Rating: 
Summary: Great Insight into Paris
Review: 3/3/03 I Purchased "The Second Edition" of The Food Lover's Guide to Paris in May,1990 from a [local] Book store.....It not only gives insight into Paris(customs and costs) ,by Paris's equivalent to our USA zip codes locations(e.g 8th and 9th Arrondissements:location of Arc de Triomphe),but also by food specialty shops with a French/English Food Glossary; and two index alphabetical and food recipe).Patricia Welles's 4th Edition can only enhance a 'true masterpiece",which I found her 2nd Edition to be. Whether you're traveling or not ,you'll pick up the book just to read or use some of the many recipes in its contents.3/3/02 abj
Rating: 
Summary: Perhaps Too Generous
Review: Although I find her engaging, I have to admit my experience with Patricia Wells' guide books and recipes has been less than foolproof. Although this book contains a wealth of useful details, in my experience she is far too generous with many mediocre restaurants and I have had several meals I considered downright bad based on this book. Perhaps a part of the problem is that, unlike most restaurant reviewers, Ms. Wells is well-known and well-recognized among Parisian proprietors. She loves them, they love her. As a result, I suspect the service - and in some cases the food - are often a notch or so better for her than for the average patron.
Rating: 
Summary: If you take just one book to Paris, this is the one to pack
Review: As I consider "Food Lovers Guide to Paris" an old friend, I was really pleased to see a timely update to one of the most useful travel books I know. I highly recommend it to anyone with a good appetite who is contemplating a visit to the City of Light.In this fourth version of her classic, Ms Wells again does a superb job of ferreting out and reviewing top notch restaurants, cafes, bakeries, pastry shops, wine bars, candy makers, markets, and a myriad of specialty shops - anything and everything that has to do with food in the food capital of the world. Some notable names from the third edition have been dropped and some exciting new ones added. Some restaurants have been in all four guides, but an update was certainly necessary for those who enjoy the finest of fine cuisine: three years ago, the celebrated superstar chef Joel Robuchon retired. Today, several of his talented former assistants are now running their own kitchens in Paris, and their food can be absolutely stunning. My girlfriend and I visited two of these restaurants last autumn, (during the wild mushroom season, of course!), and were blown away by the exquisite food at both establishments. Those looking for dining bargains will not be disappointed, as a good many of the recommended restaurants are not only quite affordable, but also offer wonderful value for your money. Good food, simply but imaginatively prepared. Included amongst the latter are several wonderful regional restaurants, if, for instance, you would like to try some of the specialties of the Southwest or Provence. As there are other serious restaurant guides available, perhaps the most uniquely useful chapters in the book are those devoted to specialty shops. Whether you are looking for fresh truffles, old cookbooks, designer china, or the most specialized and esoteric of cookware, using this book you will be able to find it. As another reviewer pointed out that the book features a number of recipes (I think the reviewer was peeved by this), I thought I would add my two cents: every recipe I have tried from other editions of this book has been at least very good; some have been superb. Finally, as usual, there there are many, many explanatory notes and a very good glossary that covers a large amount of French food terminology. First time visitors to Paris will find both the notes and the glossary VERY useful.
Rating:
Summary: If you take just one book to Paris, this is the one to pack
Review: As I consider "Food Lovers Guide to Paris" an old friend, I was really pleased to see a timely update to one of the most useful travel books I know. I highly recommend it to anyone with a good appetite who is contemplating a visit to the City of Light. In this fourth version of her classic, Ms Wells again does a superb job of ferreting out and reviewing top notch restaurants, cafes, bakeries, pastry shops, wine bars, candy makers, markets, and a myriad of specialty shops - anything and everything that has to do with food in the food capital of the world. Some notable names from the third edition have been dropped and some exciting new ones added. Some restaurants have been in all four guides, but an update was certainly necessary for those who enjoy the finest of fine cuisine: three years ago, the celebrated superstar chef Joel Robuchon retired. Today, several of his talented former assistants are now running their own kitchens in Paris, and their food can be absolutely stunning. My girlfriend and I visited two of these restaurants last autumn, (during the wild mushroom season, of course!), and were blown away by the exquisite food at both establishments. Those looking for dining bargains will not be disappointed, as a good many of the recommended restaurants are not only quite affordable, but also offer wonderful value for your money. Good food, simply but imaginatively prepared. Included amongst the latter are several wonderful regional restaurants, if, for instance, you would like to try some of the specialties of the Southwest or Provence. As there are other serious restaurant guides available, perhaps the most uniquely useful chapters in the book are those devoted to specialty shops. Whether you are looking for fresh truffles, old cookbooks, designer china, or the most specialized and esoteric of cookware, using this book you will be able to find it. As another reviewer pointed out that the book features a number of recipes (I think the reviewer was peeved by this), I thought I would add my two cents: every recipe I have tried from other editions of this book has been at least very good; some have been superb. Finally, as usual, there there are many, many explanatory notes and a very good glossary that covers a large amount of French food terminology. First time visitors to Paris will find both the notes and the glossary VERY useful.
Rating: 
Summary: Use Caution
Review: I agree with the reviewer who describes Ms. Wells as overly generous to certain bistrots, brasseries and cafes, and I would strongly suggest getting a second opinion before choosing one based on her recommendation alone. That said, with respect to high end restaurants (i.e. 1-star+), she's generally dead on.
Rating:
Summary: Top notch.
Review: I bought this book (from Amazon of course) about 2 months ago. I read it cover to cover before our Paris trip. We ate in about half a dozen of the resaurants. She was completely accurate. . . the prices, the suggestions on what to order, the hours, everything. In case you're going, L'Astier was our overwhelming favorite. We also used the info on kitchen shops, patisseries, boulangeries and specialty shops. Her title is accurate. If you're not a "food lover," don't bother. If you're obsessed like my family, don't go without it.
Rating:
Summary: Not what I'd hoped
Review: I brought this book to Paris along with 4 others, and although had high hopes, I found it frustrating. It didn't provide enough choice within a geographic area, and with respect to our one "big night" out, led us to a disastrous, expensive disappointment. Alcazar(p. 51) had miserable service (she had billed it "exquisite") and a meal that had to go back. We did much better following Rick Steves' recommendations, and our own noses. If it's the third or fourth book on your list for Paris, as it was for us, save your money and the aggravation of carting the hefty thing around. It's not worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Not what I'd hoped
Review: I brought this book to Paris along with 4 others, and although had high hopes, I found it frustrating. It didn't provide enough choice within a geographic area, and with respect to our one "big night" out, led us to a disastrous, expensive disappointment. Alcazar(p. 51) had miserable service (she had billed it "exquisite") and a meal that had to go back. We did much better following Rick Steves' recommendations, and our own noses. If it's the third or fourth book on your list for Paris, as it was for us, save your money and the aggravation of carting the hefty thing around. It's not worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Not what I'd hoped
Review: I brought this book to Paris along with 4 others, and although had high hopes, I found it frustrating. It didn't provide enough choice within a geographic area, and with respect to our one "big night" out, led us to a disastrous, expensive disappointment. Alcazar(p. 51) had miserable service (she had billed it "exquisite") and a meal that had to go back. We did much better following Rick Steves' recommendations, and our own noses. If it's the third or fourth book on your list for Paris, as it was for us, save your money and the aggravation of carting the hefty thing around. It's not worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Desperately needs an update
Review: I brought this book to Paris on a recent week-long trip, and had very mixed feelings about the reviews. About half of the recommended establishments were closed, moved, or under new names/management. If you use this book, calling ahead to verify that the restaurant exists is a must! The copyright date on this book is 1999, and many of the reviews must have been written or checked earlier than that. The reviews quote all prices in francs, which constantly reminds you of the age of the reviews, and the age of the quoted prices.
Still, every one of the restaurants, bistros and cafes which Wells recommended, and still exist, were winners. Often times, the reviews suggest perhaps a too cozy relationship between reviewer and owner/chef, but I'm willing to overlook that somewhat, as that doesn't seem to spoil the quality of the recommendations. Despite what people may think, there are bad (well, not-so-good) restaurants in Paris, and price is not always proportional to quality. Having a guide like this one is key to painful trial-and-error experiences. I just long for an up-to-date edition!
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