French Food Guides 2006 – Part 1

[John Talbott]

French Food Guides 2006 – Part 1: 150 Young Chefs and the Petit Futé

Getting the jump on everyone else, two 2006 guidebooks appeared very recently.

The first is “Le Carnet de route Omnivore 2006: les 150 Tables de la Jeune Cuisine” a wonderfully-illustrated guidebook published by l’Epure (24 E), written by Dubranchet, Demorand & Petrini. It’s always hard to summarize these guides, but the authors present a mixture of agreed-upon hot new chefs and their restaurants in the provinces, e.g. le Puis du Tresor, Octopus, Thierry Marx, Alexandre Gauthier + Anne-Sophie Pic as well as those in Paris – Angl’Opera, Mon Viel Ami, Le Comptoir du Relais, Ze Kitchen Galerie, Chez l’Ami Jean, l’Arpege, Flora, Les Ambassadeurs, La Table de Lancaster, le Bristol, Pierre Gagnaire, Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athenee, Jean, Le Refectoire, l’Avant-Gout, l’Ourcine, Le Beurre Noisette, l’Astrance, + La Famille. In addition, Colette and I used it on a recent trip outside Paris with mixed results: their recommendation in Bordeaux, la Cape, was accurate and the place superb but the lack of a map showing the location of restaurants outside Paris hampers the traveler’s ability to map out routes hitting featured places. Bottom line: another fine attempt by the Omnivore group to promote exciting new chefs and interesting cuisine.

The Petit Futé, published by Auzias Labourdette (10 E) is a stunning compendium of 840 restaurants in Paris (plus hotels, shops, etc). Again, how can I summarize it? Well, first let’s look at my quartier, the 18th. Omnivore lists one place - La Famille, Claude Lebey and the Michelin list seven and Pudlo thirty-six. But the Petit Futé covers 59 (47 French and 12 foreign) of which, 22 are new and two “Coups de Coeur,” both of which, La Famille + Le Moulin de Galette, are generally acknowledged to be the best in the area. Other favorites in other arrondissements include: Cuisine & Confidences, Ma Salle a Manger, Vincent & Vincent, Aux Lyonnais, Noura, Les Enfants Rouges, Caruso, Les Papilles, Au P’tit Cahoua, Fogon Saint Julien, Les Delices d’Aphrodite, La Bastide Odeon, Le Comptoir du Rlais, Le Timbre, l’Affriole, l’Ami Jean, l’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Auguste, Settimo, Flora, La Maison de l’Aubrac, Stella Maris, Au Petit Riche, Le Pachyderme, Bistrot Paul Bert, Chez Ramulaud, Suds, Comme Cochons, O Rebelle, Swann & Vincent, l’Ourcine, La Cagouille, La Forchetta, le Bistrot du Marche, La Cave de l’Os a Moelle, Harumi, Le Passage, Le Troquet, Zebra Square, l’Abadache + l’Entredgeu. Advice: how can you go wrong for 10 E?

[Felice]

French Food Guides 2006 – Part 1: 150 Young Chefs

Getting the jump on everyone else, two 2006 guidebooks appeared very recently. 

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Merci John, I've been waiting to buy the Omnivore guide

[raisab]

John

You say Le Fute has many restaurants listed, but are they all listed favorably? I know taste is subjective but would you tend to agree with their assesments? I need to buy a new guide and from what you describe this goes beyond the tres popular restos, but I hate carrying another book in my bag unless it is worth the weight.

[John Talbott]

John

You say Le Fute has many restaurants listed, but are they all listed favorably? I know taste is subjective but would you tend to agree with their assesments? I need to buy a new guide and from what you describe this goes beyond the tres popular restos, but I hate carrying another book in my bag unless it is worth the weight.

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In a way, yes, they are listed more or less favorably and indeed it is more descriptive than evaluative and I probably should have said that. With only two indications (coup de coeur and new), it's not like G/M in the old days or Pudlo now. When I tried to assess its value, looking at places in the 18th, I thought it was pretty accurate (per me) and after your post I looked up two places "downtown" that I detest (which shall go unnamed) and they are not listed, so some judgment is at play here. Whether to buy it as your only resource?, tough to answer; my shelf now holds 20 guide/resto-books. I guess I'd encourage people to buy it who are interested in looking for places they may have missed or sound interesting but to schlep around, I don't think so.

[raisab]

Well between my cookbooks and restaurant guides, my husband is threatening to move out! It may be because there is no room left for him!

I usually carry one guide with me in my carry-ons when I travel to Paris and this book with such an extensive list sounds like it may fit the bill. Usually I use Zagat for addresses and because it is so slim and lightweight. But it is always the same-old, same-old with Zagat.

[John Talbott]

Well between my cookbooks and restaurant guides, my husband is threatening to move out! It may be because there is no room left for him!

I usually carry one guide with me in my carry-ons when I travel to Paris and this book with such an extensive list sounds like it may fit the bill. Usually I use Zagat for addresses and because it is so slim and lightweight. But it is always the same-old, same-old with Zagat.

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Well, the Zagat is about 1/20th the weight of this (it has hotels, shops and lots else). If you carried the Zagat for coordinates and Lebey for reviews/ratings/descriptions, the two would still be lighter (600 vs 700 mgm.)

[menton1]

The Zagat Paris to me is even more useless than the American versions; also, I refuse to give them one penny of revenue, as their attitude when challenged is very condescending.

That being said, my favorite guide for Paris Restos continues to be the Pudlo. I just love the way Mr. P describes everything from the lighting, the wall coverings, to some biography of the chef and proprietor. He has a gift for prose. I also find myself agreeing with him when I go to the restaurant myself. It is a bit heavy, but you can photocopy it and only carry with you the relevant quartiers for that day. I've never seen the Pudlo in soft cover, either.

Edited October 11, 2005 by menton1 (log)

[John Talbott]

The Zagat Paris to me is even more useless than the American versions; also, I refuse to give them one penny of revenue, as their attitude when challenged is very condescending.

That being said, my favorite guide for Paris Restos continues to be the Pudlo.  I just love the way Mr. P describes everything from the lighting, the wall coverings, to some biography of the chef and proprietor.  He has a gift for prose.  I also find myself agreeing with him when I go to the restaurant myself.  It is a bit heavy, but you can photocopy it and only carry with you the relevant quartiers for that day.  I've never seen the Pudlo in soft cover, either.

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No dispute here. Me too. But I thought Raisa was asking about portability and Zagat - for addresses, tele numbers, etc comes in at 180 gm; Pudlo Paris at 700 and Pudlo France at 825.

[raisab]

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