Hungry for Paris: The Ultimate Guide to the City’s 102 Best Restaurants

5 Responses to “Hungry for Paris: The Ultimate Guide to the City’s 102 Best Restaurants”

1. I. Xenos Says:
   June 19th, 2010 at 10:55 am

   Being American in Paris does not qualify one to write an authoritative book on Paris restaurants — in a very real way, expat writers like Lobrano (and Patricia Wells, for that matter) condescend to the local culture and visiting tourists too. After all, would any American think to buy a book that purports to be the authority on American restaurants — which across the board are now better than French ones anyway — written by a Frenchman? Of course not. I would argue that Lobrano is as qualified to recommend Paris restaurants as George Bush is to draft a coherent strategy for lasting peace in Iraq. Consumers would be better off buying the book Parisians actually read, the Pudlow Paris guide, written by a Parisian and now in English, too. Jer
   Rating: 1 / 5

2. Peter Doctorow Says:
   June 19th, 2010 at 11:01 am

   The write-ups for each of the restaurants is too long and verbose. I can’t figure out for whom the guide was created. If it’s for first-timers in Paris, then I think it should be more instructional and less ethereal. It it’s written for experienced Paris travelers (as I am), then I’d like it if the write-ups were more to the point.
   Rating: 2 / 5

3. One who like to explore Says:
   June 19th, 2010 at 11:31 am

   So if one isn’t having a dinner with a long lost friend from NE prep school who has recently published an amazing photojournalist article about a Sub Saharan tribe, but rather you are interested in a good, honest, forthright restaurant review and recommendation guide – look elsewhere such as Zagats, TripAdvisor, Visa Signature Dining. Tis hard to get past all the gushing, name dropping stuff to find the relevant parts about the dining. Truly – you can get much better, concise information from other sources.
   Rating: 2 / 5

4. Blue Says:
   June 19th, 2010 at 2:27 pm

   This book is at its best when author Lobrano, clearly a Paris insider, offers the visitors to that city lists of some interesting sounding restaurants and menus that have been neglected by other food guides. He ventures, for example, into the far corners of several districts of the city that are seldom frequented by visitors, but deserve exploring just for the food to be had there. There is also a really insightful chapter on dining alone in Europe that goes beyond the vicarious and hits the bulls eye on the practical side of travel.

   The book will be less interesting to someone knowledgeable about food and Paris. There is a lot of space given to comments on “French cooking 101″ that aren’t going to appeal to someone already in the know about the scene. Also mildly irritating is the author’s inclusion of extensive details about his dining partners, the dispositions of the waiters/hosts/chefs at the restaurants visited and other superfluous chit-chat about mood, environment, etc.

   When all is said and done, opinions about food and restaurants are entirely subjective. At his best, Lobrano is a well-informed expat in Paris who supplies the reader with some personally experienced dining possibilities. Some wading through verbose commentary is needed to get to the good stuff. It may be worth your time if you are not as familiar or comfortable with the city as Lobrano is. On other hand, there are other sources of dining advice, as at least one other reviewer has suggested–notably the Pudlow guide which is frequently updated and speaks to a local audience or consider Sandra Guftason’s “Great Eats in Paris.”
   Rating: 3 / 5

5. Stephen Stoneburn Says:
   June 19th, 2010 at 2:41 pm

   Hungry for Paris: The Ultimate Guide to the City’s 102 Best Restaurants

   fresh views on familiar places and new discoveries on and off the beaten path distinguish this well-written, informative and thoroughly enjoyable guide. a great read and highly recommended.
   Rating: 5 / 5

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