork of a fine chef. And, finally, this gourmet can appreciate the value of the dollar.
On the basis of Hungry for Paris, Alexander Lobrano is my Paris rep.
He's so American: "My first visit was in August 1972, en famille, with my parents, two brothers and sister. We stayed at a now-vanished hotel just off the Champs Elysees and every day began with a glass of warm TANG, which my late father mixed up in the bathroom water glasses, as a bit of thrift."
Lobrano is an ideal guide because he remembers who he was, how he became the expert he is now, and how you can acquire expertise. And he can do that hard thing --- see what's in front of him: "The French never drink Perrier with meals because they think its large bubbles make it too gaseous to go well with food." He has a good ear for the quotable restaurant owner: "Come on, eat! Go ahead! I'm going to charge you a lot of money, you know!" He can let it rip: "A heavy rain filled the gutters with bronze-covered chestnut leaves last night, and the city is suddenly the city is nude." And, above all, he has an awareness of ultimate goodness: "It is hard to imagine a better lunch than a creamy wedge of Camembert smeared on a torn hunk of crackle-crusted baguette and a glass of red wine."
But, eat in restaurants he must, so he's off to 102 of his Paris favorites. Some of them are mine, too. Most, refreshingly, are not. And, refreshingly, he's not shy about explaining his enthusiasms. Le Pamphlet: "the best risotto in Paris." L'Alcazar: "better service, better lighting and a more cosmopolitan menu" than La Coupole. L'Epi Dupin, which he hears about from "the nice lady at the post office." Le Florimond serves his beloved stuffed cabbage "in a pool of brown gravy so lush it had already skeined on its way to the table."
Reputation means nothing. Neither does atmosphere. Lobrano is all about what's on the plate. L'Ami Louis is "for high rollers more interested in a brand-name experience than good food." Bofinger's "beautiful decor...can't compensate for the kitchen's mediocrity." Le Divellec is "stuffy...and exorbitantly expensive."
Even if you never go to Paris, this book is wonderfully educational. I've seen aligot on a menu; I didn't know that the whipped potatoes are mixed with Tomme de Laguiole cheese and garlic until they have "the texture of molten latex." Joel Robuchon makes spaghetti carbonara with Alsatian bacon and creme fraiche --- I'll try that at home. And more, and more, until the meal fantasies merge and I have to...well, if truth be told, I need to pour a small glass of red wine, tear off a hunk of baguette and slather it with cheese.
Alexander Lobrano serves up gastro-porn of the highest order.
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Hungry for Paris: The Ultimate Guide to the City's 102 Best RestaurantsThis new and updated version (published in September 2010) of Hungry for Paris, the most authoritative and charming guide to eating well in the French capital, includes reviews of all of the really fabulous new restaurants you won't want to miss during your next trip to Paris, as well as updated maps and indexes. WHEN IN PARIS. . . . If you\'re passionate about eating well during your next tripto Paris, you couldn\'t ask for a better travel companion than Alexander Lobrano\'scharming, friendly, and authoritative Hungry for Paris, the first new comprehensiveguide in many years to the city\'s restaurant scene. Lobrano, Gourmet magazine\'s Europeancorrespondent, has written for almost every major food and travel magazine sincehe became an American in Paris in 1986. Here he shares his personal selection ofthe city\'s 102 best restaurants, each of which is portrayed in savvy, fun, livelydescriptions that are not only indispensable for finding a superb meal but a pleasureto read. Lobrano reveals the hottest young chefs, the coziest bistros, the bestbuys–including those haute cuisine restaurants that are really worth the money–andthe secret places Parisians love most, together with information on the most deliciousdishes, ambience, clientele, and history of each restaurant. A series of delightfulessays cover various aspects of dining in Paris, including "Table for One" (how toeat alone), "The Four Seasons" (the best of seasonal eating in Paris), and "Eatingthe Unspeakable" (learning to eat what you don\'t think you like). All restaurantsare keyed to helpful maps, and the book is seasoned with beautiful photographs byLife magazine photographer Bob Peterson that will only help whet your appetite fortasting Paris. Praise for Hungry for Paris: "Every time I go to Paris I call Alecand ask him where to eat. Nobody else has such an intimate knowledge of what is goingon in the Paris food world right this minute, and there is nobody I trust more totell me all the latest news. Happily, Alec has written it all down in this wonderfulbook and now I can stop bothering him." –Ruth Reichl "Hungry for Paris is a brilliant book with an almost fatal flaw: the writing is so enchanting you maynever leave home to go to any of Alec\'s favorite places. Few people know,love andappreciate Paris restaurants the way Alec does; no one writes about them better orwith more charm."--DorieGreenspan, author of Baking From My Home to Yours "When I was nineteen, I went toFrance to study, but instead, I just ate. The experience changed me: I came backto the United States, and a few years later, started Chez Panisse. In Hungry forParis, Alec Lobrano describes his own gastronomic awakening, probably better thanI could! This book is a wonderful guide to eating in Paris." –Alice Waters "Idearly hope Monsieur Lobrano has an unlisted phone number, for his book will makereaders more than merely hungry for the culinary riches of his adopted city; it willmake them ravenous for a dining companion with his particular warmth, wry charm,and refreshingly pure joie de vivre. Lobrano is a sly raconteur, a respectful critic,and the very best kind of insider--one who genuinely longs to share all his bestdiscoveries." –Julia Glass, author of The Whole World Over and Three Junes "Organizedby neighborhood and interspersed with delightful sections on such matters as eatingalone. . . . This is the sort of guide you read before you go to Paris… Lobrano tellsyou what to expect and how to act."-Los Angeles Times Book Review "Lobrano . . .fleshes out his luscious prose with tempting photos. Hungry for Paris is like a cozybistro on a chilly day: It makes you feel welcome." -Washington Post Book World "Le Grand Vfour. Maxim's. La Table de Jol Robuchon. None of these venerated restaurantsare on Lobrano's list of the 102 best in Paris. And that's one of the reasons I loveHungry for Paris."-Gridskipper "A treasure trove of 102 mostly undiscovered addresses…Small and innovative bistros get the lion's share of Lobrano's ink, interspersedwith chapters that are autobiographical, informative and entertaining."-Women\'s WearDaily "Lobrano is an ideal guide because he remembers who he was, how he becamethe expert he is now, and how you can acquire expertise. And he can do that hardthing --- see what's in front of him."- HeadButler.com
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