French Food Guides 2006: Part 7

[John Talbott]

French Food Guides 2006: Part 7: Zurban 2006 (the last hurrah)

This food guide from the Zurban folks will, sadly, be their last. As most France Forum devotees know, Hachette, their parent company, decided that Zurban’s business plan went unrealized in 2006 and with their primary interest devoted to Pariscope, they pulled the plug. For some strange reason, though, they released the Guide, even after the weekly ceased publication. A shame!

Let me get the negatives out of the way –

First, full disclosure, I know and immensely respect the Guide’s and Zurban’s editor/author/food critic Sebastien Demorand.

Second, I found the organization of the Guide bizarre:

– Why all these personal testimonials to the places quirkily preferred by staff members, places like Chroniqeur, Les 4 freres, Koba, Coupe Chou, Mestauret, Ice to Ice, l’Atmisphere [sic], Vitelloni, l’Enchotte, Zak, El Paladar, Le Sultan + Dong Huong? Do you know one?

– Why divide the places into “Good values,” “World food,” “Drink up,” “Outside,” “Other stuff” and “Outside Paris?” Last year’s version was much better plotted out by arrondissement?

– Why no numbers, ratings, comparisons?

– And finally, why is it so hard to find or to purchase it and/or why is it not distributed to subscribers of Zurban, or ex-subscribers, e.g. me?

But, what about its good points?

- First, it is a witty, insightful and interesting to read guide.

- Second, Demorand writes restos up like a journalist/intellectual/artist (vide F. Simon) rather than an amateur (in the American sense, vide Gault & Millau.)

- Third, the pictures are terrific and the plan of each arrondissement is very helpful.

- And finally, it presents the food (after descriptions of the genre, décor and clientele; obligatory in France) with succulent depictions. Example; the summary of my current favorite place in Paris, Ze Kitchen Galerie, spells out all the spices, herbs, foreign products, etc., one will encounter so that one knows what to expect.

In sum, this is a useful book, buy it if you can, grieve its disappearance and just hope some angel decides to finance the return of Paris’s best weekly guide for the “young set,” among whom I count myself.

[fresh_a]

Just got a copy. It's not bad, I was hoping for better. The maps are nice in the back, citing all the restos by arondissement, but it looks like a rush job to me... especially for 6.50 Euros......

Shame Pariscope stopped their TIMEOUT English section a couple years back...

Edited July 11, 2006 by fresh_a (log)

[Druckenbrodt]

I have to say I always found Zurban a bit of a disappointment, coming from London and being rather spoilt by Time Out. It sort of fell between two stools - not sharp enough for a really good consumer publication, not enough information for a listings mag. And the features all got really unimaginative and dreary over the last year. I really got the impression it was run by a bored/complacent/flaky team which spent a lot of time sitting round the office drinking oolong tea in floaty dresses rather than going out and getting good stories. I'm sorry it's died - it will make it very hard for anyone with a plan to do something similar (but better) to get any financial backing.

The magazine that really deserves to die though is Elle a Paris. If ever a magazine needed a kick up the back side...

OUCH! That sounds really bitchy. I didn't really mean to be so aggressive - it suddenly all came out! (must be the weather.)

[Ptipois]

I have to say I always found Zurban a bit of a disappointment, coming from London and being rather spoilt by Time Out.

I bought Zurban only for the food reviews.

I really got the impression it was run by a bored/complacent/flaky team which spent a lot of time sitting round the office drinking oolong tea in floaty dresses rather than going out and getting good stories.

What's wrong with drinking oolong tea in a floaty dress? Does it prevent from writing good articles?

[Druckenbrodt]

I have to say I always found Zurban a bit of a disappointment, coming from London and being rather spoilt by Time Out.

I bought Zurban only for the food reviews.

I really got the impression it was run by a bored/complacent/flaky team which spent a lot of time sitting round the office drinking oolong tea in floaty dresses rather than going out and getting good stories.

What's wrong with drinking oolong tea in a floaty dress? Does it prevent from writing good articles?

←

Ha ha! Well, nothing really wrong with drinking oolong tea in floaty dresses - I'm quite partial to that myself. It's just that being in a 'zen' comfort nest has never helped me find any stories. But maybe I've just got some weird uptight Protestant hang-up about pain. I believe the British have the longest working hours in Europe but still manage to be ridiculously ineffective on lots of levels, which might suggest that suffering does not necessarily equate with better work.

I'll just go and put the kettle on...