Paris by Bistro: A Guide to Eating Well

My wife and I spent 13 days in Paris in May-June 2006. I found the information still current and extremely helpful. Oh, the great meals we had!! We dined at many of the places listed and were never disappointed. The descriptions of the various places were always spot on. We enjoyed the cheaper haunts as well as some of the pricier ones. I love to plan trips but I don't like to schedule every moment, especially when and where we might need to chow down. This book had great places all across Paris and was very accurate with info on when a place was open or not. We were able to be spontaneous without taking complete leaps of faith based on mere appearances. This book is a find!

This book reads like a novel. Each section introduces the reader to the charms and peculiarities of the neighborhoods of Paris, followed by vivid descriptions of the history and atmosphere of the most interesting bistros and the best fare offered by each. This is not your typical tourist guide. I loved the fact that it is a slim book, packed with information, which can easily fit in a purse or pocket. The authors have focusssed on the bistros where Parisians find the best food for the best value. I loved the photographs, which capture the charm of Paris and made me yearn for a return visit.

This is THE book for lovers of Paris cafe culture, the Gaîté Parisienne of Toulouse and Degas and young Picasso, the smoke-filled existentialist redoubts of postwar angst and Sartre, the whole range of places, from tucked-away local digs where shirtsleeve workers take their lunch served by big-armed mamas to the ritzy-boulevard tourist traps, all the color, sounds, palate treats and eye treats you could possibly want, the stuff that brought you to Paris in the first place, are what Christine and Dennis Graf have confected for you, and not only that but they tell you how it's done, how the cafe "works," with the local body language and recognitions and intricate gestural vocabulary and what the places mean to les parisiens indigenes as well as the reverent foreigner drop-in. It's the book to have hidden in your pocket when you enter, the treasure-hunt clue that pointed you there but remains carefully concealed so that the habitués will think you just naturally gravitated to the place or else were astrally tossed there by astounding good luck. The book is worth five, ten times its purchase price.

Much more than a standard travel guide, this book is a work of art. It's beautifully written and sprinkled with entertaining vignettes and charming photographs. The authors have departed from the beaten path and searched Paris to find a select group of Bistros, the kind the average tourist hopes to find but rarely does. They are all unique, but they all have some things in common: appealing atmosphere, creative menus and outstanding value-- and they all make me anxious to return to Paris!